Fear of the Lord - LDS style

[dahlia]

The other day I came across this quote from Proverbs 9:10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." That made me think as to whether LDS have a fear of God; do they relate to him primarily out of fear?

 

I can think of a lot of Protestant denominations (especially the store front churches) that seem to harp continually on fearing God's punishment. I don't get that feeling from the LDS, rather, I get a warmer feeling, a focus on Heavenly Father as father, not as a wrathful, vengeful god to be feared.

 

What say you? And, aside from just fearing the Lord, why would fear of the Lord be the beginning of wisdom?

[The Folk Prophet]

It's both, in my opinion. God is our Father. He is a God of love, compassion, and mercy. But He is also a God of justice and cannot tolerate sin. Anyone who does not fear the wrath of God is a fool. But anyone who does not know that God loves his children is missing the complete picture as well.

 

Frankly, I think the fear of God is missing a bit in the church nowadays. We need to be more fearful of Him.

[Connie]

Check the footnote.  Also, see Fear in the Bible Dictionary.  (Sorry, i would add links but that doesn't seem to work with Internet Explorer, and i can't seem to access the forums with FIrefox at the moment)

[EarlJibbs]

I agree Folk. I also think that the lack of fear that we tend to see will lead many to their own destruction. Many have become complacent.

[Just_A_Guy]

The other day I came across this quote from Proverbs 9:10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." That made me think as to whether LDS have a fear of God; do they relate to him primarily out of fear?

 

I can think of a lot of Protestant denominations (especially the store front churches) that seem to harp continually on fearing God's punishment. I don't get that feeling from the LDS, rather, I get a warmer feeling, a focus on Heavenly Father as father, not as a wrathful, vengeful god to be feared.

 

What say you? And, aside from just fearing the Lord, why would fear of the Lord be the beginning of wisdom?

 

I'm inclined to agree with your observation on LDS culture; though I think guilt can often be a pretty powerful motivator.

 

FWIW--the Hebrew word is yir'ah, which can be translated as "fear" or--alternatively--"reverence".

[Anddenex]

Unfortunately Dahlia, this appears to be a cyclic characteristic trait of those who have had the fullness of the gospel in any dispensation.

 

As the Nephites began to understand God's love they grew up in righteousness and then slowly denied the commandments of God thinking they know of themselves.  We see this today in our culture.  The learned begin to think they know of themselves and forget that not only is God a God of mercy, he is also just, and justice has its demand.

 

This is something that continuously bugged me when I returned home from my mission and seeing so many returned missionaries forget simple acts of obedience. 

 

As the Book of Mormon suggests the devil is crafty in his persuasions toward the elect, and they soon loose their fear of the justice of God.

[dahlia]

 Many have become complacent.

 Very true.

 

 

not only is God a God of mercy, he is also just, and justice has its demand.

 

 

Also true. I think that today, most people think there will be no accounting for their actions. Either there is no God, so nothing you do matters, or that God is so merciful that there will be no punishment in this life or the next.  But they will find that "justice has its demand."  (I like that)

 

Speaking of justice, is there a prohibition against believing in or support the idea of karma? It's always so much better when justice's demands are meted out in this life so we can all see.

[Seminarysnoozer]

The other day I came across this quote from Proverbs 9:10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." That made me think as to whether LDS have a fear of God; do they relate to him primarily out of fear?

 

I can think of a lot of Protestant denominations (especially the store front churches) that seem to harp continually on fearing God's punishment. I don't get that feeling from the LDS, rather, I get a warmer feeling, a focus on Heavenly Father as father, not as a wrathful, vengeful god to be feared.

 

What say you? And, aside from just fearing the Lord, why would fear of the Lord be the beginning of wisdom?

because it is not the end of wisdom? ...

 

Love is the end of wisdom.

[Anddenex]

 Very true.

 

 

 

Also true. I think that today, most people think there will be no accounting for their actions. Either there is no God, so nothing you do matters, or that God is so merciful that there will be no punishment in this life or the next.  But they will find that "justice has its demand."  (I like that)

 

Speaking of justice, is there a prohibition against believing in or support the idea of karma? It's always so much better when justice's demands are meted out in this life so we can all see.

 

 

I think Doctrine & Covenants 130: 20-21 follows suit with Karma.  Also the parable of the seed.  We reap what we sow.  If we do good, then good will be restored unto us and if we do evil, evil will be restored unto us.

