By Warren B. Smith
Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. (Psalm 128:1)
We are living in fearful times, yet the Bible repeatedly tells us to “Fear not.” Scripture assures us that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). It teaches us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and that “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). But at the same time the Bible continually tells us to “Fear God.” How is this seemingly apparent contradiction regarding fear to be reconciled by those who wish to follow God and do His will?
The New Age Take on Fear
In this rapidly changing world, it is important to understand how the biblical concept of “fear” is being redefined by both the world and the church. In particular, a variety of voices on both sides would now have us believe that “the opposite of love is not hate but fear.” It is important to note that this deceptive concept about fear was popularly introduced into the world by a channeled New Age Christ through a set of metaphysical/occult teachings titled A Course in Miracles. In the Introduction on the very first page of this over 1000 page tome, The Course’s “Jesus” proposes this foundational New Age teaching that “the opposite of love is fear” but cleverly adds—“but what is all-encompassing [love] can have no opposite.”1 He says—“Teach only love, for that is what you are.”2 Thus, The Course’s New Age reality is that because love is “all-encompassing” and because God is love, all is therefore God. Consequently, The Course’s false Christ teaches that all fear is delusional and part of a hapless dream from which the dreamer needs to be “gently wakened” by God’s “happy dream.”3 To deliver us out of our “fearful dream,” we are told that God’s dream” is being sent to bring us to our senses and to the realization that we are love and we are God. There is no fear! What becomes apparent is that these false teachings lay the groundwork for a New Age/New Gospel/New Spirituality to completely supplant biblical Christianity. No fear and no fear of God because we are all love and we are all God—all in the name of “God’s dream.” How unbiblical and truly diabolical!
A Course in Miracles and God’s Dream
First published in 1975, A Course in Miracles has become a cult classic that is often referred to as the New Age “Bible.” Allegedly channeled by “Jesus” to clarify “misunderstood” Bible teachings with his “new” revelation, The Course’s false Christ emphatically teaches God’s “happy dream” that there is no sin,4 no evil,5 no Devil,6 and no need to get saved by an external Savior named Jesus Christ. He says we save ourselves7 and the world by recognizing that we are all “one”8 because we are all “Christ”9 and we are all “God.”10 This New Age “Jesus” teaches that “a slain Christ has no meaning”11 and warns us not to make “the pathetic error of clinging to the old rugged cross.”12 He declares that “The journey to the cross should be the last useless journey.”13 Again, all of these false teachings are described as part of “God’s dream” to save the planet as he “wakens” everyone from their “fearful dreams” with his “happy dream”14 that we are all “one” because we are all “God.”
“Fearing God” is Insanity and Madness?
A Course in Miracles lesson number 48 states—“There is nothing to fear”15 and that especially includes not “fearing God.” Fearing God according to this New Age “Jesus” is bogus and directly equated to one’s fear of being God. The Course’s false Christ says we are not to fear God because we are God.16 But he takes our not fearing God a significant step further. In redefining fear, The Course’s New Age “Jesus” describes the Bible’s teaching on the “fear of God” as “stark insanity and raving madness.”17 He goes so far as to state that the Bible’s take on the “fear of God” is the last remaining “obstacle” to “peace.”18 He says that when humanity overcomes its “fear of God” and is collectively “awakened” by “God’s dream” to the reality that they are God—then and only then—can inner peace and world peace be finally realized. However, the Bible’s teachings on the “fear of God” have nothing to do with fear being the opposite of love and our being God. More importantly, Scripture is unequivocal in its oft repeated teachings on the fear of God and how we are to literally fear and revere and joyously worship the one true God who we definitely are not.
