Fear Paradox

An appropriate fear of God conquers our fear of everything else!

Use your imagination to place yourself in the audience at the Battersea Town Hall in London. It is March 1927. Bertrand Russell is delivering his speech entitled, Why I am Not a Christian.  He has a message about fear. But he doesn’t point to God as the solution to our fear. He points to religion as the problem that is driving our fear. As his message concludes you hear him say these words.

Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear. It is partly the terror of the unknown, and partly, as I have said, the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes. Fear is the basis of the whole thing—fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion has gone hand-in-hand. It is because fear is at the basis of those two things. In this world we can now begin a little to understand things, and a little to master them by help of science, which has forced its way step by step against the Christian religion, against the Churches, and against the opposition of all the old precepts. Science can help us to get over this craven fear in which mankind has lived for so many generations. Science can teach us, and I think our own hearts can teach us, no longer to look around for imaginary supports, no longer to invent allies in the sky, but rather to look to our own efforts here below to make this world a fit place to live in, instead of the sort of place that the churches in all these centuries have made it.

Our culture of fear is a problem and Bertrand Russell had a solution, just remove God from society.

There are many theories of what drives fear. But often experience proves just the opposite. Fear is slippery. It’s paradoxical. 

The Information Fear Paradox

In all of our fear of the unknown we might expect that with increased information we would have decreased fear.  But it hasn’t worked out that way.  We are in the information age with instant access to more information than we could ever take in. The more we know the more we have to be afraid of.  Where we once had fear of the unknown we now have the fear of the known, and it is even more terrifying. The humanist spirit of the enlightenment believed that humanity could conquer all by the increase of knowledge.  Now not that it is available we see that ignorance was bliss. Increased information we hasn’t fixed the problem of fear in our culture.  

The Safety Fear Paradox

In all of our fear of the unknown we might expect that with increased safety we would have decreased fear.  Our world has more safety features than ever. We have seat belts and helmets. When I get to close to someone on the road my car mirrors light up and the car starts making noise.  In North America the average life expectancy is about 80 years.  We have less to be afraid of, yet we have more fear.  You can secure your child in a car seat but now you have to worry about the car seat being expired, or the wrong size or being installed wrong.  The increase of safety has not cured our fear epidemic. 

The Religion Fear Paradox

This is Bertrand Russell’s theory. Atheism tried to sell the idea that it could free us from the bondage of fear.  Look back over the past 93 years since Russell gave his speech.  Has history validated his theory? No, the general removal of God from society has not freed society from fear but further enslaved us in it.

I listened to an interview with Dr. Frank Furedi.  He published a book in 2020 called How Fear Works: Culture of Fear in the Twenty-First Century. He is a leading voice on the sociology of fear.  He describes fear as having a “commanding moral position”.  It is driving society.  He says that as moral beliefs have lost significant in our culture people have turned to fear to motivate. Fear is how we move people.  Fear sells things, it drives the economy, political campaigns are won because of fear, decision are made because of fear and people can be controlled if they just experience enough fear.

It is moral confusion in society that contributes to our inability to deal with fear. Furedi’s observations contradict Russell’s theory.  Instead of teaching kids positive values to negotiate life’s difficulties we now teach “psychological trick to avoid fear”. Interestingly, Furedi is also a humanist and an atheist. So he is not promoting a religious bias.  He is making observations that suggest that taking God out of society doesn’t, in fact, reduce fear but intensifies it.    

In the failure of these theories, we are left with a different fear paradox.  A paradox that actually identifies what is driving our fear and how to overcome it. A paradox that Russell Bertrand would have had resisted.  Here is the fear paradox that I arrive at… An appropriate fear of God conquers our fear of everything else!

Yes, the solution to our bondage to fear is another fear. Our culture of fear is symptomatic of a lack of the fear of God. It is paradoxical. And it is Biblical. 

FEAR PARADOX IN THE BIBLE

Check out this fear paradox in Exodus 20:20.

This is the chapter where we first read the 10 commandments.  God displays his glory in thunder and lightening and a smoking mountain and the people are afraid. Then Moses calls them into the fear paradox.

Verse 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

Did you hear the paradox?  Do not fear, just fear. Fear God, just don’t be afraid of God.  

This paradox extends throughout the whole of scripture. 

In 1 Samuel 12 the Israelites ask Samuel to pray for them because they added to their other sins the evil of asking for a king. Samuel responds with the fear paradox.

Verse 20 “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.”

Verse 24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”

Do you see the paradox?

Somehow God can say, “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:5) and also send and angel with the message, “Fear God and give him glory” (Revelation 14:6).

Paul can write, that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (1 Timothy 1:7) and Solomon can conclude, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Paul can say, we “did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear” (Romans 8:15) and Solomon can say, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10).

