Landmark Baptist

What is meant by the fear of God as taught in the Scripture?

Mark Osgatharp
Wynne, Arkansas

Many things.

We are to have the Phobia that by doing something contrary to Gods will His Wrath may visit us thus that Fear should keep us from violating our relationship with Him. Interesting though how when you Fear God correctly then you have no reason to Fear God. Perfect Love casts out all Fear.

Some see it only as abject respect or honor towards God, I think those are components of Fear but not the sum of all Fear. Fear is treated as a bad thing in our society thusly when we say we fear God some don't understand that because they can only concieve of a God of Love. The Fear of God is more than just shaking in our boots and hiding under rocks it should motivate or drive us to be pleasing unto God to Love Him so much that we do not want to disappoint Him. When I was a child I feared my dad, not because he was mean but because I didn't want to upset or disappoint him and as I grew in understanding I learned that that fear of him was for my benefit.

Brother Butler,

I basically agree with your assessment. It seems to me, however, that there is very little fear of God today among our people. In fact, I have heard some of our preachers assert the philosophy that fear is only respect and not terror. The Bible is so clear on this that it is a wonder that anyone who professes faith in the Scripture could miss it.

Do you think it is possible we have done exactly what Jude warned of - namely, turned the grace of God into lasciviousness?

Mark Osgatharp
Wynne, Arkansas

I do believe that many who profess Christ as Lord have done so under the guise of righteous piety but in reality it is self agrandisement that leads them.

Would I dare say Gods People Specifically have? It is possible they have but I will not speak I'll of the Lords annointed right, wrong, or indifferent. I fear that I may be visited with such claims against me in doing so!

Without going into too much, I "essentially" agree.

One thing that I am not in complete agreement with, is "being afraid that God's wrath" will fall on me if I get out of line. I am not appointed unto wrath. I am appointed unto "chastening" as His child.

I like the statement that when we properly fear God, there is no reason to fear God. I do not believe that for the child of God to Fear Him means that he is to be "TERRORIZED" by Him. It is the Lord's desire that we have "comfort, confidence, and assurance" at the thought of a Christian coming before Him in judgment.

1 John 4:17 - "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment."

1 John 2:28 - "And now little children abide in Him, that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."

In my estimation, ungodly fear is being afraid of what we don't know. Godly Fear is being afraid of what we do know. My fear of God is in the same sense of my fear of my Father growing up. I had a wonderful relationship with my dad, it was full of LOVE and Instruction, and chastening and discipline. As much as I loved him, I also feared him, but I was never terrorized by him.

I agree that there is MUCH lasciviousness within Christianity today.

I don't however, believe that someone who is truly at proper rest and proper peace within God's grace, is guilty of lasciviousness.

My two cents.

Jeff Haney wrote:Without going into too much, I "essentially" agree.

One thing that I am not in complete agreement with, is "being afraid that God's wrath" will fall on me if I get out of line. I am not appointed unto wrath. I am appointed unto "chastening" as His child.

Brother Haney

I use this within the same context as we have given to us in examples with Israel. They were certainly Gods people and at times they incurred the wrath of the Father for their rebellion and that wrath was poured out on them to bring them back unto Him. I do not view this wrath from the Father to be the same type of wrath visited upon those who are not His people.

The example of our fathers is a good one here; I feared my dad differently than the kids in my neighborhood did, and he poured out his wrath upon me differently than he did the kids in the neighborhood. There are different purposes and reasons for them, for those outside of the family it was a grievious warning of don't mess around with what is mine or I will hurt you, for those in the family it is you are messing up and you need to straighten up before you get yourself hurt.

Brother Haney,

You said,

Jeff Haney wrote:I do not believe that for the child of God to Fear Him means that he is to be "TERRORIZED" by Him. It is the Lord's desire that we have "comfort, confidence, and assurance" at the thought of a Christian coming before Him in judgment.

I don't say that we should live in terror. I say we should live with the realization that if we rebel against God He will terrorize us. I can't understand Paul's words any other way:

Paul wrote:Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

You said,

Jeff Haney wrote:I don't however, believe that someone who is truly at proper rest and proper peace within God's grace, is guilty of lasciviousness.

Neither do I. I do, however, believe that a child of God can fall into lasciviousness. I also believe that the false teaching that fear does not mean being afraid of God facilitates God's people falling into sin. When an unspiritual man is convinced there will be no fearful consequences to his sin, then he becomes embolden in it.

Surely, fear is not the highest motivation for doing what is right, but it is a preventative which can cause men to avoid sin and, ultimately cause them to repent when they are, in the words of the Hebrew writer, exercised thereby.

Mark Osgatharp
Wynne, Arkansas

Mark Osgatharp wrote:Surely, fear is not the highest motivation for doing what is right, but it is a preventative which can cause men to avoid sin and, ultimately cause them to repent when they are, in the words of the Hebrew writer, exercised thereby.

I agree with this. Here is an illustration I often think of from my life.

In High School I threw the discus in Track & Field. I was practicing hard and improving. I was focused on beating my PR, (personal best), each week. This was the farthest distance I had thrown it. My coach had to redirect my focus one week. He called my PR my ceiling, and the distance I could be counted on to throw consistently, he called my floor. He told me that the space between my floor and ceiling was getting bigger all the time and that was bad for competition. He told me to stop focusing on the ceiling and just spend that whole week focusing on raising my floor. Of course, raising the floor eventually raises the ceiling as well. When proper attention was given to my floor, my performance in competitions became less erratic and more consistent. As well, PR’s began getting broken at meets instead of only at practice. Focus on PR’s was about what I could do, how high I could reach. Focus on the floor was more about what not to do; mistakes to avoid. It resulted in “cleaning up” my form in the ring, which solidified my foundation for trying to punch a hole in the ceiling.

The heavy emphasis on love for God as the only motivator for doing what is right is unbalanced. Fear of God is also a motivator. But like it was stated above, fear of God can have the great benefit of keeping us out of all kinds of mischief, therefore keeping our service to God solid and with loose ends gathered up. I don’t want to be a “periodic-great-message” preacher, but a consistent “full-meal-feeding” preacher.

Hope this illustration makes sense.