God Fearing…

Jonathan Edwards, Advice to Young Converts:

When love is asleep, the saints need fear to restrain them from sin, and therefore it is so ordered that at such time fear comes upon them, and that more or less as love sinks. But when love is in lively exercise, persons don’t need fear. The prevailing of love in the heart tends to cast out fear…

It is my personal belief that Fear is a gift from God.

In some Christian circles it seems as though fear is demonized. Teachings about fear tend to mostly be in the negative and we have inspiring titles such as “10 steps to overcome fear in your life…” The answer given for fear is almost always faith. But is it Scripturally accurate to declare fear the antitheses of faith?

It is my personal conviction that fear is a tool from God. I can just hear the objection now,”What about 2 Timothy 1:7 as it states, “For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.”” This verse has been used many times in order to declare fear as not from God, but a closer look yields some very interesting results. The word that is translated “fear” in this verse only appears this one time in Scripture. It has a different definition than all other words that are translated “fear,” this word in fact means to be timid or cowardly. In context Paul is explaining to Timothy that God’s Spirit is not one of timidity but one of power, love, and self-control. Paul is encouraging Timothy to live and lead not out timidity, but out of the power, love, and self-control of God’s Spirit.

I stated previously that fear is a tool, and speaking in the natural sense, it is a very effective tool. This is never more true than in parenting. I love my children, but until they are more mature love alone is solely inadequate. Granted, not from the parents end, but from the child’s. For example my son knows not to cross the street unless he is attended to by an adult. Now, I could have attempted to teach this based only off of love, but at his age love is an attitude ruled by his rationale at the given moment. Instead, I have to use fear, or more correctly the fear of what would happen if a car was coming, to teach him this all important lesson. Fear will keep him until he is mature enough for love to guide him. My youngest daughter, on the other hand, seems to be born without fear. This is a challenge for she is at the stage of trying to walk. This new endeavor with the courage that there is nothing to fear has led to many falls and bumps, despite my ever vigilant attempt to keep her safe. Without fear she is vulnerable to the world around her.

Perhaps it was to this logic that Jonathan Edwards was referring to. The saints need fear when they do not have love, or enough love. 1 John 4:18-19 states, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.” This can almost be seen as a progression. If we, as saints, are perfected in love, than that love drives out fear, but in the absence of that love fear resides as a tool to teach and keep. When a saint stops living like a saint then fear steps in to remind that saint that God is Holy and we are to attempt to follow suit. Here fear would be quite effective so that the saint can continue being perfected in love.

Do you fear Judgement Day? To an extent, I do. That is a hard thing to admit, for I am admitting to a lack of this perfect love. Fear of what would happen if I travel down the road of sin keeps me in those times when my lust for something of this world is being tried against my love for God. I fear judgment day, but I do so while still holding on to the confidence that in that day I will be saved by the blood of Jesus.

Did you know that the Scriptures state lack of fear as a definition of the ungodly? Romans 3 gives a picture of the unrighteous and ends with the powerful thought of verse 18 which states, “there is no fear of God before their eyes.” What a sobering thought. Sometimes in Christianity it appears that we downplay the fact that the godly are to FEAR God. We make qualifying statements such as “The word fear here is not referring to real fear, but more of a reverence.” But, is this true? Or are we simply trying to sugar-coat the truth to that person? It is an unpopular message, the message that God is love is much easier to swallow. But if we teach love without fear, are we truly presenting the full Gospel? Think about it, if there is nothing or no one to fear, than what is the big deal about salvation? If God is pure love than why be worried about anything? God is love, but God is also Holy. Man is not holy. It is this simple statement that help build the understanding that is fundamental to the realization of why Jesus came to die. In order to lighten the message of fear of God one would need to lighten another integral part of salvation.

Scripture is clear, we are required to fear God, at least at some level. Consider the following verses in Luke 12:4-8, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body,and after that have nothing more they can do. But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear the one who, after the killing,has authority to throw you into hell.Yes, I tell you, fear him! Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies?Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. In fact, even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid;you are more valuable than many sparrows.” What a powerful thought. Only when one understands that we need to fear God can one begin to see how much that same God cares for us. Fear is not the opposite of love, it is vital to our understanding of a PERFECT and LOVING God!

Let me end this all too long discourse with this final thought. It has been said by many that fear of God and fear in general are two very different things. I propose that they are not. The fear that one might have to keep quiet when they should speak up, or fear of failure, or whatever fear you want to use are not a different fear; they are simply a misappropriated fear. Fear is an indicator of value. Consider the following: I do not like to fail. God leads me to do something that places me in a position in which failure is a very real option. If I let that fear hold me back or hinder me in any way from what I need to do, than I have placed that fear over my fear of God. It is not fear that is the issue, but what you value enough to fear.