Earthly worshippers can ask, “Whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1) while heavenly worship ask, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name?” (Revelation 15:4).

We hold onto the truth that, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18) while attempting to bring “holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1) and to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 12:2). 

Mary claims that God, “his mercy is for those who fear him” and, in the same chapter, Zachariah claims that we can “serve God without fear” (Luke 1:50, 74).

The Bible is not arguing with itself. 

An appropriate fear of God conquers our fear of everything else!

We have seen the fear paradox in the words of scripture. Now let’s take both sides of the paradox one at a time and try to understand what it means.

DO NOT FEAR

An appropriate fear of God conquers our fear of everything else!

That “fear of everything else” includes a wrong fear of God.  

Exodus 20:19 “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 

In fear the people don’t want anything to do with God. The wrong kind of fear is the fear that drives us away from God. 

What should Moses do? He just had this awesome encounter with God and God has given them commandments because he loves them and wants to live in relationship with them. They want nothing to do with him.  They are afraid of the God who is extending a covenant of love.  Moses could go back to God and say, “hey, those were 10 really good ideas but you kind of freaked them out with all that glory stuff. Now they’re scared of you, I don’t think they are open to a relationship right now.”  But Moses recognized this fear as the wrong kind of fear, the one that drives people away from God.

This wrong fear is deep in human nature. The first words the Bible records of Adam after the fall are him saying to God (Genesis 3:10) “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” The first response of sinful humanity was to hide from God in fear.

This hiding comes from a misunderstanding of the character of God. We imagine God, in his hatred of sin to rage in anger toward us.  We think he is out to expose us.  That isn’t what happened with Adam. 

God simple asked, “Who told you that you were naked?” (Genesis 3:11). God did not tell him he was naked.  That shame and fear that caused Adam to hide from God was not coming from God.   God walked into his shame with the same loving heart that said, “Woman, where are your accusers?” Adam got to see that God does not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Don’t let your shame keep you from God.

How much of our fear is really in us projecting our shame onto God’s view of us?

An appropriate fear of God is never rooted in our shame but in his glory.  It is not about us being so bad (even though we are) but him being so good.

The fear that drives us away from God is what Jesus was speaking of when he said, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? (Mark 4:40, Matthew 8:26, Mark 5:36). There is a fear that drives us from God by destroying our faith.

This fear is what John was talking about when he said, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18).  There is a fear that drives us from God because it rooted in our expectation of punishment.  So we hide. 

This fear is what Paul was talking about when he said, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons.” (Romans 8:15). It is a fear that drives away from God and into bondage.

The classic image we have of a wrong fear of God is the preacher who tries to motivate people to God by scaring them with God’s wrath, “you better turn or you’re going to burn!”  The motive may be to lead people to God, but the result is a fear that drives them from a love relationship with him. 

An appropriate fear of God conquers our fear of everything else!

There are fearful things other than God that drive us from God.

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.

We can be so afraid of all the bad stuff that it occupies all our attention and erodes our connection with God.  If the ultimate power is on your side then it is unnecessary and inappropriate to be afraid of anything else. 

Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

Isaiah 8:12-13 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

FEAR GOD

An appropriate fear of God conquers our fear of everything else

Verse 20 “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

What is “an appropriate fear of God?”  If it is true that it conquers our fear of everything else I have to get this.  If it has 100% efficacy I must what to know what it is.

Our first clue comes at the end of verse 20, “that you may not sin.” This appropriate fear functions to keep is in relationship with God.

The fundamental nature of the wrong fear is that it drives us away from God.

The fundamental nature of the right fear is that it draws us to God.

Proverbs 19:23 By the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. 

And what is this test thing about? “Do not fear, for God has come to test you…” Just as the wrong fear is rooted in a misunderstanding of the character of God an appropriate fear comes out of a correct view of God. The test is how we understand God’s character.  Will we be frightened away from God? Will we minimize his glory in an attempt to be more comfortable with him?  Both responses fail the test.  The fear of God that passes the test is proper response to his glory.

Let’s go a bit deeper into the fear of God!

If the topic of the fear of God comes up in most any Bible study, someone will be quick to point out that it is a poor translation.  It doesn’t actually mean fear but respect or reverence.  Respect is a helpful translation of the word.  But it is correctly translated as fear.  I hear the caution.  We can see God in wrong ways without nuancing the whole fear thing.  But with our foundation that an appropriate fear draws us to God and is rooted in a correct view of his character, let’s go a bit deeper.  Let’s not be so quick to get God off the hook for being intimidating.  By quickly pushing aside the fear of God into the comfortable “respect” category we might miss truth that would enrich our intimacy with God. It does mean respect, is does mean fear, and it has a broad range of other things it means.  Other appropriate responses to the holiness of God that draw us to God.

