Love & Fear in the Bible, I'm Confused...
Love or Fear?
When it comes to the Holy Bible, deciding how to feel about God can be quite confusing at times.
Consider these verses, taken from the King James Version:
1John 4:8 KJV
He who loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:18 KJV
There is no fear in love; for perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torement. He that feareth is not made in perfect love.
Psalms 111:10 KJV
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 14:27 KJV
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death.
Ecclessiasties 12:13 KJV
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep his commandments: this is the whole duty of man.
Consider the feeling that a small child has for a good human father.
Yeah, it's like that.
The problem is - you dont speak King James English (I dont either but i've studied it). Fear means respect OR fear in the KJV - you have to look at the context. The first verse means if you dont know love you dont know God. You've mixed old and new Testament verses for some reason. Fear in the old testament is almost always "respect".. Fear the lord means respect the lord. The language is the least challenging part of Christianity - the whole issue of faith is where most people get tripped up. Try reading another sacred text and finding one that is as easy to read as the Bible (you wont). Good luck with your account - nice to see someone posting something a little different!
Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I do understand that meaning gets lost in translation, especially when I comes to biblical texts. This is why I clarified that it was KJV. I am definitely no expert in the field. I'm sure we could get more in depth if I were to visit a proper library, or even break out other bibles that I own, like the Arabic, for example. I grew up attending a Southern Baptist church, however, for much of my childhood, and always felt that love and fear were contradictory emotions, and we were taught to feel each simaltaniously with regard to God.
Arabic would be a translation (and probably a poor one). The OId Testament is Hebrew and the New Testament Greek . Love and Fear are contradictory emotions - Love and Respect are not. Careful to not to confuse your experience with what the text actually says.
Love and fear are opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. You can choose either at any time, and as I'm sure you've experienced, choosing the love end of the spectrum is much more pleasant! I am far less concerned with what an ancient text has to say about when/how/towards whom I should feel love or fear than I am with choosing for myself. I encourage striving to feel love toward all beings at all times and using fear as an indicator that I'm not feeling love, and thus not in a position to act "godlike" (that is, if I'm feeling fear, I don't have access to the part of myself that allows for unconditional love, selfless action, understanding, compassion). Ultimately, we are each here to create our own understanding and definition of living an optimal life. Pick and choose what resonates with you from texts, interactions with others, etc. and discard the rest. Understand that no singular existing set of beliefs is perfect for you, and that your purpose in life is not to live as someone else says you should, but as YOU determine you should.
Thank you, and I agree 100%.