DOES GOD WANT CHRISTIANS TO FEAR HIM?

[TLSITD]

We know that God wants us to love Him, but does He also want us to fear Him? The answer, if we examine the Scriptures, is clearly, YES. The fear of the Lord is not a relic of the Old Covenant; Christians are instructed and reminded to fear God in the New Testament also.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... (Philippians 2:12 ESV)

But why? If God is love, and if we are saved, why would God want us to fear Him?

The answer is, because the fear of God protects us from sin and its consequences, which is what our loving God wants.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. (Acts 9:31 ESV)

Contrary to popular belief and teaching, it is not merely gratitude and feelings of love for God that keeps Christians from sinning and leads them to obey Him---at least it shouldn't be, according to the Bible---but also rightful fear. The fear comes from knowing that if we choose to despise Him, God has the power to chasten (discipline) us, and even to take away our eternal life, if we stubbornly persist in willful sin after coming to be in Christ, by refusing to do what we know He wants us to do and what He commands us. (See Hebrews 10:26-31)

For Christians, the fear of God should be a holy fear---not a guilty terror, as the unsaved have. We know that God loves us, and that we are saved because of His love and His mercy---forgiven of our sins and assured of eternity with Him when we die, through our faith in Jesus Christ---for which reason we have joy, confidence, and peace. But we should also bear in mind that this promise is not unconditionally guaranteed to us, and that if we choose to despise the Lord and refuse to repent, He is able to take away what He gave us. (See John 15:5,6,9-11; Romans 11:19-22)

That knowledge is wisdom, and it helps to keep us from doing evil things that we would otherwise consider or take lightly---even preserving our physical lives at the cost of disobeying the Lord.

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27 ESV)

(Of course, if you have been following my threads, you can see the relevance of this exhortation and reminder: If you don't fear God so as to obey Him in the easy times, much less will you be faithful to Him in the worst of times, when your physical life is on the line. Don't fool yourself!)

This is what Jesus said, speaking to His own disciples:

"I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:4,5 ESV)

The fear of the Lord produces good things: It leads us to turn away from evil, helps us to deny the strongest temptations of sin, and produces a rightful reverence for God in us that we won't have without it.

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise My name?" (Malachi 1:6 ESV)

(Where indeed, O people of God?)

The faith of those Old Testament saints that we so admire was coupled with the fear of the Lord, and it was their strength to withstand temptation and their motivation to obey God, for which He blessed and rewarded them.

The God of the Old Testament and the God of the New are the very same God. He has not changed His attributes or His attitudes. If we believe that He has, we deceive ourselves. God still wants His people to fear Him, just as He wants us to love Him. The love of God is to keep His commandments, and the fear of Him helps us to obey Him, which we would be more lax about if we did not---potentially to our own spiritual peril.

Yes, God is love, and part of that love is to protect His sheep. This is why He wants and commands us to fear Him; because He knows that mere gratitude to Him and the desire to do what pleases Him because we love Him is not enough to turn us away from strong temptation. We need to fear Him also, just as we would fear a parent who we know loves us, but also has the ability to punish us for doing what we know we know we ought not to.

God says that He is love because that is the attribute by which He desires to be known by man, not because He doesn't have other attributes in equal measure: It is not a matter of what He is, but of what He chooses to show.

God has the potential for as much wrath as He has for love (the evidence being that the unsaved will suffer His wrath for all eternity just as the saved will enjoy His peace and joy for all eternity); but He desires to show more mercy and love to man than He does justified wrath.

Like a jewel with equal facets, the one that faces the light is the one that shines; but that doesn't mean that the jewel has only one facet. The man-ward facet of God is love; but it's quite obvious from the Scriptures that that is not His only attribute, and that God's mercy and patience toward man are not infinite. There will be an end to His patience with impenitent men, and there will also be wrath for those who choose not to continue in His kindness after receiving His mercy.

David was a man who loved God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength, a man who delighted in the Lord, and who was a man after God's own heart---not because he was perfect, but because he was sincere. And David, who knew God very well, feared God, and wrote much about the fear of the Lord and its benefits.

