Is fear itself a sin?

[Sune]

Hi all, I've been wondering if fear other than that of God is always sinful. After reading this: What does the Bible say about fear? | GotQuestions.org and other articles, it seems that they believe that fear even in dangerous scenarios such as being attacked, etc. is also sinful as it shows a lack of faith. However, while I understand that we should never let fear cause us to disobey God, I struggle to understand how fear of, say being attacked when faced with immediate danger, could be sinful when the emotion itself is not something we can always control. Would this also mean that small fears, like spiders or heights would also be sinful? This troubles me as I have trouble condemning people for their fears (when they don't use them as an reason to avoid doing the right thing)....

 

[Mr. M]

Hi all, I've been wondering if fear other than that of God is always sinful. After reading this: What does the Bible say about fear? | GotQuestions.org and other articles, it seems that they believe that fear even in dangerous scenarios such as being attacked, etc. is also sinful as it shows a lack of faith. However, while I understand that we should never let fear cause us to disobey God, I struggle to understand how fear of, say being attacked when faced with immediate danger, could be sinful when the emotion itself is not something we can always control. Would this also mean that small fears, like spiders or heights would also be sinful? This troubles me as I have trouble condemning people for their fears (when they don't use them as an reason to avoid doing the right thing)....

Fear is a natural human response to danger. It would only lead to sin if it caused you to doubt. The scriptures would not exhort us to overcome, if there was nothing to overcome. Love conquers fear.

 

[pdudgeon]

Hi all, I've been wondering if fear other than that of God is always sinful. After reading this: What does the Bible say about fear? | GotQuestions.org and other articles, it seems that they believe that fear even in dangerous scenarios such as being attacked, etc. is also sinful as it shows a lack of faith. However, while I understand that we should never let fear cause us to disobey God, I struggle to understand how fear of, say being attacked when faced with immediate danger, could be sinful when the emotion itself is not something we can always control. Would this also mean that small fears, like spiders or heights would also be sinful? This troubles me as I have trouble condemning people for their fears (when they don't use them as an reason to avoid doing the right thing)....

I would partially agree with their answer, that fear does show a lack of faith, but I would qualify that agreement, because it does not take into consideration the relationship that we have with God, nor does it consider our knowledge about God.

In other words, it would be reasonable to assume that a person who knows how God works, what He has done in the past, and has a good working relationship with Him, would be less likely to fear their daily lives than say a person who is a new Christian, and is still learning how to trust that God will come thru for them.
There is a story about faith that made the rounds several years ago that illustrates this.

It seems that one day long ago, a man who used to work in a high wire act at a carnival was visiting a famous waterfall on his vacation.
To practice his skills, he had a wire strung across the waterfall, and was offering to take people across the falls in a wheelbarrow.
The moral of the story is that the man with the wheelbarrow is Jesus, and that He can safely transport us across life's problems, but only if we agree to get into the wheelbarrow and remain there while He does the work of getting us across.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Hi all, I've been wondering if fear other than that of God is always sinful. After reading this: What does the Bible say about fear? | GotQuestions.org and other articles, it seems that they believe that fear even in dangerous scenarios such as being attacked, etc. is also sinful as it shows a lack of faith. However, while I understand that we should never let fear cause us to disobey God, I struggle to understand how fear of, say being attacked when faced with immediate danger, could be sinful when the emotion itself is not something we can always control. Would this also mean that small fears, like spiders or heights would also be sinful? This troubles me as I have trouble condemning people for their fears (when they don't use them as an reason to avoid doing the right thing)....

Sin means to miss the mark.

According to

1Jo 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Fear does not result in Maturity or Perfection.

So fear is totally missing the mark.

The mark being in the above verse's context:

17 ¶ Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Having boldness or confidence on the day of judgment because "we are like Him" sounds to be the bullseye. Wouldn't you think?

 

[Tony B]

it seems that they believe that fear even in dangerous scenarios such as being attacked, etc. is also sinful as it shows a lack of faith.

That seems a rather narrowed/short-sighted assessment of fear they've come up with.

If I was being attacked by a crocodile, my reasonable reaction would be one of fear of being injured or killed....and driven by that fear I'd be doing my best to punch the lights out on that croc post haste!

I've read or heard many references to there being two types of fear, healthy fear and unhealthy fear. Healthy fear is what draws me back from getting too close to the edge of a cliff. An example of unhealthy fear is the kind of fear I might have if I allow myself to be intimidated by man, and/or bow to peer pressure and walk (,or continue in a line of traffic eg,) with lawless men, and break the law. The breaking of the law is a sin, and it could be argued that allowing myself to be intimidated is also sinful.

