A simple question

ImaginaryDay2

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While we have faith in God, we still fear Him. He is the Sovereign King. He is our Father. He is not our best buddy. He wields the power of life and death. We fear His wrath, even while we trust in His mercy and grace.

Is this 'fear' a human fear (meaning a certain dread, trepidation, and the like), or can it be considered fear that includes awe, reverence, wonder, submission? Scripture may suggest all of these in saying "...God highly exalted Him (Christ), and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phi. 2:9b-11 - parentheses mine).
So here is great fear, and yet greater faith for the believer, but for the unbeliever... what?
 

MennoSota

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Proverbs 28:14: “Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.” So fearing God is contrasted with a hard, unperceptive heart.

Isaiah 66:2: “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

Philippians 2:12–13: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.”*

Nehemiah 1:11: “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name.”*

Isaiah 11:2–3: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.”*
 

Michael

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Jesus proved His faith to God by His godly fear.

Remember "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10, Prov 9:10) It is so hard for us today to understand that the Man Jesus had to prove Himself to "be perfected" and receive the position of "Lord and Christ." But there is no way we can dismiss or explain away the Word of God concerning the Son.

"So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.”
6 As He also says in another place:
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek”;
7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”

- Heb 5:5-9

Because of His fear of God, the Man Jesus was "perfected" and "became" something He had not been before the baby in Bethlehem. In proving His faithfulness to God by His fear and obedience, Jesus attained to the calling of God upon His life.
And He expects the same from us.

"Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who delights greatly in His commandments."

- Psalm 112:1

Oh, yes, there are commandments to keep. Not the covenantal Law of Moses, but the Eternal commandments of God that will never pass away.

"Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy."

- Psalm 33:18

May His eye ever be upon us because we fear Him.
Amen.
 

MoreCoffee

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I do hope that Imaginary Day is well.
I'd like him to reply to my elderly posts from 2019.
He's a good guy, one of the people here that I like.
 

Lamb

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I do hope that Imaginary Day is well.
I'd like him to reply to my elderly posts from 2019.
He's a good guy, one of the people here that I like.

@ImaginaryDay2 MoreCoffee is requesting an appearance from you : )
 

ValleyGal

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I do hope that Imaginary Day is well.
I'd like him to reply to my elderly posts from 2019.
He's a good guy, one of the people here that I like.
I let him know. He's going to work soon, so not sure if he will respond until later. And yes, he is well. :)
 

Josiah

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Is faith the absence of fear?

Kind of depends on what you mean by "fear." But in the common sense, no.

Although faith can be a remedy to such fear.



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