by Chadwick Brewer<\/p>\n
Many in the religious world have become uncomfortable with the biblical command to fear God. They redefine “fear” to mean little more than respect, and some even argue that obeying God out of fear is somehow inferior to obeying Him out of love. Scripture takes the opposite approach. It repeatedly commands us to fear God, warns of the consequences of refusing to fear Him, and even tells us to fear the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). Rather than dismissing fear, the Bible presents both fear and love as God-given motivations for faithful obedience.<\/p>\n
Throughout Scripture, the fear of the Lord is often the motivation that restrains people from evil. Solomon wrote, “By the fear of the LORD men depart from evil<\/em>” (Proverbs 16:6). That theme runs throughout Proverbs. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), and immediately Solomon warns his son not to join sinners when they entice him to do evil (Proverbs 1:10-19). The Hebrew midwives refused Pharaoh’s command to murder innocent children because they feared God (Exodus 1:17). While the fear of God certainly motivates many acts of faithful obedience, its emphasis is often on refusing to compromise, resisting temptation, and standing firm when others choose wickedness.<\/p>\n The love of God, on the other hand, is often the motivation for acts of righteousness and goodness. Jesus taught that loving God and loving our neighbor fulfills the Law. Love moves us to forgive those who wrong us, show compassion to those in need, care for widows and orphans, bear one another’s burdens, and seek the good of others even at personal cost. Love does more than keep us from doing wrong; it compels us to actively do what is right. While love also restrains us from sin, its emphasis is often on displaying God’s character through lives filled with mercy, kindness, and service.<\/p>\n The wisdom of God is found in embracing both motivations rather than choosing one over the other. Fear without love may keep us from evil while leaving our hearts cold toward others. Love without fear may produce kindness while lacking the conviction to stand firmly against sin and compromise. God calls His people to both fear Him and love Him. Fear keeps us from what God hates, while love moves us toward what God loves. Only when both are present are we equipped to pursue the full righteousness that God desires.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Chadwick Brewer Many in the religious world have become uncomfortable with the biblical command to fear God. They redefine “fear” to mean little more than respect, and some even argue that obeying God out of fear is somehow inferior to obeying Him out of love. Scripture takes the opposite approach. It repeatedly commands us…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[352,65,499],"class_list":["post-96949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-fear","tag-love","tag-motivation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28215,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-fear-be-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":96949,"position":0},"title":"Can fear be a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 28, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am trying to change my ways and live a better Christian lifestyle (a life more pleasing to the Lord). I know temptation will always be hounding me, but I know the Lord will provide me a way out. However, I want to know if fear can be considered\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26601,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-i-love-god-when-i-fear-hell\/","url_meta":{"origin":96949,"position":1},"title":"How can I love God when I fear hell?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 22, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How does someone learn to love God? I know what the greatest commandment is, but I don't think I love God. I fear going to hell. If I didn't believe in hell, I don't think I would have become a Christian. Could I have truly repented? Was my sorrow\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24418,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-idea-that-there-is-no-fear-in-love-applies-to-all-loving-relationships\/","url_meta":{"origin":96949,"position":2},"title":"Does the idea that there is no fear in love applies to all loving relationships?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to learn what the verse I John 4:18 is all about. Does this speak of our love for God or for our brothers and sisters? Or can this also apply to a relationship between lovers? My friend quoted this verse to me saying that when you are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45512,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-my-marriage-vow-valid-since-i-did-not-marry-out-of-love-but-out-of-fear\/","url_meta":{"origin":96949,"position":3},"title":"Is my marriage vow valid since I did not marry out of love but out of fear?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I married my brother's widow after God spoke to several pastors and the widow herself\u00a0that I must marry her. She has four children. The problem with this marriage is that my wife has a lot of feelings and I don't have any. When we want to have sex, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83370,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/honor-the-emperor\/","url_meta":{"origin":96949,"position":4},"title":"Honor the Emperor","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Chadwick Brewer \"\u2026living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor\" (I Peter 2:16-17). Often in Scripture, within a list of commands, one command or concept seems dissimilar to the others. I believe this serves to throw its importance into sharp relief. 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