Fear: Good or Bad ?

Common Sense Commentary: "Study to show thyself approved unto God... rightly dividing the word of truth." 2Tim.2:15.

Many men fail because they quit too soon. They lose faith when the signs are against them. They do not have the courage to hold on, to keep fighting in spite of that which seems insurmountable. If more of us would strike out and attempt the 'impossible,' we very soon would find the truth of that old saying that nothing is impossible... abolish fear and you can accomplish anything you wish." ... Dr. C. E. Welch

I believe what Dr. Welch said... with two conditions. First, success in accomplishing the impossible requires faith in the God of impossibilities. Mk.9:23 "All things are possible to him that believeth ... For with God all things are possible." Mk.10:27.  Second, even faith, that God can do the impossible, will not succeed if we are not willing to sacrifice and work to make it happen. "Faith without works is dead." Jm.2:20. Dead faith accomplishes nothing. Put feet to your faith but don't go until you have prayed.

I agree with Welch completely where FEAR is concerned. So, my title question, "Is Fear Good or Bad?"  Actually it is sometimes good and sometimes bad.

 I. Measured fear is good when faced with physical dangers.  Unbridled fear is bad under all circumstances.  God has a purpose and a reason for limited fear.  His purpose for it, with the humans and animals, is self deliverance from danger.  Electricity, fire, flood, weapons, excessive speed, law breaking and judgement are examples.  His reason for "controlled fear" is that we might continue  life safely, accomplish God's will and the propagation of the race or kind. This includes Humankind.  "And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and everything that (moves on its own) after its (own )kind." Gen.1: 25.   And God said to Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over fish ...fowl ... and every living thing ... upon the earth." Gen.1:28.  Normal, limited fear preserves life to fulfill God's purpose.
Couldn't God preserve us alive without our help? Of course, but why do thousands die
of wrecklessness every day?  God expects us to use caution and good judgement. 


II. FEAR: The Law of First Mention, the first use of key words in the Bible, has special significance in their meaning.  The first mention of "fear" is after the flood judgement when God told Noah that in this new, purged world, "The FEAR of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moves upon the earth, and upon the fishes ... into your hand are they delivered."  Gen.9:2.  Prior to this, animals were not eaten.  The instinct of animals, to fear humans, causes them to flee from man ... or to attack if they feel cornered or threatened... self preservation.  It is human intelligence with the permission of God  which delivers the animal to our tables and stables.

III. FEAR NOT:  The first of fifty mentions, in God's Word, of "fear not" is Gen.15:1.  "Fear not Abram: I am thy SHIELD (protection from danger), and thy exceeding great REWARD" (I will bless and prosper you for your obedience).  God's purpose and reason for this command, "fear not", is first, because unbridled, phobic fear paralyzes and neutralizes the believer's life, service to God and testimony.   It drags us out of God's will and renders us totally ineffective and backsliden.  His reason that we should "fear not" is .... "I am thy SHIELD.... (He is there to protect us) ... and thy exceeding great REWARD..." He will bless, reward and prosper us when we give him our fears and faithfully serve and obey his commission to us in spite of those fears.  So, some fears are good and some are bad.

IV. It is not God who gives Christians the evil "Fear spirit". "God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  2Tim.1:7.  When the Christian obeys God and "Goes into the world" with the gospel of Christ, power is his engine, love is his accelerator and a sound mind is his steering wheel .... with God's hand on our hands.  The word "fear", in the above verse, is the Greek word "deilia" which actually means "timid fear" which is opposite to "bold courage".  This word is used by Jesus in Matt.8:26 "Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith"?  They were of limited usefulness in the service of God in that fearful hour.  They were in a storm at sea and their faith weakened with timid, nervous fear, which is simply a lack of faith, Jesus said, and they were afraid.  In such a state, we too are weakened as witnesses of Christ.  Isaiah also used this "timid fear" word in Hebrew in Isa.35:40 "Say to them... of a fearful heart, BE STRONG".

V. Phobic Fear: Another New Testament word translated "fear" is  phobos which means "Terror" and is similar to "hysterical".  It is found over 100 times in the N.T.  The prefix "a" joined to "phobos"  (aphobos) neutralizes Phobic Fear into "NO PHOBOS" or "NO FEAR" and is translated "without fear".  As "theist" means "God is".... "atheist" means "God isn't" or "no God".  The word "aphobos" (no fear) is in Lk.1:74 "We being delivered ... serve Him without fear."  And in Phil.1:14 "... more bold to speak the word without fear." 

VI. Holy Fear: Another Hebrew word, translated "Fear", is a Holy kind of fear.  It is the word "yara" or "yira" which means a "Reverence Fear" as in "Fear the Lord" and "Fear not people".  This word is found 250 to 300 times in the Bible.

Pass it on. RB





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