The Bible often talks about something that can at times be hard to understand but is important to understand for Christians to grow. This is the fear of the Lord.
Now, some non-Christians will accuse the Bible of having a contradiction because the Bible frequently encourages the fear of the Lord, while still saying fear in love is a bad thing.
1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
This is not a contradiction though. In our human weakness, we may think there is one, but through prayer and study, we will find it easier to understand if we have a desire to learn.
So, the Bible says first of all that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of all true wisdom.
Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Job 28:28 - And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.
The fear of the Lord though is not sitting around being terrified of God. The book of 1 John helps us understand that. The fear of the Lord though is made up of many things that work together. First, it has to do with hating what is wrong.
Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Second, it has to do with realizing how powerful our God is.
Psalms 33:8 - Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
Finally, the fear of God is supposed to bring internal peace, not torment, as well as be used to help us do what is right and will benefit us and others.
Proverbs 14:27 - The fear of the LORD [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
Proverbs 19:23 - The fear of the LORD [tendeth] to life: and [he that hath it] shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
From all of these verses, I think we can conclude this. Fearing God is to understand that God is all powerful and all knowing, and can at any time judge us if we do wrong. It is not having a terror that we will accidentally displease God or be struck by lightning if we do something wrong, as God talks just as much about love, mercy, and grace as fearing Him. Rather it is a fear of the consequences and fear of disappointing our all loving, omnipotent God. When a Christian is about to sin, the fear of God will remind him or her that God can see them and will one day judge their deeds.
Luke 1:50 - And his mercy [is] on them that fear him from generation to generation.
Hebrews 9:27 - And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
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Christianity Plain and Simple
Non-FictionA new Christian wanting to learn about the biblical doctrines of Christianity? An old Christian looking to learn more? A non-Christian curious about how Christianity functions? Well, you're in the right place! Here I'll be using the Bible to talk ab...
