In Scripture, virtually every time God appears in human history, the first words from God are always: “Don’t be afraid!” That phase, coming from the mouth of God or from the mouth of God’s messenger, appears more than 300 times in Scripture.
How then, are we to understand the phrase from Scripture “Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom”? We are wise and on the right path when we stand before the mystery of God (and of love) with our shoes off, namely, in reverence, in awe, in respect, in unknowing, without undue pride, humble before an infinity that dwarfs us, and open to let that great mystery shape us for its own eternal purposes.
That is far different, almost the antithesis, of the fear we experience when we are frightened of someone or something that threatens us because the person or thing is perceived as being mercilessly exacting or as being arbitrary and punitive.
There is a healthy fear of God that’s felt in our fear of violating what’s good, true, and beautiful in this world. Jesus invites us to this kind of holy fear when he warns us that the measure we measure out is the measure that will be given back to us. It’s healthy to be afraid of violating any goodness, truth, or beauty.
We need to preach a healthy fear rather than that God needs to be feared because of the punishment he might eventually deal out in some legalistic and exacting fashion. Whenever we preach this kind of fear, we are almost always also preaching a God who isn’t very intelligent, compassionate, understanding, or forgiving. A God who is to be feared for his punitive threats is a God with whom we will never find a warm intimacy.
Fear is one of the deepest, life-preserving instincts within you. Without fear, you won’t live very long. Some fears help you stay alive, while others deform and imprison you. There are things in life that you need to fear, but God is not one of those things.
God is neither a playground bully nor an arbitrary tyrant. God is love and a perpetual invitation to intimacy. There is a lot to be feared in this, but nothing of which to be afraid.
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