The Goodness of Fear

Mar 29, 2023    Don Willeman

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

What do you fear? What are you afraid of?

Fear is a very controlling emotion. And the goodness of or badness of any given fear is not so much the fear itself but the object of that fear. What are you afraid of?

Fear cannot be avoided. Life is a trade-off of fears. This is why two of the most common commands of Scripture seem so contradictory. On the one hand, we are commanded “Fear not!” But on the other hand, we are commanded to “Fear God!”

Well, which is it? Both! God commands us to not fear some things, so that we might fear the one thing that matters the most—Him! Again, fear can either be good or bad, depending on its object.

This means that having the right kind of fear (the fear of God) drives out the wrong kind of fear. So, the Bible tells us “Fearing people is a snare”—it’s a dangerous trap (Proverbs 29:25). When we fear others, we become slaves of what they think of us. However, to the degree that we “fear God” to that degree we are liberated from what others think. Thus, Proverbs tell us that “Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death” (Proverbs 14:27)

You see, the fear of the Lord liberates us. It puts our lives in the proper perspective, reorienting the fears of our hearts to their proper object—God Himself. We were made by Him and for Him.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”
~ Proverbs 29:25 (ESV)

“In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
and his children will have a refuge.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
that one may turn away from the snares of death.”
~ Proverbs 14:26-27 (ESV)