Can Preaching Fear Save Us? Is Fear a Motivation for True Maturity?
Fear can be a motivating factor in our lives, but does it produce the right kind of results?
If the consequences of our sins can be made real enough, will sinners get saved and saints get right? Is fear an effective motivational tool?
Ps 36:1 —An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
Most unsaved people face tragedies in their lives. They lose loved ones, lose everything financially, or contract a life-threatening disease, and many times still don’t turn to the Lord. Take it a step further and consider people that have even gone to prison. Many of them had no fear of God whatsoever as they committed their crimes. They were angry (at their parents, at God, etc.) and felt they got a raw deal in life. They were rebellious and wanted what they wanted so they broke laws. The fear of God was not a motivating factor for keeping them from doing what they did.
Heart Humility
My grandmother once adopted a dog that had been abused. He was afraid of everything. He wasn’t the confident type of dog that would lead a blind person and protect them at any cost. Instead he was one who cowered at the slightest noise and hid when too many people were in the room.
Obedience, where we have a deep respect for God, is born out of a heart of love and humility. This is a heart where I am beginning to trust God and start laying aside my ways of anger and rebellion. I believe those who preach how angry God is and how much trouble we are all in have very little effect motivating anyone toward true heart humility and obedience. In other words, an inward conformity.
Productive Fear
From Vine’s Expository Dictionary: Fear — “Yirah” (OT:3374). This is not simple fear, but reverence, whereby an individual recognizes the power and position of the individual revered and renders him proper respect. In this sense, the word may imply submission to a proper ethical relationship to God; the angel of the Lord told Abraham: “…I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me.”
The fear of God that is productive, that causes us to start having wisdom, comes from a relationship with God. It is a reverence, an awe, a deep, holy respect built on love and personal connection. Fear tactics that control and threaten will never bring sinners or saints into intimacy with God. Only pure love motivates effectively.
I completely agree with your comments…as I have studied God’s Word and read “out” of His Word, not “into” His Word what I have heard others say about Him, it is His love that has wooed me and compelled me to draw closer to Him and want to surrender to His will daily for my life…I don’t always get it right and never feel I could love Him as He so deserves but my desire is to ask Jesus , “what can I do for you today?” I want to make Him smile even though no matter what I do will ever change His love for me(I don’t want to hurt Him)…God’s love is unmeasurable, incomprehensible, so vast, so amazing….thank you for reminding so many that just simply don’t know the Father God who is to be reverenced , to be in awe of but who so longs for us to simply believe that God sent His One & Only Son to die for our sins because He loves us so much…to Him be all the glory, honor and praise!
I really got so much out of this article. There was a time in my life where fear controlled almost every aspect, I didn’t believe God was going to help me, even though I was born again at that time. I thought I was unworthy. The trust in the fact that he does love me happened over a period of time, and I seek his will each day. It may sound strange. but I picture God holding my hand easy day to lead me. I desire with all my heart to follow the path he wants me to walk. If I recognize that I am afraid, which happened recently when I thought I was going to lose a loved one, I get down on my knees and pray for him to give me strength, and most importantly, no matter what I know He is with me. As you said, fear is so counterproductive.
So true, Robert !!!!!
It’s Father’s Loving Kindness that draws us to Himself !!!!
Fear only causes us to run away and hide or to strive harder and harder to be or do better which only leads to pride and judgementalism or depression and despair.
Thanks to Abba we have another way to come to Him by
childlike trust and dependence – the exact opposite of fear !!!!!
Great article Robert.