Results 1 - 2 of 2
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | What does "God Fearing" really mean? | Prov 9:10 | bible believer | 201088 | ||
good morning: there are two kinds of fear that appear in the Bible. both are exemplified well in Exodus 20:20—"Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.' " in this one verse a contrast is drawn between being afraid (don't do it) and properly fearing God (do it). one is a fear that is not coupled with love and trust, and therefore can lead only to terror and despair. James tells us that the demons believe that there is one God—and shudder in fear (Jas. 2:19). the writer to the Hebrews speaks of covenant breakers, apostates, for whom "no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God" (Heb. 10:26-27). the "other" fear is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10), that is the soul of godliness—that fear of the Lord in which the messianic Son of David delights. in Psalm 19, David is rejoicing in the law that produces fear of the Lord. there is an excellent book entitled "The Joy of Fearing God" by jerry bridges that you might find helpful in the study of this topic. we should not assume that there is a tension between fear of God and love of God—or between fear of God and faith in God—meditate upon the truth of Psalm 130:3-4, "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." praise God, the word of 1 John 4:18 is true: "Perfect love drives out fear." but it is the dread of eternal torment that love drives out, not reverence and adoration before God's majesty. in the song of Moses and of the Lamb, we hear, "Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy" (Rev. 15:4). it appears to me that there is good reason why the NIV chooses to use the word "reverence" to speak of that fear that is a godly fear, a proper fear. that fear is the rich convergence of awe in the presence of the eternal God—the Creator of the universe, the holy Lawgiver, the righteous Judge, and the merciful Savior—and a consciousness of being in his presence every moment. fear of the Lord is a combination of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and, yes, fear. we must not omit the element of fear from our understanding of that proper reverence that the Bible commands us to have. to test the patience of our holy God, to willfully disobey his revealed will, should be to us a fearful as well as a hateful thing, because it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:31). "There was a time when committed Christians were known as God-fearing people. This was a badge of honor. But somewhere along the way we lost it. Now the idea of fearing God, if thought of at all, seems like a relic from the past" jerry bridges "the joy of fearing God" the term may seem terribly old-fashioned, but let us pray that the Spirit of Christ will make us a God-fearing people. then, fearing God, we shall have no one or nothing else to fear. "The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: "Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary." Isaiah 8:11-13 God bless you as you continue to study His word. |
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2 | What does "God Fearing" really mean? | Prov 9:10 | stjohn | 201095 | ||
BB, I have to agree with our Sister Azure, very well put indeed! | ||||||