When I was growing up there was an old, abandoned building on the edge of town that my friends and I just knew was haunted. It stood crumbling and decaying at the end of a long gravel road with six-foot-tall weeds and brush growing on either side. On cool Fall nights, my friends and I would test our bravery by seeing just how close we could walk down that winding road, the wind rustling through the weeds, sounds encroaching from all sides, and then the looming presence of the old building rising out of the darkness, usually we would find ourselves sprinting back for the main road before we ever got close to the venturing inside.
I’m sure many of you reading this story have had similar experiences. Everyone seems to have had that haunted house in their town growing up. Perhaps the legend still hasn’t abated even to this day. But my friends and I eventually traveled to this “haunted building” in the middle of the day one weekend. What we found was an old, abandoned office building that had once been used as both a radio station and a travel agency. The floor wasn’t littered with bones or spooky paraphernalia, it was littered with old floppy disks and vacation brochures to the Bahamas (I know, frightening stuff!). We left our childhood haunts a little disappointed, realizing (at least in the light of day) that there was nothing really to be scared of.
Did you know that the Bible mentions two specific types of fear? The first type of fear is fear of the Lord. This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid of something. Rather, it is a reverential awe of God, a reverence for His power and glory. However, it is also a proper respect for His wrath and justice. In other words, the fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgment of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His attributes. This fear is known as yir’â Yᵊhōvâ (יְהֹוָה יִרְאָה) and can be found throughout the Bible, such as Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” It would make sense that reverence and piety towards the Lord would lead to a better understanding and openness to instruction. Something that we should all embrace.
But there is a second fear in the Bible, this one very different from the “fear of God.” This is known as a “spirit of fear,” and can be found through scripture as well. Such as 2nd Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” The “spirit of fear” translates to deilia (δειλία), which means, “timidity, fearfulness, cowardice.” In other words, it is the fear of things not deserving of fear, namely because the author assumes we have our faith and trust in God.
Fear in its right context is an important thing, it is respect for that which must be respected, and awareness of the dangers that lie ahead. In our relationship with God, it is a healthy dose of reverence towards the almighty creator of the earth (sounds like a good idea). Unhealthy fear is the fear of timidity and cowardice, it is the fear that binds us and immobilizes us to be stewards of nothing, but just merely existing without journeying onward in our Christian life. Think about it this way, a sailor is always respectful towards the sea, and there is always great preparation before getting underway, making sure the ship is in working order, supplies stocked, and safety gear readily available. That is because the mariner knows what the sea can do and to venture out unprepared is foolish. But if the mariner just stays on the dock or dry land and doesn’t even venture out on the water, then he cannot call himself a sailor, his fear leads him to never experience the wonders and majesty of the waters and the adventure that possibly lies before him, it becomes merely a boat sitting at a dock going nowhere.
As Christians, we must not have a “spirit of fear” but have a great deal of reverence, piety, and humility toward God. One fear will leave us trembling and useless, the other will equip us for the journey ahead and sustain us during times of trial with wisdom and countenance.
The Lord does NOT give us a spirit of fear my friends!
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Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston TX
