The Paradox of Fear
Matthew 1027"Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
I'm sitting in a bible class. We are studying this passage and I hear a man claim that we should tremble and fear God. You know words mean something, and sometimes proper analysis must be employed to discover clarity to passages. So I'm not sure if the man's claim is totally correct, so it is up to me to be curious and look a little harder to see if there is anything else to be learned here. Now I can be wrong in my thinking but the following is where my thoughts and analysis have currently led me.
First of all I need to establish the definition of paradox. My dictionary defines paradox as:
- A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true
- One exhibiting inexplicable or contradictory aspects: "The silence of midnight, to speak truly, though apparently a paradox, rung in my ears" (Mary Shelley).
A paradox occurs when one makes an assumption and, following a logical argument, arrives at the converse. With that I find the definition of fear as somewhat opposing therefore a paradox.
My dictionary defines fear as:
- A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.
- A state or condition marked by this feeling: living in fear.
- A feeling of disquiet or apprehension: a fear of looking foolish.
- A reason for dread or apprehension: Being alone is my greatest fear.
- Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.
So follow my thought here. Reverence and awe vs. agitation and anxiety seems in common sense terms to be converse or illogical, but never the less that is how fear is defined. From my viewpoint the definition for fear is a paradox. Someone smarter than me may have a different word to describe this. I'm sticking with paradox for now.
Now as you might guess this information concerning paradox and the definition of fear is important. Read the following passage.
Acts 9
30When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.
31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
Now let's substitute the different definitions for fear into this passage. We will do this in order to bring clarity to God's word.
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the feeling of agitation and anxiety of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
That didn't seem to fit. We'll try another.
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the feeling of disquiet or apprehension of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
No, that is not working either, let's test another.
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the reason for dread or apprehension of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
I'm not happy with that, are you? This could not be the intent of the word fear in this context. Once more we substitute a different definition for fear into this passage.
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the extreme reverence or awe of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
This is where my belief is right now. When we read "fear the Lord" that means we are to recognize his supreme power, be reverent and hold Him in awe. This definition fits in well with passage and to me is in accord with the passage writer's intent.
Let's go back to the reading.
Matthew 10
27 "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The reading suggests that a common obstacle to fearing God or holding Him in awe is the fear of other people. The fear of people of what people might think. Fear of those who might do us harm for being reverent towards and holding God in awe.
Let's examine fear more closely. Synonyms for fear of others: be afraid, be anxious, be apprehensive, be frightened, be scared, cower, crouch, dread, flinch, fret, have butterflies, have qualm, lose courage, quaver, shrink, shudder, tremble, wilt, and worry. Therefore, the antonym of fear is to be brave and of good courage.
If fear is ruling us and not courage, then who is control? Well I'll tell you the answer. If fear is ruling us then others are in control of our destiny. Synonyms for control: boss, bully, command, discipline, dominate, govern, manipulate, mastermind, push buttons, regulate and rule. Who among us would willingly let others command and manipulate us? I hope none of us.
That puts us to: To gain self-control so that we are not manipulated by others. Paul has some words to guide us Galatians.
Galatians 5
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Have strength of will - be in control of your destiny. Did you hear me? Be in control of your own destiny.
What is the real risk we map in our minds? The fear of separation, the fear of accepting and or doing Gods work might cause a person to be shunned.
We don't know if this outcome is to be true, it is the fear of the unknown. Actually we do not fear the unknown, we are afraid of things we do know about. Separation, alienation and loneliness are things we know about. We all have experienced it at one time or another. Exclusion is one of the most powerful punishments that can be devised.
That brings us to risk vs. certainty. Let's consider the follow portion of God's word.
Mark 16
15And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
The fear of separation vs. rewards of heaven: So here is the dilemma. But is the dilemma real or phony? Who is responsible for solving the problem? You are!
Risk is uncertain -- risk is only a possibility. Certainty is something that is clearly established or assured.
Being looked at differently is only a risk and not a certainty. The goal of heaven is a certainty. The reality is, that if you are not baptized for the forgiveness of sins you will not find heaven.
Key away:
- Fear God by holding him in awe
- Fear no man. Because the fear of man is an obstacle to heaven
- Be of good courage, employ self-control. Be in control of your destiny.
- He who believes and is baptized will be saved
Oh one other thing. These words are written from a father to his sons. These words are on the internet because this generation gets information from the internet. This question I pose to you whether you are my son or not. If you are not a father now, someday you may be.
Let's pretend that you are in the hospital and your wife has given you your first offspring. My question to you, do you want this baby to go to heaven when this life is over? Sure you do, be a brave man lead your family to heaven.
Contributors: Unknown Author;Indiucky