If I was to quote the part of 1 John 4:18 that says perfect love casts out fear, I imagine I would get a hearty “Amen!” from nearly all of you. But if fear is a bad thing, then what do you do with the 300-plus scriptures that speak of fearing the Lord in a positive way?
For instance, Isaiah 11:1-2 says,
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And 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 of the fear of the Lord” (underline mine).
This is speaking of Jesus fearing His Father. He certainly didn’t dread His Father, nor was He terrified of His judgment. But He honored, revered, trusted, loved, and submitted to His Father. The early New Testament church walked in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31). That is the positive fear of the Lord that I want to talk to you about.
If it was important for Jesus and the early believers to fear God, then it would be a good idea for us to learn what the fear of the Lord really is. Although I can’t possibly cover that in one short letter, I want to give a few examples and illustrations.
In America today, we see a total disregard for authority. But the fear of the Lord includes respecting authority—from police officers and government officials to pastors and ministers. If people don’t like those in authority, they are being taught to “storm the castle” and overthrow those in power by any means. But that is not what the Word of God teaches, and it is contrary to the fear of the Lord.
Romans 13:1-2 says this:
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive themselves damnation.”
That is a powerful passage, and it makes it very clear that God ordained governments and expects us to be subject to them. Government, even bad government, is superior to anarchy.
When the Soviet Union was at its peak, the countries they controlled basically had order. Yes, it was oppressive, there was little opportunity, and there were many injustices, but there was order that helped keep society relatively safe.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, there was a great vacuum of leadership and authority. In some of the countries that left the union, chaos and anarchy prevailed. The same is true in many of the African countries that were given independence to do with as they chose. In many cases, there were bloodbaths as different factions fought for control. It’s very possible that the “Muslim Spring” we witnessed this last year could have the same results.
Does this mean that communism or a dictatorship is a good form of government? No, but they still have a God-given power to govern, even if their government is not based on the principles of the Word of God. Continue Reading
Aphorism CITY 