The Christian who loves God, as David loved God---who is keeping His commandments to the best of his or her ability and who is doing what he or she knows to be His will and pleasing to Him to the best of his or her ability, and desires to do the same, will not have guilty fear, for perfect love casts out the fear of rightful punishment for willful sin. A Christian with a good conscience toward God for the aforementioned reasons will not have this kind of fear; but we should all walk in the fear of our awesome God, who has the power both to chasten us and to condemn us. As long as we have our sinful nature, the fear of God is both essential and relevant.

"I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!"
(Luke 12:4,5 ESV)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it know to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18 ESV)

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of His anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
(Revelation 14:9-12 ESV)

 

[ezra]

fear as in fear of a snake ? no fear as in a respectable fear yes a type reverence

 

[JLB]

We know that God wants us to love Him, but does He also want us to fear Him? The answer, if we examine the Scriptures, is clearly, YES. The fear of the Lord is not a relic of the Old Covenant; Christians are instructed and reminded to fear God in the New Testament also.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... (Philippians 2:12 ESV)

But why? If God is love, and if we are saved, why would God want us to fear Him?

The answer is, because the fear of God protects us from sin and its consequences, which is what our loving God wants.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. (Acts 9:31 ESV)

Contrary to popular belief and teaching, it is not merely gratitude and feelings of love for God that keeps Christians from sinning and leads them to obey Him---at least it shouldn't be, according to the Bible---but also rightful fear. The fear comes from knowing that if we choose to despise Him, God has the power to chasten (discipline) us, and even to take away our eternal life, if we stubbornly persist in willful sin after coming to be in Christ, by refusing to do what we know He wants us to do and what He commands us. (See Hebrews 10:26-31)

For Christians, the fear of God should be a holy fear---not a guilty terror, as the unsaved have. We know that God loves us, and that we are saved because of His love and His mercy---forgiven of our sins and assured of eternity with Him when we die, through our faith in Jesus Christ---for which reason we have joy, confidence, and peace. But we should also bear in mind that this promise is not unconditionally guaranteed to us, and that if we choose to despise the Lord and refuse to repent, He is able to take away what He gave us. (See John 15:5,6,9-11; Romans 11:19-22)

That knowledge is wisdom, and it helps to keep us from doing evil things that we would otherwise consider or take lightly---even preserving our physical lives at the cost of disobeying the Lord.

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27 ESV)

(Of course, if you have been following my threads, you can see the relevance of this exhortation and reminder: If you don't fear God so as to obey Him in the easy times, much less will you be faithful to Him in the worst of times, when your physical life is on the line. Don't fool yourself!)

This is what Jesus said, speaking to His own disciples:

"I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:4,5 ESV)

The fear of the Lord produces good things: It leads us to turn away from evil, helps us to deny the strongest temptations of sin, and produces a rightful reverence for God in us that we won't have without it.

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise My name?" (Malachi 1:6 ESV)

(Where indeed, O people of God?)

The faith of those Old Testament saints that we so admire was coupled with the fear of the Lord, and it was their strength to withstand temptation and their motivation to obey God, for which He blessed and rewarded them.

The God of the Old Testament and the God of the New are the very same God. He has not changed His attributes or His attitudes. If we believe that He has, we deceive ourselves. God still wants His people to fear Him, just as He wants us to love Him. The love of God is to keep His commandments, and the fear of Him helps us to obey Him, which we would be more lax about if we did not---potentially to our own spiritual peril.

Yes, God is love, and part of that love is to protect His sheep. This is why He wants and commands us to fear Him; because He knows that mere gratitude to Him and the desire to do what pleases Him because we love Him is not enough to turn us away from strong temptation. We need to fear Him also, just as we would fear a parent who we know loves us, but also has the ability to punish us for doing what we know we know we ought not to.

God says that He is love because that is the attribute by which He desires to be known by man, not because He doesn't have other attributes in equal measure: It is not a matter of what He is, but of what He chooses to show.

God has the potential for as much wrath as He has for love (the evidence being that the unsaved will suffer His wrath for all eternity just as the saved will enjoy His peace and joy for all eternity); but He desires to show more mercy and love to man than He does justified wrath.

