Should I Fear God or Not?

Question: 1 Peter 2:17 “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” This verse tells us to fear God. 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Now this verse says I shouldn’t fear God, because perfect love casts out all fear. Should I fear God, or not?

Answer: Excellent question! I could try to explain how these two verses have different endings on the same root word for “fear” and this gives implication toward the meaning. I could have a long discussion on how the same word can have different meanings depending upon the context. However, the best way I know how to explain this is an illustration from my childhood.

I had a very loving father, who was (as all loving fathers are) a strong disciplinarian. Normally, he would wrestle with me on the floor, tickle me and be very loving. I have many fond memories of my affectionate father. He would put me on his lap and talk with me regularly. He would play with me on my hot wheel tracks. Normally, I had no fear in his presence.

If I woke from a bad dream, as a young boy, I would get up and run through the darkness of the hallway down to my parents’ room. I would jump in bed with them and feel safe and secure. There was no place of greater love and security to a scared little boy, than with both my parents. Why? Because I knew they loved me and would protect me. My trust in their love cast out all fear.

The only time I had to fear Dad was when I had disobeyed him or had done something I knew I should not have done. If my brothers, sisters or I were acting bad, he would look sternly at us and grab his belt buckle. In a flash, all inappropriate behavior would stop. We feared his belt. We feared him, but only when we had done wrong. In that way, we had a healthy fear and respect for him. It often kept us from doing the wrong thing.

Discipline creates a respectful fear of the one in authority. Hebrews 12:9 says, “We have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!” I respected my father because, when I was bad, he disciplined me. Likewise, it is wise to fear God and respect His discipline.

Therefore, we should fear God today, in that, we have healthy respect for His wrath on the unrepentant. However, in His grace and covered by His blood, His love casts out all our fears. We should run to His loving arms when afraid, and let his love drive our fears away. But if we are sinning, we should fear God and turn back to His grace in repentance.

Are you repentant and living in God’s grace? Then trust in His perfect love, and let it cast away all your fears. Let the love of God perfect you. Are you considering sinning and rebelling against God? Then be afraid. Be very afraid!

Cruise Control

Tom Cruise has not only been pushing his new movie, War of the Worlds, but also pushing his beliefs about Scientology. John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Ann Archer, Jenna Elfman, Lisa Marie Presley are some of the famous Scientologists. And no wonder the best known scientologists are movie stars because treatments cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Want to learn more?

This is a must see video clip about what Scientology really believes:
http://whyaretheydead.net/Sten/galacticfederation.homeip.net/Xenu.rm

Read more by going here:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/s04a08.html

http://www.gotquestions.org/scientology-Christian-cult.html

http://www.xenu.net/index.html

http://www.scientology-lies.com/

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/050629/3/3t7yj.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

2 Peter 2:3-19 "In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed— an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey— a beast without speech— who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. 17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity— for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him."