WHOM SHALL I FEAR by Eudora Nachand

Is Fear a Sin?

I can not find anywhere in the Bible that says that fear is a sin.

Does the Bible tell us not to fear? Absolutely

The words ‘fear not’ is mentioned 118 times in the Old Testament and 27 times in the New Testament.

But who does the Bible tell us to fear? Fear God

Matthew 10:28 “And 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.

Luke 12:5 “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

1st Peter 2:17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Revelation 14:6-7 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth–to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people– saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

Where do you think fear originated? You would be surprised to learn that it was right after the fall of humankind. In fact it was the first thing that Adam said after God began to call out to Adam after Adam had committed the first sin of disobedience.

Genesis 3:9-10 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

I want us to be mindful of who was calling out to Adam.  It was Elohiym, the supreme God; God Almighty, God our Creator and Ruler.  Adam said, ‘I was afraid’.  The word ‘afraid’ in the Hebrew is yare’, pronounced  yaw-ray’ a primitive root; to fear; morally, to revere; cause. to frighten:–affright, be (make) afraid, dread(-ful), (put in) fear(-ful, -fully, -ing), (be had in) reverence(-end), X see, terrible (act, -ness, thing).

Adam found himself naked after he had disobeyed the Creator who had told him not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Adam’s shame was exposed; he had lost his innocence and became ashamed and fearful.

The word naked is `aram, pronounced aw-ram’ a primitive root; properly, to be (or make) bare; but used only in the derivative sense (through the idea perhaps of smoothness) to be cunning (usually in a bad sense): –X very, beware, take crafty (counsel), be prudent, deal subtly.

Adam was naked in the physical and the spiritual.  He had taken council from that crafty old serpent, which is the Devil and now he found himself with out the covering of the grace of God. When God asked Adam this question,  “Who told thee that thou wast naked?” Adam never answered God.  God knows all our sins, yet He requires from us a confession of them and Adam never answered God’s question because he was afraid.  Fear had already set in.  Adam could not justify what he had done and he had become fearful. God had not given man a spirit of fear but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. However, beneath every negative emotion is fear.  Fear is dreadful and yet the Bible tells us that hell is for the fearful.

Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Fear in and of itself is not a sin, but having fear is having a lack of faith in God and we must overcome the spirit of fear.  Adam confessed his nakedness but not the sin of disobedience. Job mentions Adam’s indiscretion. 

Job 31:33-35 ¶ If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:  Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?  Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.

If Adam could have hidden his sin, he might have but instead he hid himself out of reverence to the glory of God because he was grieved from the effects of his sin. Before his disobedience, he had walked with God having a personal relationship with his Creator. Where once before he may have seen the glory of the LORD, now he only heard his voice and hid. Can any hide himself in secret places that God shall not see him?  Did He not I fill heaven and earth? Adam had a guilty conscious because he had transgressed the righteous command of the Most High God. Now Adam needed a covering for his sin, which God provided. 

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

God did not leave them naked.  He made for Adam and his wife, garments of skin from an animal that had been sacrificed to cover their shame and guilt.  This was the first blood sacrifice that pointed to the necessity  of the New Covenant that came through the blood sacrifice of Christ Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God.

Proverbs 28:13 ¶ He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. 

1^st John 1:8-10 ¶ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

So, confess sin when it arises. Do not be afraid of God and hide from Him.  We cannot hide anything from Him so it is useless to even try.  The LORD looks from heaven and beholds all the Sons of men. For His eyes are upon the ways of man and He sees all his goings.  From the place of His habitation, He looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth.  Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men? No one can hide from God. His eyes see everything we do. We must give an answer to God for what we have done. In addition, if we fear something other than God, it is sort of like believing that it is more powerful than He is, which is wrong.  If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Anyone who has set aside the law, the teachings of Moses dies without pity on testimony by two or three witnesses: how much more worthy of punishment do you suppose the one will be who trod down the Son of God and who looked upon the blood of the covenant, by whom he was sanctified, as defiled and has insulted the Spirit of Grace?  Hebrews 10: 28-30 ~ ONMB

If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the Law of Moses is physical death, what do we think will happen if we turn on God’s Son, spit on the very sacrifice that made us whole?

What is fear? 

F -alse

E -vidence

A -ppearing

R –eal

The only thing that man needs to fear is God. The only healthy fear that humankind should have is to 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.  Fear means respecting God. To fear God is to respect  Him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 

Fear God!

Deuteronomy 8:6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear him.

Deuteronomy 5:33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

The Apostle Paul said, Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. ~ 2^nd Corinthians 4:1

God has shown us much mercy by increasingly changing us daily into His image that we do not lose courage to behave uprightly as we do the work, which God has given us to do, despite accusations, temptations and adverse conditions. The most common reason we fall behind and fail in our ministry is fear.  Fear of opposition and fear of the unknown but we are called to trust in the LORD with all our heart; and lean not unto our own understanding.  In all our ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct our paths.  Be not wise in our own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.  When we give in to fear, we are in essence, bowing down to the enemy of God.  Even when a fear ‘seems’ realistic, it is not from God.  If we give into fear, it distorts our witness and testimony.  We are not to loose courage and this is the exact reason why Joshua made it into the Promised Land.  God had charged him saying, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Joshua trusted God with all his heart.  He did not tremble in the sight of his enemies. Joshua knew that sin lay at the door and if he feared, he would fail.  Joshua knew that God would take issue with all of his enemies and that God would fight any enemies that Joshua would encounter.

Deuteronomy 20:4 For the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

Therefore, I encourage you to fear The LORD your God.  Let Him duke it out with the enemy who comes to battle you in the day of his choosing.  Our job is to choose this day Whom we shall serve, making this choice every single day. 

God spoke through the mouth of Moses,  the following words: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

                       Choose wisely.  Choose daily.  Choose life.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

                                                                RESIST FEAR!

For by grace we have been saved through faith but we are not saved by a faith that is alone.  We are to be content with everything that we have knowing and trusting that He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.  We are NEVER ALONE!

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