Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 08/09/07 09:28:07 AM |
Age 46, MT |
Thanks for the article. This gives me a little more insight. I grew up with the fear of the Lord. But, in my older years preachers have negatively chided me for that, saying we are not to fear God, but love only. Or saying the fear of the Lord is just to stand in awe of Him. I've disagreed, knowing their had to be something more to it, and have wondered just what exactly does "fear God" mean.
Fearing God has kept me from a multitude of sins, problems and heartache and has steered me in the right path for most of my life. It has been a very good friend to me. I've been thankful to have it as part of my faith forever.
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Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 04/06/07 02:52:45 PM |
Age 40, FL |
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
First of all HE(Jesus)is the AUTHOR and....get this FINISHER of our faith. Where does faith come from? Does it come from something deep down within ourselves? No way!!! It comes from God.It is a gift.
Philippians 1:6
And I am SURE(and I am too) of this, that he who began a good work in you WILL bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
I believe God will use the Fear of the Lord to complete what he has started in us. Thus all who were chosen by HIM but not because of anything foreseen in us but because of GRACE will be brought to completion(santification) by God and he may use the Fear of the Lord
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Re: Re: Re: Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/28/07 09:12:58 AM |
Age 44, TX |
We both agree Jesus was speaking to His 12. If He wasn't warning them about their own potential for hell fire if they cease fearing Him and begin fearing men, then who else was that meant for? Was Jesus just filling pages here? The answer isobvious, yet if you are bent upon believing an unconditional eternal security, you will manipulate every very that contradicts such, instead of allowing God to speak for Himself and being gut level honest with His Word. I don't know if this fits you but I know it fits some people who are bent upon believing the doctrine of mere men. Blessings.
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Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/26/07 03:41:18 PM |
Age 58, VA |
Simple! Scripture says, "The fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom." How can you say you walk with God, if you can't agree with that? (Scripture says,"How can two walk together unless they agree?") Why would a believer even think to argue that? Help them, Lord!
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Re: Re: Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/26/07 02:57:48 PM |
Age 51, TX |
No argument - the Lord was talking to His 12 in this passage. But nothing in verse 28 indicates He was warning them about their bodies and souls being in peril. He is reminding them to fear not man, for he is limited in what he can do; but to fear God, for He is sovereign over one's soul. This verse is NOT a personal warning but a general teaching.
I will not try to respond to your 1 Cor. 9:27 challenge, as I told you up front I was not here to defend OSAS - simply to object to what I see as an erroneous interpretation of Matt 10:28.
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Re: Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/25/07 03:36:47 PM |
Age 44, TX |
Surely He was teaching us to fear God above man, but you are limiting the text. The whole discourse recorded in Matthew 10 beginning at verse 1 is speaking only to His disicples, which we are. In the preceding words He stated "What I tell you (My dsciples) in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops." Then He says to His very own "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Why would the Son of God ever have warned them and us to "fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" if there were no danger of backsiding and begin to fear men above God and be in danger of hellfire? Paul kept under his body knowing he too - after preaching to many - could become a castaway (one cast away from God). See 1 Cor. 9:27. www.SafeGuardYourSoul.com
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Re: Re: Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/24/07 12:21:27 PM |
Age 35, CA |
Actually, the unregenerate are commanded by God to be holy and to live holy lives. They, in their sin, refuse to do so. (Acts 17:30, 31) David U.
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Re: Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/24/07 11:57:50 AM |
Age 35, CA |
Sorry. It's Ephesians 2:8 not 5:7
David U.
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Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/24/07 11:43:43 AM |
Age 35, CA |
The greatest commandment in the entire Bible is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matt 22:37-40) No one who has ever lived has been able to keep these commandments perfectly for even a minute of their lives. If we are not able to obey these commandments perfectly, every second of our life, then we violate Gods greatest commandments continually. If we were able to lose our salvation, over what sin would we lose it? Would it not be for violating the greatest commandment? You are to love God with all thy mind. Can you love God continually, constantly, perfectly, throughout every second of the day in every thought, word, action, or deed? The Bible says that when we are born again, we are adopted by the Father (Romans 8:12-17). Do we become adopted, un-adopted, adopted, un-adoptedthroughout our entire lives when we repent, sin, repent, sin? Are we born again, then die again, born again, then die again, born again? And what sin do you say would cause us to become un-adopted by the Father or to die again once we have been born again? That is why we have been saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 5:7). That is why we need a savior. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord who has delivered us from the body of this death (Romans 7:25).
As for the fear of the Lord, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) We are to fear the Lord. We are to love, respect, revere, and fear with sincerity our Heavenly Father much as we should our earthly father. We feared our earthly fathers chastening hand, how much more should we keep in mind our Heavenly Fathers chastening hand before we trot off to sin? (Hebrews 12:3-11) Always keep in mind though, that after we have sinned, we have not been cast off by the Father or the Son, but we have a loving High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us. (Hebrews 7:25)
David U.
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Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/23/07 02:44:33 PM |
Age 51, TX |
I strongly agree with the main point of your message - Saints of God are commanded to fear Him. We who are Christians must fear Him and we should shun teachers who deny this.
Why, I must ask, did you bother to misquote and misapply Matthew 10:28, with a jab at OSAS people? Yes, the Lord is giving instruction to His Apostles (the 12, as identified in verse 5). But verse 28 does NOT address the 12 as being in danger of "destruction and hell": the verse does not say "but rather fear him which is able to destroy both YOUR soul and body in hell." Christ was not telling them that man would kill them in the first part of this verse. It is a warning about fearing God above man, putting the destructive power of each into proportion. Man can only kill the body of flesh - why should a saint fear him? God, on the other hand, can condemn people to hell for eternity - all should fear Him.
I am not here to defend OSAS, but your side comment on the topic is baseless.
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Re: Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/22/07 11:09:48 PM |
Age 44, TX |
Thank you. This was an error on my part in wording...that wasn't what i believe for sure....this was clearly a mistake so thank you kindly for pointing this out. todd
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Re: ARE CHRISTIANS TO FEAR GOD?
| Posted On: 03/22/07 04:59:43 PM |
Age 55, NE |
I'm not trying to nitpick, but what do you mean when you say, "All people, whether they have been saved in the past or not, have the blessed opportunity and responsibility to live holy before God and to fear Him." How can the unregenerate live holy?
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