Like a jewel with equal facets, the one that faces the light is the one that shines; but that doesn't mean that the jewel has only one facet. The man-ward facet of God is love; but it's quite obvious from the Scriptures that that is not His only attribute, and that God's mercy and patience toward man are not infinite. There will be an end to His patience with impenitent men, and there will also be wrath for those who choose not to continue in His kindness after receiving His mercy.

David was a man who loved God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength, a man who delighted in the Lord, and who was a man after God's own heart---not because he was perfect, but because he was sincere. And David, who knew God very well, feared God, and wrote much about the fear of the Lord and its benefits.

The Christian who loves God, as David loved God---who is keeping His commandments to the best of his or her ability and who is doing what he or she knows to be His will and pleasing to Him to the best of his or her ability, and desires to do the same, will not have guilty fear, for perfect love casts out the fear of rightful punishment for willful sin. A Christian with a good conscience toward God for the aforementioned reasons will not have this kind of fear; but we should all walk in the fear of our awesome God, who has the power both to chasten us and to condemn us. As long as we have our sinful nature, the fear of God is both essential and relevant.

"I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!"
(Luke 12:4,5 ESV)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it know to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18 ESV)

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of His anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
(Revelation 14:9-12 ESV)

Great thread. Much needed.

the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Psalm 147:11



JLB

 

[chessman]

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... (Philippians 2:12 ESV)

But why?

See v 5-8 which is why v12 begins with “Therefore”

Be thinking this in you, which also was in Christ Jesus—​

Philippians 2:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Philippians 2:5&version=DLNT

Christ followers, follow Christ’s example of fearing The Father while in the flesh (Yes Christ, while in the flesh, feared).

But for what reason???

A. Loss of Sonship
B. Death

... Who, in the days of His flesh having offered both petitions and supplications with a strong outcry and tears to the One being able to save Him from death, and having been heard because of His reverence , although being a Son, learned obedience from the things which He suffered .​

Hebrews 5:7-8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews 5:7-8&version=DLNT

Of note, significantly however, is that Jesus has since already overcame His death. Mature Christ followers know/believe/obey His overcoming death and thus no longer fear our death because of Him (not us). Babies in their growth process, stil fear their death, unfortunately.

And having been perfected, He became the cause of eternal salvation to all the ones obeying [also means believing] Him,​

Hebrews 5:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews 5:9&version=DLNT

We have eternal salvation to work out, precisely because He caused it.

 

[JLB]

See v 5-8 which is why v12 begins with “Therefore”

Be thinking this in you, which also was in Christ Jesus—​

Philippians 2:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Philippians 2:5&version=DLNT

Christ followers, follow Christ’s example of fearing The Father while in the flesh (Yes Christ, while in the flesh, feared).

But for what reason???

A. Loss of Sonship
B. Death

... Who, in the days of His flesh having offered both petitions and supplications with a strong outcry and tears to the One being able to save Him from death, and having been heard because of His reverence , although being a Son, learned obedience from the things which He suffered .​

Hebrews 5:7-8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews 5:7-8&version=DLNT

Of note, significantly however, is that Jesus has since already overcame His death. Mature Christ followers know/believe/obey His overcoming death and thus no longer fear our death because of Him (not us). Babies in their growth process, stil fear their death, unfortunately.

And having been perfected, He became the cause of eternal salvation to all the ones obeying [also means believing] Him,​

Hebrews 5:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews 5:9&version=DLNT

We have eternal salvation to work out, precisely because He caused it.

The OP is:

Does God want Christians to fear Him?

The answer is of course, YES.

Do you agree or not?

 

[Tessa]

Psalm 33: 8 NKJV

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it was done.

Psalm 33: 18 - 22

18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy.
19. To deliver their soul from death.
And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21. For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
22. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.

 

[chessman]

The OP is:

Does God want Christians to fear Him?

The answer is of course, YES.

Do you agree or not?

[The OP doesn’t post a verse that says “Christians” should fear Him.]

