Do you fear God?

[jlay]

Gman,
Yes, but it is essential to understand the different greek words that are translated 'fear' in the new testament.

Also important to use context.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The word translated fear here (deilia) is a completely different Greek word than fear (phobos). And means cowardice or timidity.
Verse 8 says, "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God."
Do not be a timid Christian. This is not about the fear of the Lord.

Since there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, those who are saved need no longer fear punishment.
1 John 4:17
By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
Same with Romans 8:15
These verses confirm that the veil has been split. We can now approach the throne with confidence. Not confidence in ourselves, but confidence that in Christ we have been made the righteousness of God. Pretty amazing.

My question to all is have you walked through the door of fear and trembling? This is why it is so imperative when we witness that we speak to the holiness of God. The 1st century church did not have the New Testament to share. They didn't have Lee Strobel and Hugh Ross. They were the NT, and they persuaded from the scriptures. The Law was their schoolmaster to lead to Christ. Jesus gave the Rich Young Ruler the law of God to humble him in the fear of the Lord.

On the say of Pentecost Peter's preaching created an interesting reaction. "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37 It says that Peter WARNED them. When they were converted it says, they, "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship." And everyone was filled with awe. Awe here is the Greek word phobos. Fear.
Wouldn't you love to see sinners say, "What shall I do?" The true gospel cuts to the heart. Because it IS GOOD NEWS for sinners. That is why people can not be saved with persuasive arguments. It doens't happen. Apologetics and such can only open the door for the gospel to be preached. It is not the gospel itself.

Imagine if someone told you they had recorded your most vile thoughts, and were going to show them to your loved ones. You would be fearful. How much more should the sinner fear his wicked deeds before the judge of the universe. In light of this how sweet, oh how sweet is the blood of Jesus. Good news!

[DannyM]

My question to all is have you walked through the door of fear and trembling? This is why it is so imperative when we witness that we speak to the holiness of God. The 1st century church did not have the New Testament to share. They didn't have Lee Strobel and Hugh Ross. They were the NT, and they persuaded from the scriptures. The Law was their schoolmaster to lead to Christ. Jesus gave the Rich Young Ruler the law of God to humble him in the fear of the Lord.

On the say of Pentecost Peter's preaching created an interesting reaction. "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37 It says that Peter WARNED them. When they were converted it says, they, "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship." And everyone was filled with awe. Awe here is the Greek word phobos. Fear.

Wouldn't you love to see sinners say, "What shall I do?" The true gospel cuts to the heart. Because it IS GOOD NEWS for sinners. That is why people can not be saved with persuasive arguments. It doens't happen. Apologetics and such can only open the door for the gospel to be preached. It is not the gospel itself.

Imagine if someone told you they had recorded your most vile thoughts, and were going to show them to your loved ones. You would be fearful. How much more should the sinner fear his wicked deeds before the judge of the universe. In light of this how sweet, oh how sweet is the blood of Jesus. Good news!

Nice one. Testify! I mean that.

Peace

[Gman]

My question to all is have you walked through the door of fear and trembling? This is why it is so imperative when we witness that we speak to the holiness of God. The 1st century church did not have the New Testament to share. They didn't have Lee Strobel and Hugh Ross. They were the NT, and they persuaded from the scriptures. The Law was their schoolmaster to lead to Christ. Jesus gave the Rich Young Ruler the law of God to humble him in the fear of the Lord.

I thought this would be a good place to start.. Also do you have Packer's book "Knowing God?"

For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31). For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. The believer's fear is reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 is a good description of this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'” This reverence and awe is exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to the Creator of the Universe.

Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous. Deuteronomy 10:12, 20-21 records, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” The fear of God is the basis for our walking in His ways, serving Him, and, yes, loving Him.

Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God's discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.

Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be scared of Him. We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.

Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/fear-God.html

I thought this was a good source too..

http://www.carm.org/questions/about-god ... i-fear-god

On the say of Pentecost Peter's preaching created an interesting reaction. "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37 It says that Peter WARNED them. When they were converted it says, they, "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship." And everyone was filled with awe. Awe here is the Greek word phobos. Fear.

