Fear of God

[Manfer84]

Hi
I was wondering, What is the whole fear of God thing about?

I don't get it, If God is real then why would we fear our “loving father”? Does any parent tells their kid “Hey son you have to fear me in order for me to love you”
I was wondering is someone could explain this to me, because I think I'm probably missing something.

[jlay]

You'll probably get a lot of opinion on this.

Your statement begins with a faulty premise, which I'll address in my 3rd point.

First, I would challenge your comparison.
The relationship between a son and father fails to adequately define just how different we are from God.

2nd. You enter the question with the predisposition that fear is a negative. Fear in many cases can be quite healthy.
Is it appropriate for a private in the Marine Corp to have a healthy fear of his Drill Sergeant? If you are jumping from 10k feet from an airplane, a healthy fear will help you to put on and secure your parachute.
Your question conjures the image of a child cowering in a corner, and a father standing there with a ball bat ready to wail away. The bible doesn't paint such a picture.

What it does is paint a picture of a God that is Holy, perfect and righteous beyond anything you can imagine. A God whose very nature is so at odds with evil and sin, that His very presence is a consuming fire.

3rd-God's love isn't conditional as you state. And thus your faulty premise. The Bible implicity states that, "God demonstrates His own love toward us in this: That while we were STILL sinners, Christ died for us." God loved us while we were STILL in our sin.

God is not merely loving. He IS love. His not 50% love, and 50% wrath. He is 100% love. And He is 100% just. And 100% righteous. He is the fullness of all of these, and more. And Him being love does not negate or minimize any other part of His nature. It's like asking, "why is the sun hot?" It just is. That is its nature. If you stare into the sun for too long, it will blind you. Would you then ask, "Why did the sun do this to me?" The sun was just being what it is. You violated its nature, and thus were blinded. Had you feared the power of the sun, you would have diverted your gaze and protected your eyes. Anyone without this sensible fear would be considered what?

[Manfer84]

But you understand the power of the sun and what would happen if you jump from an airplane and you don´t fear your Drill Sergeant you respect him (speaking from what my dad, a marine, has told me). So I ask shouldn't it be respect of God instead of fear?. Or maybe because people don´t fully understand God that's what the fear is about, the things we don´t understand about God. What do you think?

[A Y323]

Hello.
I may not be much help because there's still a lot I need to figure out too, but here's my interpretation of what it means to fear God.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 (ESV)

Whenever it is possible to go against God, we need to remember the consequences of sin. Sin is what separates us from God, and God does not take sin lightly. "For the wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23. Not just physical death, but spiritual death in eternal separation from God.

So let's say for example that someone is trying to force you to reject your faith in God (or something along those lines) with the threat of hurting you or even killing you. What I think the verse above means (and also the meaning of fearing God), is that it's better to keep your faith in God, be killed physically but resurrected spiritually, than it is to reject God and be saved physically but killed spiritually.

Also I think it's important to note this verse:
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18 (ESV)

We need to fear God because He has the power and the right to destroy both our body and soul for our sin. But God loves us, and in His love He provided a way for us to escape the punishment of sin: His Son sent to die for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21
Romans 5:8

[Canuckster1127]

The word fear as we use it in english has different overtones than the original word used in koine greek. Fear in the sense of God is not stated with the primary ore overarching sense of punishment or abuse, but rather in the sense of respect, reverance and awe.

Humanly speaking it's the difference between a child who cringes and cowers afraid of where the next blow is going to come from, versus a child who trusts that his father loves him, cares for him and will not cease to do so regardless of whatever circumstances he finds himself.

Sadly, many christians don't fully understand or live with that understanding. That's how it works in a nutshell however.

[Manfer84]

Thanks Canuckster. That's a really interesting answer, makes a lot more sense to me that way.

[jlay]

But you understand the power of the sun and what would happen if you jump from an airplane and you don´t fear your Drill Sergeant you respect him (speaking from what my dad, a marine, has told me). So I ask shouldn't it be respect of God instead of fear?. Or maybe because people don´t fully understand God that's what the fear is about, the things we don´t understand about God. What do you think?

A Y323 pointed out a great point in 1 John 4:18.

The fear of the Lord has different conotations. Yes it can mean reverence and awe. It can also mean fear in the essence of terror. God's character stands oppossed to the fallen, sinful nature of man. But, keep in mind it is God who orchestrated and executed the plan to take us from children of wrath, to redeemed heirs in Christ. Embracing God's grace is where we can move from fear of condemnation to fear as a reverent love.
God is love. And this verse says, that there is no fear "in" love. There is no fear IN Christ. Or as Romans 8:1 says, There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

"All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth." Col. 1:6

Yes, I understand the sun, and the drill sargeant. And, I also understand (at least as much as my little mind can manage) the nature and character of God. And so I understand the fear of the Lord. And even more so, His grace.

[DannyM]

To fear God is to show reverence for Him. I am not terrified of God; I'm in AWE of God. I am terrified of and really FEAR the alternative to eternity with God.

[Byblos]

To fear God is to show reverence for Him. I am not terrified of God; I'm in AWE of God. I am terrified of and really FEAR the alternative to eternity with God.

Exactly. Fear of death, the eternal kind, now that's terrifying .

[DannyM]

To fear God is to show reverence for Him. I am not terrified of God; I'm in AWE of God. I am terrified of and really FEAR the alternative to eternity with God.

Exactly. Fear of death, the eternal kind, now that's terrifying .

We're on the same page ...

[Canuckster1127]

We're all coming at it from similar directions on the same theme. The quality of "fear" has to do with our positional relationship to God and then our acceptance of that relationship and trust in the nature and character of God.

How we walk in that is not entirely a product of the objective truth of who God is. Much of it in practical terms has to do with whether we've internalized that truth and are now living and walking in it. If God is our father and sin has been dealt with and yet we still continue to walk as if God were Zeus on the mountain top ready to throw lightening bolts from on high whenever we slip or stumble, then we're like an abused child who now has been adopted by a loving and kind father but who still cringes and cowers when that Father raises his hand to pat his head in love. A loving father still disciplines us and corrects us, and that at time can feel onorous, but it's not punishment. It's correction and designed for our ultimate good, even if we feel otherwise at the time.

I think at times we even misunderstand the quality of the wrath of God and imagine that God takes joy in judgement. But that's another subject.

[jlay]

We're all coming at it from similar directions on the same theme. The quality of "fear" has to do with our positional relationship to God and then our acceptance of that relationship and trust in the nature and character of God.

Bingo.