Do you think there is a moral issue with obeying God out of fear rather than love?

[Dave-W]

I never understood fearing God and loving him at the same time.

It takes Hebrew logic to comprehend that.

 

[Steeno7]

It's not just obedience that God desires for us, it's a certain kind of obedience. It's obedience born out of our love for Him as a response to His love for us. He is not interested in obedience born out of some legalistic sense of duty or fear. That kind of “obedience” is merely external compliance, while the heart remains unchanged and defiant.

 

[KingdomIncreseGuy]

And your an Atheist and you know this Meh Guy

No, you're supposed to love God and fear him. Both, at the same time.

 

[MehGuy]

And your an Atheist and you know this Meh Guy

Spent my first 18 years as a Christian.

 

[KingdomIncreseGuy]

Spent my first 18 years as a Christian.

Makes Sense

 

[Paulos23]

It takes Hebrew logic to comprehend that.

I will settle for plan logic.

 

[ChetSinger]

When I was a child I both loved and feared my father. I loved him because he loved me, but I also feared him when I was doing wrong. With good reason, too.

When my children were little they felt the same ways toward me, I'm certain.

Being as God is our Father in heaven, why should it be difficult to both love and fear him?

 

[MehGuy]

Yeah some of the best love is based on fear.

 

[aiki]

A conversation came up this week with a friend of mine.

He mentioned that, being entirely truthful, he abstained from many acts which he viewed as sin, not out of his love for Christ, but out of fear of Christ. He struggled to arrive at the conclusion, that the reason he did not view pornography, was not because he loved God, but was instead, because he feared God.

I thought this posed a interesting question

Is it a requirement to love God? Or is it simply enough to obey God out of fear?

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Matthew 22:36-38
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and great commandment.

1 John 4:16-19
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.

I don't believe God accepts obedience to His commands that does not arise out of love for Him. God wants the obedience of loving children, not the craven and/or resentful obedience of prisoners or slaves. I think, though, that there are a great many Christians who "live for God" entirely out of fear of Him as Judge and Punisher, rather than out of respectful "fear" and deep love of Him as their awesome Creator, Saviour and Heavenly Father.

Selah.

 

[Sketcher]

If Love is the first commandment, then it is fear which give rise to love.

Psalms 111:10 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.

Perhaps, perhaps not - I say this concerning your interpretation of Psalm 111:10, not the verse itself. Regardless, loving God is unquestionably required. And in my experience, you need to obey out of love in order to obey fully.

 

[Purge187]

I speak from experience when I say that life is much better when you no longer believe that God is a cosmic bully whose waiting to pounce on you for going 3 m.p.h. over the speed limit.

The "fear of God" means an awareness of God's omnipresence and omnipotence; an unhealthy fear of Him gets in the way of intimacy with Him and other people, which is why He created us in the first place.