Christians......fear God?

Question

When we are told to fear God, what does that mean? I love God, and I find peace in His plan for my life. I dont have fear of Him. Am I missing something, or is fear more about respect for Him? I have respect, but when someone mentions God, I dont feel afraid.

Answer 1

Dear Diamond_doll,

Respect.

For those of us who are in daily relationship with the Christian God, we are to respect Him; we do not have to fear him.

A relationship with a good parent is a combination of love and respect (when we do what is right, and good) and fear (when we do wrong/evil -- thus justly earning the wrath/ punishment of our parents)... Similarly, when we do wrong/evil, it is relevant for us to fear God (in the sense of fearing the chastisement that we can expect from God).

This fear is not intended to make us afraid of God or to drive us away from God, but is rather intended to remind us of the just consequences of our sin (chastisement) and so keep us on the straight and narrow path -- since even as Christians it is possible for us to fall into sin.

For those who choose to reject the Christian God, there is reason to fear (death, God, negative consequences of the afterlife).

Cordially,
John

Answer 2

In the old covenant of law, the fear of God literally comes from the fear of breaking His laws.

In the new covenant, our forgiveness of sins by the work of Jesus has changed this "fear of God".

So today, this "fear" is the worship and reverence of His awesome forgiveness.

David puts it this way:
Psa 130:3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
Psa 130:4 But there is FORGIVENESS with You, That You may be feared.

In another account, when the devil tempted Jesus in Matt 4:10, Jesus answered "You shall WORSHIP the Lord your God..".

He was quoting from Deut 6:13 which says "You shall FEAR the Lord your God..".

I believe Jesus knows what He is saying when He quoted from the Old Testament - He is revealing the New Testament way of fearing God.

When we understand our Father's love in His forgiveness, we worship Him.

How awesome is His forgiveness?

Isa 55:7 ... He will abundantly pardon.
Isa 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

Here, Isaiah is saying how awesome God is, in the way He abundantly pardons us, in such a way that no one can understand, because the way God thinks is different from the way man think, therefore the way He pardons is not the way we pardon.

Answer 3

You don't need to fear God. The concept of the fear of God was developed by the fear-based religion we know as Christianity. The "fear" tactic is used to get people to join the religion. God loves us all unconditionally and does not and will never judge or punish us, therefore there is no reason to fear Him.

Answer 4

Respect

Answer 5

Fear in this sense is the awe of God's power and might, not cowering under the covers fear. There is no fear in the love of God. You are not missing a thing, you have it right.

Answer 6

Some people says we should fear God, however, some times children fear their parents because they believe their parents will give severe punishment if doing something bad. And this isn't completly right.

Answer 7

I think not. I am a Christian and I don't fear God.

Answer 8

Why would anyone be afraid of God who represents the all-loving being.

Answer 9

Fear was in the old covernant. God is to be loved.

Answer 10

Fearing God is being afraid of the failure to do good.

FAQ: Do Swedenborgians believe in Hell or the Devil?


Swedenborg states "a perception of the sphere of falsity from evil that flows forth from hell has often been granted me. It was like a perpetual effort to destroy all that is good and true, combined with anger and a kind of fury at not being able to do so, especially an effort to annihilate and destroy the Divine of the Lord, and this because all good and truth are from Him. But out of heaven a sphere of truth and good was perceived, whereby the fury of the effort ascending from hell was restrained. The result of this was an equilibrium. This sphere from heaven was perceived to come from the Lord alone, although it appeared to come from the angels in heaven. It is from the Lord alone, and not from the angels, because every angel in heaven acknowledges that nothing of good and truth is from himself, but all is from the Lord" (Heaven and Hell n. 538).


"It has been believed heretofore in the world that there is one devil that presides over the hells; that he was created an angel of light; but having become rebellious he was cast down with his crew into hell. This belief has prevailed because the devil and satan, and also lucifer, are mentioned by name in the Word, and the Word in those places has been understood according to the sense of the letter. But by "devil" and "satan" there hell is meant, "devil" meaning the hell that is behind, where the worst dwell, who are called evil genii; and "satan" the hell that is in front, where the less wicked dwell, who are called evil spirits; and "lucifer" those that belong to Babel, or Babylon, who would extend their dominion even into heaven. That there is no one devil to whom the hells are subject is evident also from this, that all who are in the hells, like all who are in the heavens, are from the human race (see n. 311-317); and that those who have gone there from the beginning of creation to this time amount to myriads of myriads, and every one of them is a devil in accord with his opposition to the Divine while he lived in the world" (Heaven and Hell n. 544).

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