The Bible says we are to fear God. But what does that really mean?
I don’t think it implies God is malevolent or waiting for us to mess up so he can zap us, which would be legitimate reasons to fear him.
Instead, God is benevolent and wants good things for us; there is no reason to fear him for that.
Some translations render fear as “worship” or “revere.” That helps some. We are to worship God and to revere him. I can do that. And although I have a healthy respect for his power, it’s not one the produces fear.
That’s a good thing, isn’t it?
Perhaps a hint of understanding is that of the 13 times the phrase occurs in the Bible, most are in the Old Testament.
I will post more on this next time.
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Ecclesiastes 10-12, and today’s post is on Ecclesiastes 12:13.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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