God wants people (even Christ) to fear Him, yes, while they are in the flesh [which is what the OP focuses on in neglect of passages describing mature Christians passages that teach growth]. Yet God wants Christians to then grow up to be Spiritually mature Christians who know/believe/obey and truly love Him and do NOT fear Him:

Yet even the hairs of your head have all been numbered. Do not be fearing; you are more valuable than many sparrows. And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me in front of people, the Son of Man also will confess him in front of the angels of God.​

Luke 12:7-8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke 12:7-8&version=DLNT

Some Christians (the ones that believe every word of His) believe that everyone who confesses Christ will also be confessed by Christ.

Some Christians (the ones that only believe some of His words) believe that some Christians who confesses Christ will not be confessed by Christ.

Some people believe Christ is a myth.

 

[Papa Zoom]

We've yet to define what we mean by "fear." As a believer, my fear of the Lord is a reverent awe. A deep appreciation of who He is. His power, His glory, His Holiness. His Majesty. It's a recognition of the greatness of God and the smallness of me. It's a deep respect not a feeling of being afraid for we can boldly approach the throne of Grace.
Hebrews 4:16 (NASB)
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Still, God is a consuming fire. We approach Him with reverence and awe.
Hebrews 12:29 (NASB)
for our God is a consuming fire.

But still, there is this to consider:
1 John 4:18 (NASB)
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

God doesn't want us to cower before Him. He wants us to have a proper heart of awe and respect and recognize Him for who He is. Our great and mighty God and Savior Jesus Christ!

Psalms 86:11 (NASB)
Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
Nehemiah 1:11 (NASB)
O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man." Now I was the cupbearer to the king.

[please note here that the word 'revere' is used instead of fear. This is because the use of the word fear has many applications but for the believers in HIM it's a reverent awe! That is what it means to fear the LORD]

Luther distinguished between that

[here is the "that" The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer, or the executioner. It’s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person. Or it’s the kind of fear that a slave would have at the hands of a malicious master who would come with the whip and torment the slave. Servile refers to a posture of servitude toward a malevolent owner.]

and what he called filial fear, drawing from the Latin concept from which we get the idea of family. It refers to the fear that a child has for his father. In this regard, Luther is thinking of a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who dearly wants to please them. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he’s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is, in that child’s world, the source of security and love.

Do I fear God? Yes. But not in the sense that I'm afraid of him. But I do hold a deep reverence of His mighty power and Majesty! We're I to be in His presence I would tremble before him. Not out of fear of punishment, but out of a reverent fear of the totality of who He is!

 

[dirtfarmer]

dirtfarmer here

1John 4:18, " There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear has torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

 

[ezra]

once again The Hebrew verb yare can mean “to fear, to respect, to reverence” and the Hebrew noun yirah “usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality. This fear acknowledges God’s good intentions (Ex. 20:20). … This fear is produced by God’s Word (Ps. 119:38; Prov. 2:5) and makes a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge (Prov. 1:7; 9:10)” (Warren Baker and Eugene Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament, 2003, pp. 470-471). many think fear God is like fear issis fighters who cut peoples heads off or that God is up in heaven just waiting to take us out if we mess up

 

[ezra]

Do I fear God? Yes. But not in the sense that I'm afraid of him. But I do hold a deep reverence of His mighty power and Majesty! We're I to be in His presence I would tremble before him. Not out of fear of punishment, but out of a reverent fear of the totality of who He is!

amen

 

[SytheF]

We know that God wants us to love Him, but does He also want us to fear Him? The answer, if we examine the Scriptures, is clearly, YES. The fear of the Lord is not a relic of the Old Covenant; Christians are instructed and reminded to fear God in the New Testament also.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... (Philippians 2:12 ESV)

But why? If God is love, and if we are saved, why would God want us to fear Him?

