A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance
by Steve West
About the Author
Michael Reeves is President and Professor of Theology at Union School of Theology.
Table of Contents
1 Do Not Be Afraid!
2 Sinful Fear
3 Right Fear
4 Overwhelmed by the Creator
5 Overwhelmed by the Father
6 How to Grow in This Fear
7 The Awesome Church
8 Eternal Ecstasy
Summary
Chapter 1: Do Not Be Afraid!
Fear is one of the strongest human emotions. Both children and adults enjoy being scared for fun, but we also worry and brood over things that can happen. When we come to the Bible, it seems that sometimes fear is considered a sin or something bad, but other times it’s depicted as a good and proper response. The Bible tells us over and over again, “Do not be afraid!” but the Bible also tells us that we are called to fear God. Fearing God is such a prominent theme in Scripture that it almost stands as a summary of godliness and proper spirituality. Christ tells us not to be afraid, but we are commanded to fear God. Love and the fear of the Lord are not opposites. Some people confuse the biblical concept of fearing God with the idea that we are to be afraid of God. Isaiah 11:1-3 reveals that the Messiah would be filled by the Spirit, and one of the marks of the Spirit was that the Messiah would delight in the fear of the Lord. Fearing God goes together with love and rejoicing.
Our contemporary culture is filled with anxiety, worry, and fear. Even though we are the safest society in history, people are afraid of all kinds of things. Some secular thinkers connect our contemporary fears with our society’s moral confusion. As Christians, we know that moral confusion is inevitable when people do not fear the Lord. Atheists have long argued that religion was based on a craven sense of fear, but the more secular society becomes, the more people are anxious and afraid. Sophisticated technology and an increase in knowledge do not eliminate fear. The only solution to the pervasive problem of fear in our society is to discover the fear of the Lord. Faith can help us overcome fear, and faith grows in the fear of the Lord. . . .
[To continue reading this summary, please see below....]The remainder of this article is premium content. Become a member to continue reading.
Already have an account? Sign In