"The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..."
Proverbs 1:7
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
1 John 4:18
If the OT tells us over and over to fear God, how can the NT tells us that perfect love drives out fear?
In my last post I talked about how I struggle to connect with the idea of fearing the Lord. One of the reasons I struggle is because of some baggage I have left over from before I came to Christ.
I spent a good part of my younger life deeply worried about my relationship with God. I was scared that my faith was not strong enough to save me, I was anxious that God was deeply disappointed in me. I was afraid of the Lord, but I did not fear him.
I spent a good part of my younger life deeply worried about my relationship with God. I was scared that my faith was not strong enough to save me, I was anxious that God was deeply disappointed in me. I was afraid of the Lord, but I did not fear him.
Over the years God has taught me about true faith, and about His heart for me. He has convinced me that the work of His son has brought peace between Him and me, and that I am his beloved child.
I am convinced of these things. They are the foundation to my life and my love of God, and I don't want to go back to the way things were between God and myself. I don't want my relationship with Him to be defined by anxiety and worry. And anxiety and worry is what comes to my mind when I hear "Fear the Lord!" So I avoid the idea altogether.
But my baggage should not define my understanding of God or my movement toward Him. I can't start with my past junk and let that inform my understanding of fearing the Lord. I have to start with Who God is--who He has proved Himself to be in the person of Jesus Christ, who He proves Himself to be in the testimony of scripture, & who He is proving himself to be in my life. I also have to start with what the Bible calls me to. And I have to let those two things unpack my baggage & release me from it.
So if the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament) tells me to fear the Lord, and 1 John tells me that love drives out fear, I need to admit that I'm not thinking correctly about what fearing God looks like. I need to come to my good and gracious God and ask Him to show me the right way to fear Him.
What keeps you from moving toward understanding and practicing a healthy fear of the Lord?
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