Wouldn't you love to see sinners say, "What shall I do?" The true gospel cuts to the heart. Because it IS GOOD NEWS for sinners. That is why people can not be saved with persuasive arguments. It doens't happen. Apologetics and such can only open the door for the gospel to be preached. It is not the gospel itself.

Imagine if someone told you they had recorded your most vile thoughts, and were going to show them to your loved ones. You would be fearful. How much more should the sinner fear his wicked deeds before the judge of the universe. In light of this how sweet, oh how sweet is the blood of Jesus. Good news!

Just curious.. Are you trying to teach the gospel to me or something?

[B. W.]

...I do have a sense of wonderment at the Lord. I'm in absolute awe of him; but I don't fear him in any way. Why would I fear him? The metaphor of the fear of a parent doesn't do it for me. The Lord is full of love and glory and there is nothing that I fear.

I fear the alternative; I fear life *without* the Lord. Man should fear Hell and oblivion and therefore reject option number 2. Man's spirit needs to be rekindled and the soul pumping with the knowledge of God's existence...

There is also a sense of Reverence. This is another meaning for the fear of the Lord that knows: our Heavenly Father loves us but we dare not cross him, or maneuver his love, his character, or his nature for sinful justifications…

That is the clean fear of the Lord that enlightens our eyes and guides our steps. Much of this kind of clean fear appeaars to be missing in the modern Church.
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[ageofknowledge]

Make no mistake: there IS going to be an accounting and it will be more drastic than anything that has ever preceded it and anything that ever follows it. God has a bone to pick with a great host of angels and humans that rebelled against Him and chose evil instead of His rightousness. Tick tick tick... the clock's running down. There's still time to avoid that fate but once that clock stops, your time is up, your silver cord snaps: and it's curtains for you if you're name isn't written in the lamb's book of life.

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelations 20:11-15.

[jlay]

Are you trying to teach the gospel to me or something?

I preach the gospel in and out of season. I assume lost people read this thread. I'm specifically relating the gospel to the topic of the thread. The fear of God.

[Gman]

Make no mistake: there IS going to be an accounting and it will be more drastic than anything that has ever preceded it and anything that ever follows it. God has a bone to pick with a great host of angels and humans that rebelled against Him and chose evil instead of His rightousness. Tick tick tick... the clock's running down. There's still time to avoid that fate but once that clock stops, your time is up, your silver cord snaps: and it's curtains for you if you're name isn't written in the lamb's book of life.

Very true, like a slow moving bullet... And yet I've seen people that never even question this all their lives.

[DannyM]

Let me put this to those who say they fear God directly..

You love God, right?

You *know* God, right?

You feel God's love, right?

You *know* God's love, right?

So, what do you fear? Unless you fear that you may have got God's identity wrong...?

If you *know* him, and you *adhere* to him, then what do you fear?

Dan

[jlay]

1 Peter 2:17
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

Revelation 19:5
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!"

Acts 5:5
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.

Acts 5:11
Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Acts 9:31
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

Acts 10:35
but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

Acts 13:26
"Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.

Romans 3:18
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."


I'm afraid you asking the wrong question. The question is how can we reconcile the verses that say we are not to fear with the ones that do.

[DannyM]

1 Peter 2:17
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

Revelation 19:5
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!"

Acts 5:5
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.

Acts 5:11
Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Acts 9:31
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

Acts 10:35
but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

Acts 13:26
"Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.

Romans 3:18
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."


I'm afraid you asking the wrong question. The question is how can we reconcile the verses that say we are not to fear with the ones that do.

Indeed, how *can* we reconcile such a seemingly conflicting message? I still fall down on my "fear God's existence and thus fear the alternative to God." It's not very elegant, I know, but I'm trying to say, yes, fear his wrath and turn to God. I think it was you that said we should have an awed reverence for God, and equated fear with a fear out of reverence. I understand the correlation you are after but again I don't buy it. Fear the alternative to God; fear punishment for evil done; fear an absence of God; fear nothingness as opposed to the kingdom of God, which is filled with love. Do you honestly fear God? Not his wrath - you are a Christian and you will not suffer his wrath; but do you fear God? If you are saved then what is it about God that you fear when you know that God is Love?

Sorry for any inelegance in this explanation.

Peace