Religion interprets the Bible in such a way that it puts people in religious
bondage. Religion is a means of programming the innocent minds of unsuspecting
people who believe that religion is the way to God! They are teaching things
that are causing God's children to be afraid of God and run from Him instead of
to Him. Our modern translations (the KJV included) don't help either, as they
often skew what the contextual and historical setting of the text is. The KJV is
a translation done by the human hand of fallible men from copies of copies, not
the original manuscripts themselves.
One area where there is much
misunderstanding is the concept of the fear of the Lord. Fear is an unhealthy
thing when we're talking about relationships. It is a good thing to fear or
respect a raging storm or a forest fire, but fear is not helpful in the context
of relationships, especially where emotional intimacy is involved. Could you
freely enjoy an intimate relationship with your earthly father if you feared
him? It's impossible! Intimacy requires trust, which is the polar opposite of
fear. Fear makes it impossible to trust, therefore it's like throwing water on a
fire, it will eliminate intimacy, because intimacy is built on
trust.
Many teach that the fear of the Lord is a respect and reverence of
Him, but that teaching quickly turns religious and cause people to feel like God
is so high and lofty that He's almost unapproachable. Again, this kind of
thinking is what wages war against our intimacy with our loving heavenly Father.
God is very approachable, and desires personal intimacy with us. He put His
Spirit within us that cries out Abba Father! Approaching God should not feel
like you're standing beside a sky scraper, it should feel more like having
fellowship with a best friend.
"Well"...you may say, "what about
Deuteronomy 6:13?"
“Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and
shalt swear by his name.” Did you know that Jesus quoted this very passage, but
interpreted it much differently in Luke 4:8.
And Jesus answered and said
unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Isn't that enlightening? Yet
so many teachings have been written on the importance of fearing God, all based
on translation error. Satan wants God's children to fear their heavenly Father,
so that they will never experience true and freeing intimacy with Him to keep
them in the bondage of religion. Without that intimacy and genuine relationship
in place, we won't break free from man-made philosophies to be transformed by
His love.
1 John 4:18. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love
casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect
in love.”
There NO FEAR in love...love expels fear...he who fears has not
been made perfect in love. Knowing God's love for us which is impossible to know
if we are in fear of Him, is crucial to our ability to experience the fullness
of relationship with Him.
Ephesians 3:17-19 says, “That Christ may dwell
in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able
to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and
height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might
be filled with all the fulness of God.”
People who fear God, see Him as a
dictator. Fear is the very thing that Adam and Eve experienced once they broke
fellowship with God in the garden. They knew no fear before they knew sin. So if
God's plan for Adam and Eve was not for them to fear Him, then why do so many
believe today that God's will for His people is to fear Him?
- Glenn Regular
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