Listen to the words associated with the fear of God in these verses.

  • In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence. Proverbs 14:27 
  • This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. Job 1:1
  • You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 13:4
  • But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2  

Romans 3:10-18 give us a list of things that are true of the person who has “no fear of God before their eyes”. 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;11  no one understands; no one seeks for God.12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good,  not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave  they use their tongues to deceive.”“ The venom of asps is under their lips.”14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;16 in their paths are ruin and misery,17 and the way of peace they have not known.”18  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

There is an appropriate fear response to God’s power!

In Exodus 20:18 the people were responding to some powerful stuff.

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off.

In our recognition that he has power to give and take life we should be afraid of God if we are living in sin. That would be appropriate.

1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.

Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

For those who love God the fear is different. In relationship with God our fear is not a response to his anger so much as it is a response to his holiness.  The beautiful of his holiness is not that he is tame and harmless but that this awesome, terrifying God loves us.  He is not approachable because he lacks power but because his infinite power is for us.  Because an appropriate fear of God is in line with his character of love, when we ideologically neuter God of his power we limit our experience of love.

There are daring people we might call “adrenaline junkies” who get a thrill out of doing dangerous things.  And they might give a helpful picture of our experience of the fear of God.  There is a fear that they crave. They get a rush from being so close to something so powerful.  There is a joy the race car driver gets when he hears the power of his engine. There is a thrill the cliff jumper gets when she launches over a waterfall into the pool below.   The joy and the thrill is intensified because of being so close to something so powerful.  A relationship with God is not about foolish recklessness or about selfish thrill seeking. But there is thrill of being in the presence of God that we miss when we deny his power.  We are not afraid of him, but we should have the fear of God that intensifies our love for him.       

There is an appropriate fear response to God’s goodness!

Ok, hang one for the final amazing point.  It is paradoxical and so rich.

In Genesis 28 Jacob woke up from a dream, afraid.  You’ve had those kind of dreams.  What do you suppose Jacobs dream was about that made him so afraid! Well, it is paradoxical. In the dream God spoke to him.  Here are the terrifying word God, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Wait, that was not a nightmare. That was a list of promises of God’s goodness. 

 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Whatever an appropriate fear of God is or is not, we see that it includes a response to his goodness. He is scary good!

Jeremiah 32:40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.

Jeremiah 33:6-9  Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.

There is some sweet aspect of the fear of God that is good, and desirable and mixes with joy. This fear of God in his goodness is the only way to make sense of Bible language like we find in the following verses.

  • Psalm 86:11 “unite my heart to fear your name.”
  • Isaiah 33:6 “the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.’
  • Isaiah 11:13 “And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.”
  • Nehemiah 1:11 “who delight to fear your name.”
  • Psalm 2:11 “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”


These are big ideas, let me try a few illustration to see if they help clarify what is meant by the fear of God.

FOMO

Fomois the “fear of missing out”.  In a relationship with God we don’t fear punishment from God.  But we have seen the beauty of God. So our fear is a fear of missing out.  I am afraid to choose sin, not because of how terrible the punishment is going to be but because I don’t want to miss out on the pleasures of holiness that could be mine in Christ. The more you have experienced beauty the more you are afraid to lose it.  It is not a fear of burning in hell but a fear or not experiencing eternal live with a God of love.

The Balance

We have seen an appropriate fear in God’s power and in his goodness.  There is an idea that these are different dies of God that need to be balanced.  We have God’s grace on one side and God’s judgment on the others. There is nothing to balance. Fear is not the flip side of love. Grace and justice are not counterweights. It is all love.  The fear of God is consistent with the love of God.

Listen to this clash of words in Acts 9:31, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”

It is not a balance.  It is one holy God of love.  

Value

Fear of God is not about cowering in a corner to get away form him but of about correctly assessing his value. It is something like taking a test drive in $90k car.  You are not afraid of that car.  You are in awe of it. You are attracted to it.  You are amazed that you get to be in the presence of something so valuable.  But there is a bit of fear.  You don’t want to mess it up. You’re afraid to have an accident, not because the car is bad but because it is so valuable. It is something like, holding your new born baby.  You’re not afraid of the baby. You love the baby. It is not scary to hold her. But you are afraid to be reckless because that baby it too precious to drop.  Fear is not about the object of fear being bad but about it being so valuable. It is not about God being mean but holy.

God is infinite power, overwhelming goodness, terrifying beauty, and perfect love.

Let’s live in this awesome paradox! An appropriate fear of God conquers our fear of everything else!

At the core of addressing our fear an appropriate response to who God is.

How do you fear God in a way that is driving you away from him? Let God take that fear.

How have you resisted fearing God in a way that would draw you closer to him? Let God lead you there.