Fear Is The Beginning Of Wisdom

[Angela53510]

Does God come to us in fear or love? Both, at my salvation experience I had never read the bible and God came to me in intense love but He also told me that in my present condition I was headed for hell, and He made it plain that Hell was one horrible place. If it is really God speaking to you He will present both sides, the love of God, and the fear of hell.

Took the words right out of my mouth! I do have to agree with you, this time!

Certainly, the gospel is only one coin. But that coin has two sides, equally valid, equally important.

"God is love" 1 John 4:8, 16

But God is also holy! And since we are not holy yet, we do need to tremble in fear. Repentance means understanding we are sinners, and not holy. So, we do need to fear God, and yes, in the New Testament!

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matt 10:28

Our sanctification, in fact, requires that we have a fear of God.

"Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." 2 Cor. 7:1

As for sinners, the Bible defines them, in Paul's great treatise on theology as:

"There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:18



It seems people are trying to create a dichotomy here, when there is none! We do need to fear God, even as we walk in his love!

 

[Angela53510]

Here is a lovely quote I found:

"Unfortunately, many of us presume that the world is the ultimate threat and that God's function is to offset it. How different this is from the biblical position that God is far scarier than the world …. When we assume that the world is the ultimate threat, we give it unwarranted power, for in truth, the world's threats are temporary. When we expect God to balance the stress of the world, we reduce him to the world's equal …. As I walk with the Lord, I discover that God poses an ominous threat to my ego, but not to me. He rescues me from my delusions, so he may reveal the truth that sets me free. He casts me down, only to lift me up again. He sits in judgment of my sin, but forgives me nevertheless. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the Lord is its completion."

William D. Eisenhower

 

[Depleted]

Someone already did that. There are a bunch of them. But, the point is not how many times the word is used, but what God meant when He used it, And I think Jesus clearly showed us He didn't mean to be afraid of Him.

I'm fully aware that's what you want people to believe. I merely disagree.

 

[Depleted]

Projection.

Wait I think the Bible term is scapegoating....

Meh. I know you have me on ignore, but I write this so others understand. Scapegoating is not "projection" biblically speaking. It was a real thing for a real person. A foreshadowing of what Jesus really did do -- take on the sins of others and then take on the just punishment for that sin.

The day when anyone of us project how we feel about another onto ourselves, and then take on the punishment for that, is the day we can translate it into merely "projection."

(The problem with this constant onslaught of pop-psychology seeping into the church as if it is the gospel. Not even.)

 

[Depleted]

Hmm! I saw the title of the thread, and thought I might add a verse for the women, and the men who love them. Make of it what you will.

30 "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Prov. 31:30

Or is this off topic?

Kind of weird. (Not you. Just what happened here. lol)

I give a link to all the verses in the bible that are connected to fear of the Lord and was told it was already done in two different ways. You give one verse and everyone seems to accept it.

I guess I remain the Proverbs 32 woman, not the Proverbs 31 woman. lol

 

[Depleted]

Yeah... but can that woman cook?

Proverbs 31:15. Yup, she really can. She is woman as God wants us to be. Some of us are just still in training camp learning how to.

 

[Depleted]

I have seen two specific kinds of evangelists. The first is the fear speaker preaching about hell and God's wrath and calling everyone sinners they believe that using fear to bring people to God is the way to do it in their minds if you make people fear hell you can get them to heaven, the only issue is this tactic only creates more fear speakers and people tend to be filled with fear for every wrong thing they do. Oh they fear God all right so much so they never get to know him or his love.

Then there are those who preach an speak of his love and in his love yes they speak of hell and want people to be saved but they don't desire people come to him in fear only in love. The vastly different effects that fear and love have on people is seen all the time

Ah, but how many of these evangelists have you really seen? One went down in history for his fire and brimstone sermons (often lasting 6 hours long), and it started a true revival.

Jonathan Edwards -- Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

1 Corinthians 1:24 NASB

but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.


Ecclesiastes 12:13 GNT

After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.


Reverence:
"a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration. the outward manifestation of this feeling: to pay reverence. a gesture indicative of deep respect; an obeisance, bow, or curtsy.


Like a child who obeys his father not out of fear of punishment but because of love, respect and trust that his father only wants the best for him.

 

[pottersclay]

[FONT=&quot]Matthew 10:28[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

[FONT=&quot]Acts 10:35[/FONT]
But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

[h=3]A Priest Forever[/h]5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, butit was He who said to Him:
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.”[a][/FONT]
[/FONT]
6 As He also says in another place:
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek”;[b][/FONT]
[/FONT]
7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek

[/FONT]

 

[Angela53510]

Kind of weird. (Not you. Just what happened here. lol)

I give a link to all the verses in the bible that are connected to fear of the Lord and was told it was already done in two different ways. You give one verse and everyone seems to accept it.

I guess I remain the Proverbs 32 woman, not the Proverbs 31 woman. lol

What can can I say? It's a talent I have?

 

[Ariel82]

Seems to me, it would help to know where the Bible does say to fear the Lord. I don't know if it begins wisdom or not, but it seems fitting.

No one knew that the blue underline is a link.,,just thought it was emphasis until you mentioned it in a later post.

Typically you can say (click on link) or something to give folks a clue that they should.

