What does "fear God, not man" mean to you?

[summer]

I have been trying to study this and am wondering what it means to you? Thank you!

[Anddenex]

4 minutes ago, summer said:

I have been trying to study this and am wondering what it means to you? Thank you!

This means that an individual loves (reveres and respects) God and recognizes that God is just and true (mercy will not rob justice and vice-versa). His word is his bond. This means that when he says a judgment will come, it will come.

 

[summer]

4 minutes ago, Anddenex said:

This means that an individual loves (reveres and respects) God and recognizes that God is just and true (mercy will not rob justice and vice-versa). His word is his bond. This means that when he says a judgment will come, it will come.

 

Thank you. For some reason I have always taken it to mean that we should always choose Heavenly Father and His teachings over the world...that even if it means someone may not like us or approve of us that what matters is that we are following our Father in Heaven. He wants us to worry more about His opinion of us than we do about others opinions of us, Is this incorrect?

[zil]

8 minutes ago, summer said:

Thank you. For some reason I have always taken it to mean that we should always choose Heavenly Father and His teachings over the world...that even if it means someone may not like us or approve of us that what matters is that we are following our Father in Heaven. He wants us to worry more about His opinion of us than we do about others opinions of us, Is this incorrect?

IMO, yes, that is correct.  Our "fear" of mankind shows up in a gazillion ways (once you start to think about it) and it takes effort to make sure you're always choosing God over men.  I believe @Anddenex hit upon a key to making that choice easier - learn to love God.

[Anddenex]

4 minutes ago, summer said:

Thank you. For some reason I have always taken it to mean that we should always choose Heavenly Father and His teachings over the world...that even if it means someone may not like us or approve of us that what matters is that we are following our Father in Heaven. He wants us to worry more about His opinion of us than we do about others opinions of us, Is this incorrect?

This is true also. My focus was upon "fearing God," and what this means. A good example in scripture of what you have specified is the lost manuscripts and due to Joseph Smith putting a friend above God's will, we lost important scripture. A great conference talk was from Elder Lynn G. Robbins, "Which way do you Face?" Highlights what you specify. To fear God is to appropriately place him before man. Fear God thus means to me, love God more than anything else and understand his words are true.

[summer]

4 minutes ago, Anddenex said:

This is true also. My focus was upon "fearing God," and what this means. A good example in scripture of what you have specified is the lost manuscripts and due to Joseph Smith putting a friend above God's will, we lost important scripture. A great conference talk was from Elder Lynn G. Robbins, "Which way do you Face?" Highlights what you specify. To fear God is to appropriately place him before man. Fear God thus means to me, love God more than anything else and understand his words are true.

Thank you so much! I look forward to reading the talk too thank you!

[Anddenex]

6 minutes ago, summer said:

Thank you so much! I look forward to reading the talk too thank you!

And here is somewhat of an irony between our relationship with God, fear and love. In this life, those who fear God will one day have an absence of fear when we stand before him (we have shown that we already love him). Those that do not fear God now, will come to fear him (fear being that God is just and true).

Similar to the notion in scriptures (New Testament), if we seek to save our life now (a lack of fear/love for God) will one day loose it (that is the fear, the loss of freedom/exaltation), and those who loose their life will one day save it.

[summer]

6 minutes ago, Anddenex said:

And here is somewhat of an irony between our relationship with God, fear and love. In this life, those who fear God will one day have an absence of fear when we stand before him (we have shown that we already love him). Those that do not fear God now, will come to fear him (fear being that God is just and true).

Similar to the notion in scriptures (New Testament), if we seek to save our life now (a lack of fear/love for God) will one day loose it (that is the fear, the loss of freedom/exaltation), and those who loose their life will one day save it.

Love this! Thank you!! And as you mentioned in your first response He wants us to revere and respect Him not to truly be afraid of Him, right? Because I am not afraid on Him at all, but I respect and revere Him completely.

