In another article in this issue, we have looked at fear in the hearts of unbelievers—the source of it and the answer to it. But what about fear in the hearts of those who belong to Christ? Is such fear ever justified, or is fear in the heart of the believer always wrong?
On the one hand, Paul could clearly tell his spiritual son Timothy that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:77For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)). The circumstances under which Paul gave this exhortation are important, for he did not feel it necessary to say this when things were in order in the church and when the saints were generally going on well. Rather, he says this when he was in prison for the last time and when the signs of decline in the church were becoming all too evident. In this same chapter, he has to tell Timothy, “All they which are in Asia be turned away from me” (2 Tim. 1:1515This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. (2 Timothy 1:15)). In the second chapter, he has to tell him that separation from “vessels to dishonor” would be necessary, and this would sometimes mean separation from a fellow Christian who was walking badly. It is under these sad conditions that Paul reminds Timothy that God has not given us the spirit of fear; rather He gives us the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (wise discretion).
The Spirit of Fear
In this exhortation we see real encouragement, for although Paul recognized the declension that was coming in and warned Timothy about it, yet there is not one hint of discouragement in the whole epistle. Paul was confident in what he had been given by the Lord and what he had preached. He had nothing to regret, and he reminds Timothy that the Lord was the same, even if some were giving up the truth Paul had preached. The word used here for love is the word frequently used for divine love, and the word used for power is the word often used for God’s power. It is the root word from which we get our English word “dynamite.” Then there is the caution of “wise discretion,” which means showing divine love and using divine power in the right way, under the guidance of the Spirit of God.
In the Old Testament we have the warning that “the fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe” (Prov. 29:2525The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25)). There is the danger of our having the fear of various events going on around us, and perhaps the general declension of things, but to have the fear of man is also wrong. The fear of man can cause us to abandon our courage to stand firm for the Lord and to honor Him in spite of the difficulties. Rather, we should have the attitude taken in Psalm 118:66The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? (Psalm 118:6) and repeated in Hebrews 13:66So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:6): “The Lord is my helper; and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Many dear believers down through the ages have boldly stood for the Lord and have suffered the consequences of their faithfulness.
Let Us Therefore Fear
However, I believe that according to the Word of God, there are times and situations under which the believer can and should fear. The first of these is the fear of ourselves. The Spirit of God could say, “Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it” (Heb. 4:11Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. (Hebrews 4:1)). Also, the Apostle Peter writes to the Jewish believers in his day, “Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (1 Peter 1:1717And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: (1 Peter 1:17)).
This kind of fear is good for a believer, for it means that we do not trust in our own strength, but rather depend on the Lord. Peter knew very well how overconfidence in his life had caused him to fail and eventually deny His Lord with oaths and curses. He was ready to go into death for the Lord Jesus, but our Lord’s comment was, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:4141Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)). Later he was happily restored and was a useful servant of the Lord, because he learned not to trust in his own strength. He did, in fact, give up his life for the Lord when he was older.
We meet many kinds of difficulties around us today, and as the state of the world grows more sinful and contrary to the believer, we need more and more to rely on the Lord’s strength in order to be faithful to Him. When we go out in His strength and in godly fear, we will get the victory.
The Fear of the Lord
Coupled with this is what Scripture calls “the fear of the Lord,” and this expression is used many times in the Word of God. Proverbs 22:44By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life. (Proverbs 22:4) reminds us that “by humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.” This was, of course, written when earthly blessings were a sign of God’s favor, but the principle remains the same. A healthy humility is connected with the fear of the Lord, which means that we recognize our place as creatures, and thus our responsibility toward God. If we are tempted to fall into sin, the fear of the Lord will restrain us and make us realize two things. First of all, we will realize that the Lord wants our good and our blessing and that sin can only bring trouble and sorrow into our lives. Happiness in our lives as Christians is connected with obedience. Second, we will realize that there is a government of God that will not let us get away with sin. There are consequences to bad behavior, and the fear of the Lord will remind us of this. We do not lose our salvation if we sin, but we lose our enjoyment of Christ, and we lose His blessing in our lives.
Also connected with the fear of the Lord is the fear of taking a step without His guidance. Sometimes we have confidence in our own judgment, and it is true that we are expected to have spiritual discernment in considering the questions that come up from time to time. However, our own minds and natural intelligence can easily lead us astray, unless they are under the control of the Spirit of God and guided by the Word of God. Spiritual discernment comes from God, and this can only be obtained with humility and a walk in the fear of the Lord.
Fear While Not Walking Well
Third, there is a fear that is not normal for a believer who is walking with the Lord, but is allowed of the Lord for our eventual blessing. This kind of fear can also occur in an unbeliever, and the Lord may use it in blessing in this case too. I am referring to the kind of fear that results from what is unjudged in our own hearts.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid among the trees of the garden, and Adam’s excuse was, “I was afraid, because I was naked” (Gen. 3:1010And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. (Genesis 3:10)). When Cain murdered his brother Abel, he complained to the Lord that his punishment was greater than he could bear. He assumed that every one who found him would kill him. But why this assumption? It does not appear that anyone had threatened to kill him. Rather, his fear was because of what was unjudged in his own heart. He had murdered, and he projected his sin onto others. Many years later, God could hold up Job before Satan as being a good man, and it is noteworthy that Satan did not argue with God nor bring up accusations against Job. Yet, when trouble came upon him, he could say, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” (Job 3:2525For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. (Job 3:25)). Why was Job afraid? God Himself had pronounced him a good man, yet evidently there had been fear in his heart even when all was going well with him.
The difficulty with Job was the same as that with Adam; he realized that his heart was not totally right before God. Adam was in a more serious position, for he had disobeyed a direct command; his being naked was not the real problem. Job was a good man, but despite all his goodness, he feared the sinfulness of his own heart and the pride that took credit for his goodness, rather than giving God the glory. Again, the Lord can and does use this kind of fear to bring men to repentance, whether as sinners or as saints.
Holy Fear of Sin
Finally, we mention a fear with great reverence, realizing that we tread on holy ground. We read in Hebrews 5:77Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; (Hebrews 5:7) that our blessed Lord, in the Garden of Gethsemane, “offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared.” Here was a fear that no other could have — the fear of being “made sin.” Here was One who could not sin, and thus need have no fear of falling into sin, yet He shrank back from being made sin for us. He had no fear of man, nor did He fear the physical sufferings of the cross, although He felt them as any other man would. But He feared being made sin and going into death, for death was the wages of sin. This was a godly fear, although a fear no other could have.
In summary then, we see that there are kinds of fear that are wrong for a believer, but some that are right, and they are used of the Lord to keep us from sin and in blessing to our souls.
W. J. Prost