Fear or Love…Take 3
August 4, 2009I’m going to keep this short. I have been going back and forth with whether or not the Lord calls us to fear Him. I know He calls us to love Him, but is there a place where fear of Him is relevant.
I just read all of this scripture and actually looked at ALL of it…what a concept, right?
“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.“ I John 4:18
It simply, AND CLEARLY states what I have been wrestling with…If we are afraid, then it means we have not fully experienced His PERFECT LOVE…which casts out ALL fear.
John is the apostle that Jesus loved. If there was an apostle that was qualified to teach us about the perfect love of God, it is John. Remember, Jesus loves EVERYONE, right? And, He loved ALL of the apostles…including Judas. So, for John to be referred to as the apostle that Jesus loved, then there must have been a special connection there.
I’m almost embarrassed that I read this scripture numerous times and never realized what it said regarding the fear of God and the perfect love of God.
Again, I believe that having the fear of God IS NOT wrong. But, in the same way Jesus fulfilled the law, I also believe He fulfilled the need for us to fear God, and now we can move boldly to the throne!
So, I’m returning to my first conclusion. I believe God will honor a response to Him out of fear, but wants our response out of love.
Definition | MW Collegiate Dict. (11th Ed.)
———————
1fear \ˈfir\ vt
[ME feren, fr. OE f+̄ran, fr. fær] bef. 12c
1 archaic : frighten
2 archaic : to feel fear in (oneself)
3 : to have a reverential awe of 〈fear God〉
4 : to be afraid of : expect with alarm 〈fear the worst〉 vi : to be afraid or apprehensive 〈feared for their lives〉 — fear•er n
Two commandments: Love the Lord your God…and your neighbor…
We are only able to do this by His grace…meaning: He is love and imparts the ability to love…in whole and in part…He does not owe this to us…He “graces it”
I suppose that if He did not grace love, He would be commanding the impossible…we must abide in Him to draw the fruit of love into our life.
Love begets love…calls us…draws us…fills us…equips us…
Reverential awe…of all this is contained within “I AM”…of how this is even possible…
Now that is cool…!!
Here’s some info from the New Bible Dictionary…FYI:
a. Holy fear
This comes from the believer’s apprehension of the living God. According to Luther, the natural man cannot fear God perfectly; according to Rudolf Otto, he is ‘quite unable even to shudder grauen) or feel horror in the real sense of the word’. Holy fear, on the other hand, is God-given, enabling men to reverence God’s authority, obey his commandments and hate and shun all form of evil (Je. 32:40; cf. Gn. 22:12; Heb. 5:7). It is, moreover, the beginning (or principle) of wisdom (Ps. 111:10); the secret of uprightness (Pr. 8:13); a feature of the people in whom God delights (Ps. 147:11); and the whole duty of man (Ec. 12:13). It is also one of the divine qualifications of the Messiah (Is. 11:2-3).
In the OT, largely because of the law’s legal sanctions, true religion is often regarded as synonymous with the fear of God (cf. Je. 2:19; Ps. 34:11, Moffatt), and even in NT times the term ‘walking in the fear of the Lord’ was used in connection with the early Christians. Gentile adherents of the synagogue were called ‘God-fearers’ (Acts 10:2, etc.; cf. Phil. 2:12).
In the NT generally, however, emphasis is laid on God as loving and forgiving, the One who through Christ gives to men the spirit of sonship (Rom. 8:15), and enables them boldly to face up to life (2 Tim. 1:6-7) and death (Heb. 2:15) without fear. Nevertheless, a reverent fear remains; for the awesomeness of God has not changed, and there is a day of judgment to be met (2 Cor. 5:10f.). Godly fear stimulates the believer to seek holiness (2 Cor. 7:1), and is reflected in his attitude towards his fellow-Christians (Eph. 5:21).
Hey David, great scriptures! Now this is what I like…multiple people inputting knowledge that maximizes efficiency of study, learning, and growing. After reading all of the scriptures that you posted in the NT regarding fear of the Lord, and put those with I John 4:18, perfect love casts out all fear…and if we fear God then it is because we haven’t fully experienced His love…do you think there is a point in which we no longer ‘fear’ God. Or, do you are think that we should always have a fear of the Lord. Scripture does not contradict itself, so even when it seems like there is contradiction I have found that in it’s ‘contradictions’ there is very specific clarity. And John typically wrote in very ‘black and white’ statements. And 1 John 4:18 is definitely one of these black and white statements. Just wondering specifically what you are thinking RE: followers of Christ having ‘fear’ of God. Don’t get me wrong, I believe the Lord at any moment can present Himself to me in a manner where I will be afraid…but does He want me to be afraid of Him while seeking after His perfect love, or does He want me to move past being afraid, and fear, and seek His perfect love. I have 2 reasons for asking:
1. It seems like you are providing scripture for both the fear and love of God remaining in us, and I want to be clear on where you are at this time. (I hope this isn’t coming across like I disagree with you if this is your view…I have posted 3 different views on this topic in the last 2 weeks, so we can all see I don’t know exactly what I believe in my heart. And, as iron sharpens iron, so will our discussion allow us to grow…and I’m being very selfish right here and concerned about my personal growth…just want to learn.
2. 2nd reason I’m asking is because I know you…at least a little. I know your heart. I highly respect anything you say, and want anyone else who may read these comments to know that we are both 2 people who only want the Truth!
Thanks for always keeping the comments and discussion coming! Later!