 

[Ariel82]

Scapegoating is not "projection" biblically speaking. It was a real thing for a real person. A foreshadowing of what Jesus really did do -- take on the sins of others and then take on the just punishment for that sin.

True. Most people know the definition of scapegoat, but if not it's quoted below:

1.
a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place.
2.
Chiefly Biblical. a goat let loose in the wilderness on Yom Kippur after the high priest symbolically laid the sins of the people on its head. Lev. 16:8,10,26.

Scapegoat | Define Scapegoat at Dictionary.com

The day when anyone of us project how we feel about another onto ourselves, and then take on the punishment for that, is the day we can translate it into merely "projection."

No projection is placing our own sins on someone else.

The point I would like to make is if we were truly in Christ we would be willing scapegoats to take on the false projections others make upon us of their own sins and to respond with love. That is part of walking with the Holy Spirit. How to forgive every night and turn the other cheek.

 

[dcontroversal]

Here is a lovely quote I found:

"Unfortunately, many of us presume that the world is the ultimate threat and that God's function is to offset it. How different this is from the biblical position that God is far scarier than the world …. When we assume that the world is the ultimate threat, we give it unwarranted power, for in truth, the world's threats are temporary. When we expect God to balance the stress of the world, we reduce him to the world's equal …. As I walk with the Lord, I discover that God poses an ominous threat to my ego, but not to me. He rescues me from my delusions, so he may reveal the truth that sets me free. He casts me down, only to lift me up again. He sits in judgment of my sin, but forgives me nevertheless. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the Lord is its completion."

William D. Eisenhower

Exactly what I said above.....Fear is the beginning point only to be supplanted with love as we grow and mature in Christ

 

[Grace777x70]

Does God come to us in fear or love? Both, at my salvation experience I had never read the bible and God came to me in intense love but He also told me that in my present condition I was headed for hell, and He made it plain that Hell was one horrible place. If it is really God speaking to you He will present both sides, the love of God, and the fear of hell.

It is going to be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God for those that are not belonging to Him but once we come to Christ - we are His children - we should be speaking the love and grace of God towards each other. Hell is not for His beloved children.

I believe to preach a phobia - being afraid of God type message to His children is really a form of spiritual abuse. Awe and reverence for our mighty God is a different thing entirely.

Get this wrong and we create a fear based religion amongst ourselves that will stop us from really being able to trust and walk with our Lord. The kingdom of God is not "fear-based"

Hebrews 10:31 (KJV)
[SUP]31 [/SUP] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

[dcontroversal]

It is going to be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God for those that are not belonging to Him but once we come to Christ - we are His children - we should be speaking the love and grace of God towards each other. Hell is not for His beloved children.

Get this wrong and we create a fear based religion amongst ourselves that will stop us from really being able to trust and walk with our Lord. The kingdom of God is not "fear-based"

Hebrews 10:31 (KJV)
[SUP]31 [/SUP] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Remember John...he fell down like a dead man and had to be strengthened to stand........

 

[Grace777x70]

Remember John...he fell down like a dead man and had to be strengthened to stand........

Yes...the flesh will fall down in His presence. I have had a few encounters with the tangible presence of God and it was so intense - I couldn't move. The weight of His presence was awe-striking but it was the reality of His love that really was the dominating factor that confronted me.

I was never afraid of Him because I am His beloved child but I am awe-struck with reverence with who He really is and I continue to grow in this knowing and reverencing of Him.

 

[HEIsRiSen]

Someone already did that. There are a bunch of them. But, the point is not how many times the word is used, but what God meant when He used it, And I think Jesus clearly showed us He didn't mean to be afraid of Him.

It's a hard thing to put into words distinguishing the love of God from the fear of God. For me they go hand in hand. I love God because I fear God and I fear God because I love God. If I live in a constant reverence or fear of God and relationship with Christ it is healthy for me. I sure do run to Christ quickly as soon as I stumble because the stumbling blocks are laid out everywhere. Believers and unbelievers alike both trip over these blocks. Here lies the difference... In a transformed life sin is recognized and repented of quickly so that it does not defile the inward man. The conformed would be quick to accuse God or another person of laying out the stumbling block instead of taking a look at themselves first. That is the work of the accuser of the brethren.

Love always endures!

 

[Willie-T]

Ah, but how many of these evangelists have you really seen? One went down in history for his fire and brimstone sermons (often lasting 6 hours long), and it started a true revival.

Jonathan Edwards -- Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

Did you know that six years later, Jonathan Edwards openly admitted that kind of message no longer worked for him? Of course, that fact can be spun any way we choose, but I think it meant that God wasn't too keen on people cowering in terror of Him.

 

[Willie-T]

Has anyone ever noticed the divide all this FEAR stuff creates in our view of there being a difference between God and Jesus? Many Christians tend to fear someone known as "God" and turn to someone else called "Jesus" to protect them from the vindictive being called God.

 

[HEIsRiSen]

Has anyone ever noticed the divide all this FEAR stuff creates in our view of there being a difference between God and Jesus? Many Christians tend to fear someone known as "God" and turn to someone else called "Jesus" to protect them from the vindictive being called God.

Maybe it's the word fear itself that needs to be removed from the Bible and replaced with a word such as reverence or respect. God knows I do not cower before Him out of fear, I did back when I thought God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit were all different entities. The catholic church had me tripping on the trinity for over ten years and I wasn't even raised catholic.