[Anddenex]

Dahlia, while I was looking for another quote I came across these two quotes within my notes (particularly second quote):

 

"The Lord designs to bring us up into the celestial kingdom. He has made known, through direct revelation, that we are His offspring, begotten in the eternal worlds, that we have come to this earth for the special purpose of preparing ourselves to receive a fullness of our Father’s glory when we shall return into his presence. Therefore, we must seek the ability to keep this law, to sanctify our motives, desires, feelings and affections, that they may be pure and holy, and our will in all things be subservient to the will of God, and have no will of our own except to do the will of our Father. Such a man in his sphere is perfect, and commands the blessing of God in all that he does and wherever he goes." (Blessings of the Gospel Only Obtained by Compliance to the Law, Lorenzo Snow)

 

 

"Now every man that has this object before him will purify himself as God is pure, and try to walk perfectly before him. We have our little follies and our weaknesses; we should try to overcome them as fast as possible, and we should inculcate this feeling in the hearts of our children, that the fear of God may grow up with them from their very youth, and that they may learn to comport themselves properly before him under all circumstances. If the husband can live with his wife one day without quarreling or without treating anyone unkindly or without grieving the Spirit of God in any way, that is well so far; he is so far perfect. Then let him try to be the same the next day. But supposing he should fail in this his next day’s attempt? That is no reason why he should not succeed in doing so the third day. If the Apostle Peter had become discouraged at his manifest failure to maintain the position that he had taken to stand by the Savior under all circumstances, he would have lost all; whereas, by repenting and persevering he lost nothing but gained all, leaving us too to profit by his experience. (Blessings of the Gospel Only Obtained by Compliance to the Law, Lorenzo Snow)

 

[spamlds]

Before I joined the Church 35 years ago, there was an impression that had formed in my mind from attending many and various Protestant and Catholic services and Sunday Schools.  If you've been raised in the LDS Church, you don't understand this narrative.

 

The narrative is this:  God created Adam and Eve in a perfect world.  They were like joyful naked children running around, innocent.  Then they "discovered their nakedness."  I remember a little old lady who held Bible class for children in her home awkwardly trying to explain this.  I figured out later on that most Christian sects believe that sex was the original sin.  They believe that Adam and Eve suddenly discovered one another and did the "wild thing."  This displeased God and he cast them out of Eden and cursed them.  In other words, it's all their fault.  I've had some of the pastors of these denominations explain to me that Eve actually had sex with "the serpent" first, then went and did it with Adam.  Seriously.  This is what I was taught by many of these learned pastors.

 

Original sin comes to all of us because we are Adam and Eve's posterity, according to their doctrine.  The fact that you have sexual desire as a mature person is the taint of original sin.  That's why Calvin taught that man is fallen and degenerate. 

 

All through the teaching of the Old Testament, these churches taught that God was vengeful and punishing.  Then, he got a better idea.  According to their creeds, the Father (the One God of Aristotle and Plato) came down and became a mortal, died for our sins, and then transformed himself into the Holy Ghost.  Because he went through the mortal experience, he knows what it is like for himself.  From that point on, he became merciful and forgiving, not vengeful and punitive.

 

Thus, in the sectarian mind, the "fear of the Lord" comes of the Old Testament, but the new covenant of the New Testament is kindness, mercy, and love.  Over the centuries, much of the persecution that was focused on Jews by Christians came because of resentment that the Jews rejected mercy and kindness offered by Jesus and thus, they merited the vengeance of God upon them. 

 

Most latter-day saint converts come into the Church from other Christian denominations and they struggle to harmonize what they once were taught with what they now understand.  When we understand the fall properly, as taught in Genesis, the Book of Moses, and the Book of Abraham, and of course the temple ceremony, we understand how the Lord is both to be feared and respected and, at the same time, trusted for mercy and forgiveness.  When the false precepts about the fall and original sin are corrected, we see that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  We see that Jesus wasn't "Plan B" for a "Plan A" that failed.  We understand that God loves us, that he created the world for us, and that he gave us agency to choose.  We see how it all fits together. It is difficult for lifelong latter-day saints to understand the amount of false teaching that has to be unlearned and how much new truth there is to drink in after conversion.

 

This allows us to understand situations like the one in which Jesus cursed the fig tree and it withered because it bore no fruit.  Jesus had the power over life.  He could raise people from the dead.  He could raise himself up from the grave when the time came.  But he also illustrated that he had power to judge and condemn.  He sometimes corrected people with sharpness.  He overturned the tables of the money changers.  He called the lawyers "vipers" and the Pharisees hypocrites.  His disciples were afraid to ask him questions sometimes, fearing his rebuke.  Yet they loved him and they were willing to lay down their lives for him.  They endured persecution for him.  When I read Peter's words in his epistles, written near the end of his life, the gravity of the reverence he has for Christ really stands out to me.  He knows, like Joseph Smith said, that "God is not trifling with you and me." 

 

In the culture of the Church we strive to show this reverence and fear of God, even though we love him.  For example, in the Church Handbook of Instructions, there are seeminly small details that show this reverence.  For example, if a ward or stake puts on a gospel-oriented play or skit and Jesus is portrayed in it, the scripted lines of the character that plays the Savior can only be scripture.  No ad libs are allowed.  Aside from the temple movie and the First Vision movies made by the Church, God the Father is never portrayed in any church play or skit.  As Jesus was careful to always honor the Father, how much more should we be careful to show him the ultimate in reverence?

 

The Lord represents the ultimate fairness in judgment.  He knows us and he has borne our sins.  He lived the live of a mortal.  Yet he felt the unwavering demands of justice upon his own flesh and he did not quit.  He has power to create, to sustain, and to destroy.  He obtained that power at great price.  He bore the ultimate in suffering.  For that reason alone, the fear of God should be upon us, as well as a loving trust in his offer of mercy, conditional upon sincere repentance and faith.