Fearing God vs. Not Having a Spirit of Fear
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
My personal license tag is FEARJAH. I’ve had it for years. From my rearview mirror, I’ve seen people taking pictures of my tag. It’s an unusual message to see on a ‘vanity tag’ and it gets peoples’ attention. My tag may be the reason why a stranger in line at Walmart spoke to me and said something to the effect of “We don’t have to fear God. Fear is of the devil and God has not given us a spirit of fear.” It's a clever argument, but is it true?
I was taken aback by his comment. I didn’t know this person. What was I to say? As it so happened, I didn’t say anything. I wasn't prepared to debate a stranger in Walmart about the fear of the LORD. Instead, I smiled, paid for my stuff and walked away. You never know about people these days! But it does raise the question: When the Bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, does that nullify or cancel out the command to fear the LORD?
I think this is an excellent example of how Satan uses truth to deceive. Yes, you read that right – the devil uses truth to deceive. That’s what makes his lies plausible. He will use one truth to cancel out another truth. But the Bible doesn’t contradict itself. That’s one of the key rules of hermeneutics, which is a fancy word that means the science of biblical interpretation. If we are to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), we should begin with the notion that God isn’t going to say one thing somewhere in the Bible and then contradict Himself elsewhere in Scripture. That would foster confusion, and Scripture tells us in 1 Cor. 14:33 that our God is not the author of confusion and disorder.
When the Bible states that God has not given us a spirit of fear, does that mean Christians no longer have fear of anything? Of course not! Being fearful is a survival mechanism. Without it, you might walk off the ledge of a tall building or stroll in front of a speeding Mack truck or wade into the ocean knowing you can’t swim or stick your wet fingers into the electric socket. Fear keeps us alive. Fear is healthy. I think fear would be a normal reaction if I found myself in a closed-in space with a king cobra. One might consider that as having a SPIRIT of fear, but to me, it’s more like having a spirit of common sense. Fear is a natural, common-sense response to a potentially deadly situation. Fear on overdrive is a problem. But fear, in and of itself, is not a bad thing.
So, what does the passage mean when it states God has not given us a spirit of fear? We discover the answer by looking at the original language and at the context in which the passage is found. First of all, in 2 Timothy 1:7, the word for fear is the Greek word deilias. It is only used this one time in the Bible. It’s the classical Greek word for “timidity” or “cowardice.” So, the passage could be rendered, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity.” Many reliable translations do just that. Now, let’s consider the context.
There’s reason to believe that Timothy was being timid concerning the gospel message. Why else would the apostle tell him in the very next verse, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel…”? It’s important to note that during this time, Roman persecution under Nero was escalating, false teachers were using clever arguments to deceive the saints, and Timothy was young, “Let no man despise thy youth” (1 Tim. 4:12). These three factors alone could have contributed to him having a spirit of timidity.
Paul is saying that a spirit of cowardice, timidity or cowardly fear is not from God. Timothy can’t be effective in ministry if he's afraid of people. And in 2 Timothy 1:7, the apostle is telling his young partner in the faith, if he is feeling fear or timidity, then God is not the source of those feelings. For God has given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. These are the qualities Timothy should appropriate or take on. “Power” can be understood as authority and boldness that stems from holy living. “Love” is the active force that reaches out toward those in need of spiritual, emotional, and physical support. “Sound mind” is a divinely given measure of self-control, because ministers must rule over themselves first, then they will be able and worthy to rule over others.
It’s clear from the context of the verse and the original language that 2 Timothy 1:7 is talking about our attitude towards other people; it’s not referring to our attitude towards God. I think that’s a key observation. We must not have a spirit of timidity when standing for the truth of the gospel. Why not? Because the fear of man brings a snare (Pro.29:25).
My previous blog, “Racism and the Fear of Man,” showed us how the 'fear of man' caused Peter at Antioch to withdraw from the Gentile believers after the Jewish hardliners showed up from Jerusalem. Peter, Barnabas, and others reverted to Jewish racism and played the hypocrite because they were intimidated by the Judaizers, the ones who taught that keeping the law of Moses (embrace Judaism) was necessary for salvation. Peter was ensnared by the fear of man, and I contend this is what Paul is addressing again in 2 Timothy 1:7.
Being a good soldier of the LORD is not for the faint of heart. It's important for us to realize not everyone welcomes the gospel of Christ. The truth of the gospel breaks down racial, social and gender barriers. The gospel clashes with the traditions of men. Consequently, it should be expected that the unredeemed might be antagonistic concerning this message. But Timothy must fulfill his ministry, he can’t back down. God has called him to do a job and he can’t allow a spirit of fear to overwhelm him. Now let’s contrast 2 Timothy 1:7 with Luke 12:4-5.
“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 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!”
These are the timeless and inspired words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He says straight up to fear God, not man. Why so? Because a human being can only harm or kill my temporal body, but God can destroy both my temporal body and my eternal soul. Therefore, God is the one to fear. The Greek word used here is different from the word translated "fear" in 2 Timothy 1:7. The word Jesus used for "fear" is phobethete. The root verb is phobeo. We get our word phobia from this Greek word. It means to fear, be afraid, become terrified, to show reverence and respect. The fear (phobethete) Jesus speaks of in Luke 12:5 is not the same fear (deilias) Paul speaks of in 2 Timothy 1:7. We’re commanded to not fear man, to not be timid about the gospel message, for the fear of man brings a snare. However, we are commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ himself to fear God.
“Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments” (Psalm 112:1). “Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways” (Psalm 128:1). Please note that it's the blessed person who fears God; it’s the wicked person who has no fear of God, see Psalm 36:1; Proverbs 1:29; Romans 3:18. So, don’t get it twisted!
Both 1 Peter 2:17 and Revelation 14:7 state plainly, “Fear God.”
2 Corinthians 5:10-11 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror [fear] of the Lord, we persuade men…”
2 Corinthians 7:1 exhorts us to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Philippians 2:12 says to “work out [not work for] your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Hebrews 12:28-29 tells us to “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”
In summary, the stranger in line was incorrect when he said we shouldn't fear God because He has not given us a spirit of fear. By following sound principles of biblical interpretation, we discovered that even though both words found in Luke 12:5 and 2 Timothy 1:7 are translated as "fear" in the English Bible, they have different meanings in the original Greek. And from the context of 2 Timothy 1:7, we concluded that when Paul tells Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of fear, the apostle is referring to our attitude towards people, he’s not talking about our attitude toward God. In Luke 12:5, Jesus Christ himself tells us plainly what our attitude should be towards God – we should fear Him! I regret not having that verse "in the ready" during my encounter at Walmart (1 Peter 3:15).
And finally, the Preacher states, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 KJV).
Grace, Peace and Jahspeed.
Brother Quick
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