It’s Good to Fear God
Last Update: 2024, April 04
Recently while scanning through the comment section on YouTube I came across this one comment by Alana L. :
[1] Fear was crippling for me for over 2 years. [2] Fear is NOT from the Lord!
For those that don’t know, Alana is well known on YT for her story on de-conversion from Calvinism. This blog exists to analyze and dissect objections thrown against Reformed Soteriology such as the one above.
Before I go on, I need to say that I don’t know much about Alana. I did watched a very lengthy interview she had with Flowers. I don’t see her as someone who is out to deceive the masses, but just someone who is on a journey. It just so happened that Non-Calvinists picked up her story and she went viral in the Non-Reformed community as a result. She might not see herself as an authority figure on Calvinism, but new Christians and those lacking in discernment can be deceived or led astray as a result. See here: Beware of Testimonies and here.
Point 1
Fear was crippling for me for over 2 years.
Fear is good, but if we don’t handle it rightly, it can do a lot of damages to our well-being both physically and spiritually. According to TCM, prolonged fear can weaken our internal organs. It can take down our health and make us irrational etc… Before I was a Christian, I experienced the fear of being threatened (Fear of Man). It was crippling. After two years in my Christian journey, I experienced another kind of fear, it was the Fear of God. You can see what that fear did for me here: Why I’m Reformed. After my eyes were opened to His Holiness, I couldn’t sleep. I felt like Isaiah, in fact, I felt lower than the worm of the earth. This isn’t humblebrag or false humility. This was real and I felt it. Little did I know, God was bringing me low, preparing my heart for the truth and Gospel of His Grace.
During that episode, I waited patiently on God and He came. I never turned to any other voice. Problem is that some people in my or similar situation would have turned to other voice(s). In fact, one of my good friends left Christianity altogether and became New Age. He now believes that any kind of fear when it comes to spirituality is a method to control people. God is love, he says, and the Bible has been tampered with.
“Feelings come, and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the Word of God, naught else is worth believing.” —Martin Luther
Point 2
Fear is NOT from the Lord!
It appears that Alana came to that conclusion based on a misinterpretation or understanding of 2 Timothy 1:7. Had Alana checked other translations, this blunder could have been avoided.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (KJV)
“…a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (ESV)
“…a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-discipline.” (LSB)
“…a spirit of cowardice, but of power and love and self-discipline.” (LEB)
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (NIV)
“God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled.” (CEB)
“[L For]God did not give us ·a spirit [or the Spirit]that makes us ·afraid [timid] but ·a spirit [or the Spirit]of power and love and ·self-control [self-discipline; or good judgment].” (AMP)
In summary, 2 Timothy 1:7 isn’t about the fear of God but man. We shouldn’t fear others or be timid because God didn’t give us the spirit of fear or timidity. But on the other hand, we are to fear God as taught by Jesus (Luke 12:4-5). In fact, it’s the reverent fear of God that is a remedy against other fears.
“Cure the fear of man by the fear of God; and the love of the creature, by the love of God; and the cares for the body, by caring for the soul; and earthly, fleshly desires and delights, by spiritual desires and delights; and worldly sorrow, by profitable, godly sorrow.” —Richard Baxter
The fear we’re experiencing is of God if it’s leading us to and a result of His truth. As seen in my example and Daniella, as seen here, The Testimony of Daniella.
“…The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”
—Isaiah 11:2
Daily we all should be praying for the fear of God to fill our hearts! It’s by the fear of God that we depart from evil (Proverbs 16:6; Job 1:1) because to fear God is to obey (Psalms 128:1). The terror of God can restrain others from doing evil (Genesis 35:5). We pray for God’s fear to fill our hearts because we delight in it! It’s one of the signs of a regenerated heart: “…Your servants who desire to fear Your name…” (Nehemiah 1:11). As society becomes more ungodly, you can be sure that they have no fear of God in their hearts (cf. Romans 3:18).
Now, when it comes to fearing God, there’s a sense in which we are not to fear Him because of what He did for us in Christ. We can come to God boldly without fear of being cast away. If this is what Alana had in mind, then she is correct. It’s not of God to fear Him in this manner, to live life with the thought that you’re never good enough and that God is hard to please and will punish you at any moment. Calvinism doesn’t teach this. On the other hand, Alana is wrong if she doesn’t believe that Christians are to have a healthy fear of God.
What I just said might come off as a contradiction, so allow me to quote two passages:
“Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” (Exodus 20:20)
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear…” (Hebrews 12:7)
In one sense we’re not to fear God, in another sense, we are to fear Him. Both faith and the fear of God can co-exist. We should delight in and desire the fear of God, we should also teach others to fear God:
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
—Psalms 34:11