Job 35:6
"If you sin, how does that affect GOD?
If your sins are many, what does that do to HIM?
If you’re righteous, what do you give to HIM?
Or what does HE receive from your hand?
Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself
And your righteousness only other people"
The reason why a child is spoilt, disobedient and rude to their parents in actions or words; in their presence or in their absence is because they have no fear for their parents. Fear configures a child’s mind into moral consciousness. Punishing the child when he does something wrong tells them it is wrong and the extent of your reaction tells them the extent of its wrongness.
Total Freedom is only just when there’s total confidence. But what confidence should you have in a child that barely understands anything? Fear in a child of their parents restrains them and builds their conscience. Untrained children grow up to become disrespectful, dangerous, rude, wicked, desperate and proud to their parents and to the society.
Fear limits a child’s free will to whatever he won’t be punished for instead of whatever he likes. Do you know why there’s so much injustice, in our society today? Because there are so many people who are not afraid of justice. They’re not afraid of the punishment. Punishment serves as a measure of deviation from what is right. It makes you know how grave a crime is. In Job 35:6, pasted at the beginning of this article, we see the Bible saying unrighteousness is GOD’S detestable term for any wrong act done to men. Our unrighteousness does not make GOD less God or less powerful. Itdoesn't reduce HIM, seeing injustice and unfairness is what affects HIM. In other words, it's not our sins that hurt Him, it's what our sins do to our neighbor that hurts Him.
Psalm 33:5
"He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." (NIV)
Our actions, righteous deeds or unrighteous ones, none affect GOD directly in any way. GOD remains the same forever, unchanged and complete. GOD’S response to our wrongdoings is his responsibility as THE JUDGE. It is only normal for him as a judge to love justice. The Bible makes us understand that GOD rules in the affairs of men. GOD hates to see injustice. HE hates to see one hurt or cheat another particularly when the aggressor is a child of GOD, HE calls it unrighteousness. When we fear GOD’s judgement, we won’t do what HE tells us not to do to another – injustice.
Many Christians have the thought that since they became born again, GOD ceased being a judge. But that’s not true. GOD frowns at our unrighteous deeds as much as HE frowns at that of the unsaved man for there’s no partiality with GOD, even when we cheat others and call it favor; when we lie and call it wisdom; when we steal and call it blessing. GOD’s love for you does not cancel the fact that he hates what your sins do to your neighbor whoever they are, it is because of this that the wrath of GOD is coming (Col 3:6). As children of GOD, we are meant to be the lights of the world, showing men what they ought to do. Overcoming evil by doing good. The wickedness in the world should reduce when we became children of GOD. lying, stealing, envy, strife, hatred, jealousy, murder, and all those things should decrease but the opposite is what we see happening, Christians becoming Christians as a license to do the wickedness which JESUS died to redeem them from.
Proverbs 16:6
“Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
Through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil. “(NIV)
When we lack the fear of GOD, we do whatever we like, even as Christians. That’s why there’s so much lawlessness in many churches today. When there’s the fear of GOD, people avoid evil. Now, that’s very different from being afraid of GOD. The fear of GOD is to be afraid of GOD’S punishment on sin not a feeling of a dreadful disposition of GOD towards us. The last thing GOD wants is that we are afraid to move close to HIM. HIS intention for all ages is actually that we draw close to HIM and to gaze on HIS beauty and glory.
Someone might say but John says “perfect love casts out fear” so we’re not supposed to fear anymore. Ref: 1John 4:18- "We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us. (TLB)"
Reading verses in context will go a long way in helping us understand the Bible. Here it talks about the fear that GOD will disappoint us on the day of judgement and do the opposite of what HE promised HE would do to us. But John is saying “you are still afraid that GOD can do such to you because GOD’S love towards you has not been confirmed in your hearts, because when you are sure that HE loves you, there will be no room for the thoughts that HE hates you”.
But GOD does chastise us when we sin as a correction. The punishment CHRIST suffered was for our damnation and condemnation, this is about correction. It’s necessary for our growth, setting of our minds, and building of our hearts in the nature of GOD.
Hebrews 12:5-11
"5 And have you quite forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his child? He said, "My son, don't be angry when the Lord punishes you. Don't be discouraged when he has to show you where you are wrong. 6 For when he punishes you, it proves that he loves you. When he whips you, it proves you are really his child."7 Let God train you, for he is doing what any loving father does for his children.Whoever heard of a son who was never corrected? 8 If God doesn't punish you when you need it, as other fathers punish their sons, then it means that you aren't really God's son at all-that you don't really belong in his family. 9 Since we respect our fathers here on earth, though they punish us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to God's training so that we can begin really to live? 10 Our earthly fathers trained us for a few brief years, doing the best for us that they knew how, but God's correction is always right and for our best good, that we may share his holiness.11 Being punished isn't enjoyable while it is happening-it hurts! But afterwards we can see the result, a quiet growth in grace and character." (TLB)
GOD corrects us out of love not out of hatred that we should be afraid of HIM. So GOD’S perfect love towards us cannot and will never cast out our fear of GOD that makes us want to do HIS will. They work together and it is only a tree that GOD has not planted that can be uprooted. In fact, when we read Isaiah 11:1-3
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit. The SPIRIT of the LORD will rest on HIM – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD – and HE will delight in the fear of The LORD”.
We will observe that all of those descriptions were not about different spirits that HE would have but the characteristics of the one Spirit that HE would have. They are not 6 different spirits, they are 6 characteristics of one Spirit, who is the HOLYSPIRIT. You’ll notice it says “The Spirit (singular) of the LORD will rest on HIM”.We can clearly see that the HOLYSPIRITis here called the Spirit of fear of the LORD. This SPIRIT is the same HOLYSPIRIT that GOD sent to us as the seal of our redemption. HE makes us fear GOD’S punishment on lawlessness, evil and sin. Not the fear of dread of GOD towardsus but the fear of dread for GOD’S punishment on our evil deeds.
Now someone may say, Paul said in 2Timothy 1:7 “GOD has not given us the Spirit of fear”. If we read this verse in context, we’ll notice Paul uses ‘fear’ for ‘timidity’ or cowardice, let’s just say ‘fear of men’ not ‘fear of GOD’ which is what we are talking about here. In fact the living Bible helps us out: "For the HOLY SPIRIT, GOD’S gift does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong and to love them and enjoy being with them".
This is clear, ‘fear no man’ since he can only kill your body but ‘fear GOD’ who can kill your body and send your soul to hell (Matthew 10:28). It is also important for us to see that this is not a license for us to be rude tohigher authorities for the Bible tells us in 1peter 2:17 “Show proper respect for everyone, love the family of GOD, fear GOD and honour the emperor” (NIV)
So, should I fear GOD? Yes, fear HIM. Should I fear man? No. Should I then be disrespectful to my leaders? No, honour them. What about every other person? Respect them.