The answer is, because the fear of God protects us from sin and its consequences, which is what our loving God wants.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. (Acts 9:31 ESV)

Contrary to popular belief and teaching, it is not merely gratitude and feelings of love for God that keeps Christians from sinning and leads them to obey Him---at least it shouldn't be, according to the Bible---but also rightful fear. The fear comes from knowing that if we choose to despise Him, God has the power to chasten (discipline) us, and even to take away our eternal life, if we stubbornly persist in willful sin after coming to be in Christ, by refusing to do what we know He wants us to do and what He commands us. (See Hebrews 10:26-31)

For Christians, the fear of God should be a holy fear---not a guilty terror, as the unsaved have. We know that God loves us, and that we are saved because of His love and His mercy---forgiven of our sins and assured of eternity with Him when we die, through our faith in Jesus Christ---for which reason we have joy, confidence, and peace. But we should also bear in mind that this promise is not unconditionally guaranteed to us, and that if we choose to despise the Lord and refuse to repent, He is able to take away what He gave us. (See John 15:5,6,9-11; Romans 11:19-22)

That knowledge is wisdom, and it helps to keep us from doing evil things that we would otherwise consider or take lightly---even preserving our physical lives at the cost of disobeying the Lord.

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27 ESV)

(Of course, if you have been following my threads, you can see the relevance of this exhortation and reminder: If you don't fear God so as to obey Him in the easy times, much less will you be faithful to Him in the worst of times, when your physical life is on the line. Don't fool yourself!)

This is what Jesus said, speaking to His own disciples:

"I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:4,5 ESV)

The fear of the Lord produces good things: It leads us to turn away from evil, helps us to deny the strongest temptations of sin, and produces a rightful reverence for God in us that we won't have without it.

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise My name?" (Malachi 1:6 ESV)

(Where indeed, O people of God?)

The faith of those Old Testament saints that we so admire was coupled with the fear of the Lord, and it was their strength to withstand temptation and their motivation to obey God, for which He blessed and rewarded them.

The God of the Old Testament and the God of the New are the very same God. He has not changed His attributes or His attitudes. If we believe that He has, we deceive ourselves. God still wants His people to fear Him, just as He wants us to love Him. The love of God is to keep His commandments, and the fear of Him helps us to obey Him, which we would be more lax about if we did not---potentially to our own spiritual peril.

Yes, God is love, and part of that love is to protect His sheep. This is why He wants and commands us to fear Him; because He knows that mere gratitude to Him and the desire to do what pleases Him because we love Him is not enough to turn us away from strong temptation. We need to fear Him also, just as we would fear a parent who we know loves us, but also has the ability to punish us for doing what we know we know we ought not to.

God says that He is love because that is the attribute by which He desires to be known by man, not because He doesn't have other attributes in equal measure: It is not a matter of what He is, but of what He chooses to show.

God has the potential for as much wrath as He has for love (the evidence being that the unsaved will suffer His wrath for all eternity just as the saved will enjoy His peace and joy for all eternity); but He desires to show more mercy and love to man than He does justified wrath.

Like a jewel with equal facets, the one that faces the light is the one that shines; but that doesn't mean that the jewel has only one facet. The man-ward facet of God is love; but it's quite obvious from the Scriptures that that is not His only attribute, and that God's mercy and patience toward man are not infinite. There will be an end to His patience with impenitent men, and there will also be wrath for those who choose not to continue in His kindness after receiving His mercy.

David was a man who loved God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength, a man who delighted in the Lord, and who was a man after God's own heart---not because he was perfect, but because he was sincere. And David, who knew God very well, feared God, and wrote much about the fear of the Lord and its benefits.

The Christian who loves God, as David loved God---who is keeping His commandments to the best of his or her ability and who is doing what he or she knows to be His will and pleasing to Him to the best of his or her ability, and desires to do the same, will not have guilty fear, for perfect love casts out the fear of rightful punishment for willful sin. A Christian with a good conscience toward God for the aforementioned reasons will not have this kind of fear; but we should all walk in the fear of our awesome God, who has the power both to chasten us and to condemn us. As long as we have our sinful nature, the fear of God is both essential and relevant.

"I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!"
(Luke 12:4,5 ESV)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it know to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18 ESV)

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of His anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
(Revelation 14:9-12 ESV)

Does love fear?
We're to respect and adore God. Fear is an interpolation intended in my view to garner obedience to the word due to being afraid not to.
We honor God. Is fear synonymous with love? I hope not.

