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Good Fear, Bad Fear, Freedom in Fear

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Scripture is not schizophrenic, although it may seem as though it might be. One of the most common commands in the Bible is essentially this: “Do not fear.”

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

On the other hand, Scripture is also filled with passages commending and commanding fear:

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; …As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. Psalm 103:11, 13

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. Proverbs 14:26

Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2:17

If you are familiar with the Bible you will probably already be able to see that when God commends or commands our fear that it is always related to fearing God. In other words, good fear is when it is the fear of God. This isn’t describing panic or terror or freight like we would get from watching a horror movie or witnessing a Justin Bieber concert. Rather, it is a deep respect and reverence of God. To fear God is to live as though he is God, to respect him as God and to obey him as God. It is like the feeling we get if we were next to a majestic canyon or a raging river. While we enjoy these incredible aspects of creation there is a natural reverence for them, being very careful to respect their characteristics because the consequences of trifling with them would be severe. In this case, fearing the canyon or river is key to enjoying it from a safe disposition.

On the other hand, there is fear that is bad and brings about panic, anxiety, and angst. This fear is not rooted in a deep respect or reverence from God. Quite the opposite, this fear is the result of failing to trust God. Scripture tells us that fear is the natural symptom of faithlessness. It goes like this: if there is no almighty and good God to put your trust in, it is acceptable, even logical, that you would be filled with terror, to be unsettled within your soul. Perhaps this is what Jesus is getting at in Matthew 6:25-34. Making a contrast with God’s people and the Gentiles, Jesus argues that worry about provision is illogical for believers but completely reasonable for an unbeliever. Why? It is because believers have a father in heaven and unbelievers do not (Matthew 6:32). The implication is that if the almighty God is also a loving an providing father, his children have no need for worry.

This world is filled to the brim with reasons to worry. It is filled to the brim with reasons to fear. However, the fact that Christians have a father in heaven leads us to conclude that if you are trusting in the almighty God, there is no reason to fear but great cause for confidence. This is how the Bible is not schizophrenic when it commands us to “not fear” but to “fear God.” In fact, fearing God is the remedy to anxiety. It is the fear that drives all other fears away!

This brings me to Proverbs 14:26 that I originally wanted to say something about.

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. Proverbs 14:26

We already noted the connection between fear and confidence. Assuming this is clear we can move onto the second half of this verse that says something about the effect that a parents faith in God will have upon the children.

The Proverb assumes there is an unavoidable display of faith in a parent that a child is always picking up on. This is both scary and relieving. Scary because who you are and what you believe is impossible not transmit to your child. It is relieving for the same reason. This means that it isn’t necessary to read endless books on parenting technique (although some are helpful). Rather, parenting is really very simple: fear God. Among all the other things we can conclude from Proverbs 14:26 we can say that the single most important thing a parent can pay attention to is not their parenting technique but the God whom they worship and the sincerity of this worship

We see the generational impact that comes with a parent who loves God. Parents, do you fear God? Are you growing in your knowledge of God? Do you prioritize technique above the Bible? I invite you to examine yourself and determine whether or not you can say from your heart that fearing God is your top priority. It is the most important parenting question you must answer.

In Christ,

Pastor Kevin

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