We have been commanded to love God. Are we commanded to fear Him?
Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This is also essentially the second great commandment of Jesus, though in the context of summing up the Law and the prophets he substitutes the word “might” with “mind.” Our minds direct our might.
Deuteronomy 6:13 says, “It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” Did Jesus command us, or direct us, to fear God? The closest he comes to actually saying so is Matthew 10:28 where he says, “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.” Who would that be, but God? Similarly, Isaiah 8:12–13 says, “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. LET HIM BE YOUR FEAR, AND LET HIM BE YOUR DREAD.” Sort of gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling all over, doesn’t it?
We would have no reason to fear God if we love him. 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” Sounds reasonable enough, inasmuch as God is open to reasoning together with us.
So how do you love God? 1 John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments…” What commandments are these? They would include the two great commandments of Jesus, but if we stop right there, it implies a circular reasoning since one of Jesus’ commandments is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. And 1 John 5:3 says we love God through the commandments. Where does that leave us?
Well…the second great commandment of Jesus is that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Romans 13:9 infers that this would encompass the Ten Commandments. So, we have something tangible…we can show our love for God by loving eachother as we would love ourselves.
But loving our neighbor can be confusing. Who is our neighbor? Jesus in the Parable of the Good Samaritan says that our neighbor is the one who helps us. So if someone hasn’t helped us, does that mean they are not our neighbor and so we can throw them to the wolves? Jesus tells a rich young man, who asked him how he could have eternal life, to sell everything he has and give the proceeds to the poor. But if the rich young man gave everything away at that moment, he would be poor too, at least in earthly terms. Could Jesus have really meant that the rich young man gives everything away to the poor when he is old enough to pass on? Would God favor those who give their estate to the poor, rather than to those who may not be poor? Would God see those that give to the poor as being neighborly?
Is a neighbor really only someone who helps you? Or can it include those who could be of help to you if you give them a chance?
Proverbs 1:7 of Solomon says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” I guess in that sense, we are better off fearing God, until we know how to love Him.
Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This is also essentially the second great commandment of Jesus, though in the context of summing up the Law and the prophets he substitutes the word “might” with “mind.” Our minds direct our might.
Deuteronomy 6:13 says, “It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” Did Jesus command us, or direct us, to fear God? The closest he comes to actually saying so is Matthew 10:28 where he says, “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.” Who would that be, but God? Similarly, Isaiah 8:12–13 says, “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. LET HIM BE YOUR FEAR, AND LET HIM BE YOUR DREAD.” Sort of gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling all over, doesn’t it?
We would have no reason to fear God if we love him. 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” Sounds reasonable enough, inasmuch as God is open to reasoning together with us.
So how do you love God? 1 John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments…” What commandments are these? They would include the two great commandments of Jesus, but if we stop right there, it implies a circular reasoning since one of Jesus’ commandments is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. And 1 John 5:3 says we love God through the commandments. Where does that leave us?
Well…the second great commandment of Jesus is that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Romans 13:9 infers that this would encompass the Ten Commandments. So, we have something tangible…we can show our love for God by loving eachother as we would love ourselves.
But loving our neighbor can be confusing. Who is our neighbor? Jesus in the Parable of the Good Samaritan says that our neighbor is the one who helps us. So if someone hasn’t helped us, does that mean they are not our neighbor and so we can throw them to the wolves? Jesus tells a rich young man, who asked him how he could have eternal life, to sell everything he has and give the proceeds to the poor. But if the rich young man gave everything away at that moment, he would be poor too, at least in earthly terms. Could Jesus have really meant that the rich young man gives everything away to the poor when he is old enough to pass on? Would God favor those who give their estate to the poor, rather than to those who may not be poor? Would God see those that give to the poor as being neighborly?
Is a neighbor really only someone who helps you? Or can it include those who could be of help to you if you give them a chance?
Proverbs 1:7 of Solomon says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” I guess in that sense, we are better off fearing God, until we know how to love Him.