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, summer said:

I have been trying to study this and am wondering what it means to you? Thank you!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/which-way-do-you-face?lang=eng

This doesn't only apply to general authorities.  It applies to all who claim to be humble followers of Christ and take upon ourselves His name.

[Anddenex]

6 minutes ago, summer said:

Love this! Thank you!! And as you mentioned in your first response He wants us to revere and respect Him not to truly be afraid of Him, right? Because I am not afraid on Him at all, but I respect and revere Him completely.

Yes, that is my understanding, we are not to be afraid of Him directly. Having a healthy understanding, fear so to speak, of consequences for our decisions, that is good.

[summer]

6 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/which-way-do-you-face?lang=eng

This doesn't only apply to general authorities.  It applies to all who claim to be humble followers of Christ and take upon ourselves His name.

Thank you so much, that looks like a great talk!

[Alf]

Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be scared of Him. We have God's promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshiping Him in awe.
 

Edited September 13, 2016 by Alf

[tesuji]

My understanding of this has been that we should not care what other people think about us, only that we should do what is right in God's eyes.

 

That word "fear" has always been interesting to me. I've always wanted to rationalized away - "well, obviously, it doesn't mean to actually be afraid of God." But I'm actually not so sure that isn't part of if.

I did a spot check of the original word used in the scriptures. The results are below. The numbers are from Strongs Condordance, followed by various meanings of each word.

By the way, the following is an excellent online bible for checking the Hebrew and Greek original wording the Bible. Click on the word and it gives you the original word. http://biblewebapp.com/study/

 

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

יִרְאָה (3374

fear, terror, fearing
fear, terror
awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear)
fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety
revered

also
3374 yir'ah yir-aw' feminine of 3373; fear (also used as infinitive); morally, reverence:--X dreadful, X exceedingly, fear(-fulness).

 

Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.

יָרֵא (3372

to fear, revere, be afraid
(Qal)
to fear, be afraid
to stand in awe of, be awed
to fear, reverence, honour, respect
(Niphal)
to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared
to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe
to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe
(Piel) to make afraid, terrify
(TWOT) to shoot, pour

also
3372 yare' yaw-ray' a primitive root; to fear; morally, to revere; caus. to frighten:--affright, be (make) afraid, dread(-ful), (put in) fear(-ful, -fully, -ing), (be had in) reverence(-end), X see, terrible (act, -ness, thing).

Deuteronomy 10:12 - And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

3372 - same word as previous scripture

Luke 1:50 - And his mercy [is] on them that fear him from generation to generation.

φοβέω (5399) phobeo, to fear
Find all occurrences (approximately 93)
to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away)
to put to flight, to flee
to fear, be afraid
to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm
of those startled by strange sights or occurrences
of those struck with amazement
to fear, be afraid of one
to fear (i.e. hesitate) to do something (for fear of harm)
to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience

 

Philippians 2:12-13 - Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  

φόβος (5401) phobos, fear - noun form of φοβέω (5399) phobeo
Find all occurrences (approximately 44)
fear, dread, terror
that which strikes terror
reverence for one's husband

Edited September 14, 2016 by tesuji

[skalenfehl]

On 9/13/2016 at 10:51 AM, summer said:

I have been trying to study this and am wondering what it means to you? Thank you!

Fear is a primitive emotion and one that tends to govern our early relationship with the Lord. So we obey his commandments to avoid some punishment or consequence. 

Quote

JST Genesis 14:26 Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.

When we were children, we feared disobeying dad because we knew that we would get a whooping. As my relationship with the Lord deepened, my fear became faith and love. My motivation to come unto Christ changed. 

Quote

27 And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch,

 28 It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God;

 29 And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.

 30 For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;

 31 To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.

 32 And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.

One's relationship with the Lord evolves into one of pure love, where persuasion rather than ultimatum is used. The Lord commands the wicked to repent. The penitent, however, are submissive. They turn their will over to the Lord and become one with Him, thus being granted all that He has.