Just my 2cs worth.

 

[HTacianas]

Hi all, I've been wondering if fear other than that of God is always sinful. After reading this: What does the Bible say about fear? | GotQuestions.org and other articles, it seems that they believe that fear even in dangerous scenarios such as being attacked, etc. is also sinful as it shows a lack of faith. However, while I understand that we should never let fear cause us to disobey God, I struggle to understand how fear of, say being attacked when faced with immediate danger, could be sinful when the emotion itself is not something we can always control. Would this also mean that small fears, like spiders or heights would also be sinful? This troubles me as I have trouble condemning people for their fears (when they don't use them as an reason to avoid doing the right thing)....

Fear in and of itself is not a sin. There is a mention of fear in the new testament but it is used in a very specific context:

Rev 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

"Cowardly", above, is sometimes translated as "fearful", meaning a person who fears. But the fear is that fear created by persecution, i.e., those who renounce Christ under fear of death.

And just so you know, I don't put much stock in gotquestions.org.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Between Resurrection and Pentecost there us a huge change in the attitude of the disciples.

First - He finds them hiding behind closed doors for fear of the Jews.

Later - they preach fearlessly with great boldness.

Revelation of His Love, His Lordship and Victory over death dissolves fear.

And so it should be for us...

 

[eleos1954]

Hi all, I've been wondering if fear other than that of God is always sinful. After reading this: What does the Bible say about fear? | GotQuestions.org and other articles, it seems that they believe that fear even in dangerous scenarios such as being attacked, etc. is also sinful as it shows a lack of faith. However, while I understand that we should never let fear cause us to disobey God, I struggle to understand how fear of, say being attacked when faced with immediate danger, could be sinful when the emotion itself is not something we can always control. Would this also mean that small fears, like spiders or heights would also be sinful? This troubles me as I have trouble condemning people for their fears (when they don't use them as an reason to avoid doing the right thing)....

we are not to condemn anyone for anything.

Different kinds of "fear" ... spiders, snakes and such ... this fear is an alert mechanism of possible danger.

 

[Richard T]

Fear is not always negative. Since laying down a motorcycle as a teen I will no longer own one. To me that is a healthy fear. Same as walking in any area of known snakes. You don't just pray and not pay any attention to what you might step on.

Many people concerning covid think they have faith. But as I have seen several pastors go to the hospital, how can you be sure you will not get covid, or give it to someone else? Should you run around everywhere without a mask and act like it is nothing? Most likely many of these people are in presumption, not true faith. They just have been fortunate so far as to not to get COVID. On the other hand, if one feared Covid so much that you could not follow God's will, then you would be in sin.

 

[Noxot]

If there is no fear then there is no bravery.

 

[Soyeong]

Hi all, I've been wondering if fear other than that of God is always sinful. After reading this: What does the Bible say about fear? | GotQuestions.org and other articles, it seems that they believe that fear even in dangerous scenarios such as being attacked, etc. is also sinful as it shows a lack of faith. However, while I understand that we should never let fear cause us to disobey God, I struggle to understand how fear of, say being attacked when faced with immediate danger, could be sinful when the emotion itself is not something we can always control. Would this also mean that small fears, like spiders or heights would also be sinful? This troubles me as I have trouble condemning people for their fears (when they don't use them as an reason to avoid doing the right thing)....

The Hebrew word "pachad" refers to the type of fear that causes us to want to run away and hide while the word "yireh" refers to the type of fear that causes us to see and want to run towards someone. In other words, there is a type of fear where we don't want to be close to someone who is evil and a type of fear where we don't want to be separated from someone who is good, and the type of fear that is the beginning of wisdom is the latter (Proverbs 9:10). So there are some types of fear that are good and the problem is not such much experiencing the emotion of fear, but with how we choose to act when we are experiencing it. Courage is not the absence of fear, but how we choose to act in spite of our fears in order to overcome them. Some people fear what will happen to the US if their candidate loses the election, but we can take the attitude that Jesus is Lord no matter who wins, and to continue to shine for him no matter what happens. Where fear is sinful is where we allow it to lead us to do things that expressing distrust in God's sovereignty.

 

[Tony B]

If there is no fear then there is no bravery.

Very profound.....
also, no reverential and worshipful fear of God, no wisdom.