 

[TLSITD]

Does love fear?
Does love rebel?
We're to respect and adore God. Fear is an interpolation intended in my view to garner obedience to the word due to being afraid not to.
So you're not afraid to disobey God?
We honor God. Is fear synonymous with love? I hope not.

Are fear and love mutually exclusive?
(And before you quote 1 John 4:18, that verse is explained in the original post. That scripture has nothing to do with the fear of the Lord that turns one away from evil (which is the kind of fear that Christians should have), but rather with fear of the consequences for being in sin (which is a kind of fear that Christians whose love for God is perfect should not have). The fear described in 1 John 4:18 is a consequence of having a bad conscience toward God because one is sinning against Him in some way. The fear of the Lord that God wants us to have is fear that keeps us from sinning because we are mindful of His ability to punish us for doing so, as the original post explains.)

I obey God because I love Him. I also obey God because I fear Him.

 

[Tatilina]

Yes we should, the fear of God has been lost in the Church. This video really hit me hard when I watched it. This is the kind of preachers we need today.

 

[SytheF]

Are fear and love mutually exclusive?
(And before you quote 1 John 4:18, that verse is explained in the original post. That scripture has nothing to do with the fear of the Lord that turns one away from evil (which is the kind of fear that Christians should have), but rather with fear of the consequences for being in sin (which is a kind of fear that Christians whose love for God is perfect should not have). The fear described in 1 John 4:18 is a consequence of having a bad conscience toward God because one is sinning against Him in some way. The fear of the Lord that God wants us to have is fear that keeps us from sinning because we are mindful of His ability to punish us for doing so, as the original post explains.)

I obey God because I love Him. I also obey God because I fear Him.

To each their own.

 

[Tessa]

The only way I can compare it is that I loved my mother extremely. But I was afraid of getting home late before I married because I knew what would happen if I did. I fear and love the Lord in the same way.

 

[chessman]

God says that He is love because that is the attribute by which He desires to be known by man, not because He doesn't have other attributes in equal measure:

But now these three are remaining— faith, hope, love. But love is the greater of these.​

1 Corinthians 13:13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1 Corinthians 13:13&version=DLNT

 

[TLSITD]

But now these three are remaining— faith, hope, love. But love is the greater of these.​

1 Corinthians 13:13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1 Corinthians 13:13&version=DLNT

That verse has nothing to do with God's attributes or their measure. It is speaking about Christian virtues, and the greater importance of love above faith and hope.

 

[chessman]

That verse has nothing to do with God's attributes or their measure. It is speaking about Christian virtues, and the greater importance of love above faith and hope.

Christian virtues should be like Christ’s virtues.
Christ is The Son of God.
Your claim is self-defeating.

 

[Rajesh Sahu]

Great thread. Much needed.

the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Psalm 147:11



JLB

Amen. Sometimes I seriously think that a Follower ( note that I am purposely avoiding the word 'believer') should start reading the Bible by reading the book of REVELATION first. it gave me a deep insight of what Jesus meant when He said, what He said/ taught throughout His ministry. It's going to end very badly for unrepentant sinners. and that's a HUGE understatement. that's why the Lord repeatedly warned us about SIN and its DEATH-ly consequences. Paul ( and others) too. Fighting sinful temptations round the clock, every single day, makes my life miserable ( that's the truth), but somewhere in my heart, I feel joyful, I am fighting/resisting it at least. I don't win always but I do say sorry always and repent......I feel very broken and disturbed to the point of death when I sin. Its ;like a huge rock has fallen square on my head. It's SO heavy.... and crushing, and even physically I get very weakened. And yet it only proves that scriptures are TRUE. Through my own experiences, I can testify to the truth of the Word and His huge hatred for sin. I FEAR him reverently. what if He were a wily sinful God? What could anyone have done about that? he is endless AND EVERYWHERE. So I thank Him for Who and WHAT he is............ the ultimate power in the universe THANKFULLY, mercifully is HOLY HOLY HOLY. And the icing to the cake is He is so LOVING and MERCIFUL......

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 John 4: 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

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