Gerald Jampolsky, Oprah Winfrey Endorse The Course
A Course in Miracles gained enormous popularity when psychiatrist/author Dr. Gerald Jampolsky’s best-selling 1979 book Love is Letting Go of Fear promoted The Course and its New Age teachings. However, the biggest endorsement of The Course came in February 1992 when Oprah Winfrey featured then-fledgling author Marianne Williamson and her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah told her worldwide television audience that she had purchased a thousand copies of Williamson’s book because she had never “been as moved by a book” as she had by Williamson’s book about A Course in Miracles. Oprah said she believed that the teachings of A Course in Miracles “could change the world.”19 Thanks to Oprah, the false New Age Christ had just been mainstreamed into everybody’s living room. After Oprah’s endorsement, Williamson’s book about The Course shot to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for several months.
Pastors Following New Age Suit
Robert Schuller
Several years after the publication of Jampolsky’s 1979 book Love is Letting Go of Fear, Pastor Robert Schuller celebrated Jampolsky as his featured guest on his worldwide Hour of Power television program. The late Schuller also cited him in his best-selling 1982 book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation. Quoting Jampolsky’s Course teaching that “The opposite of love is not hate, but fear,” Schuller described this false teaching as “profound theology.”20 In this same Self-Esteem book, Schuller made multiple references to the New Age term “God’s dream.” Through his writings, teachings, and television ministry, Schuller passed along The Course’s New Age take on “fear being the opposite of love” and the term “God’s dream” to millions of people—but perhaps most especially pastors. At his longstanding Robert H. Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership, Schuller communicated his beliefs and teachings to countless pastors over the years. Graduates from Schuller’s Institute routinely incorporated Schuller’s teachings into their own ministries. Perhaps the most famous “graduate” from Schuller’s Institute is Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren.21
Rick Warren
Echoing Schuller, Jampolsky, and the false Christ of A Course in Miracles, Rick Warren took the New Age teaching on “fear being the opposite of love” one step further. He tried to make it biblical! In an April 9, 2009 article written for The Christian Post, Rick Warren, without citing any Bible reference, wrote—“The Bible says the opposite of love is fear, and the opposite of fear is love.”22 Yet, there is no properly translated Bible that says this. The only “Bible” that says this is A Course in Miracles—the New Age “Bible.” What Schuller described as “profound theology,” Rick Warren was now describing as biblical. And just as Schuller passed this false New Age teaching about fear being the opposite of love to countless pastors like Rick Warren, Warren is now passing this false teaching on to a new generation of pastors—pastors like Mark Batterson and Jason Mitchell.
Mark Batterson
Echoing A Course in Miracles, Robert Schuller, and Rick Warren, Circle Maker author Mark Batterson writes:
The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is fear.23
In his best-selling book Chase the Lion, Batterson uses the word dream over 500 times. He not only references the term “God’s Dream,”24 but like the false Christ of A Course in Miracles, he introduces the idea of God’s dream “within” a dream.25 In addition to his controversial endorsements of The Shack26 and Jesus Calling,27 Batterson has also publicly praised and recommended a number of books by New Age authors (e.g. Eckhart Tolle, James Redfield, and Jack Canfield).28 Wittingly or unwittingly, Batterson is using the overlapping language of the New Age, Robert Schuller, and Rick Warren (whom he openly respects and praises).29
Jason Mitchell
In the May 5, 2017 edition of the popular Christian publication Relevant Magazine, there was an article by Pastor Jason Mitchell titled “The Opposite of Love Isn’t Hate.” In the article, Mitchell wrote—“The opposite of love isn’t hate—it’s fear.”30 Several months prior to the publication of his article, Mitchell’s Pennsylvania church spent six weeks of Sundays going through Rick Warren’s book The Purpose-Driven Life. Whether or not Mitchell picked up this teaching of fear directly from Rick Warren is not the point. The point is that—thanks to Robert Schuller and Rick Warren—this false New Age teaching on fear is now in the church.
The Bible’s Warning
Not surprisingly, the Bible specifically warns about false teachings on fear that are taught by the precepts of men and not by God:
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. (Isaiah 29:13)
Fear God—Yes!
Consult any dictionary or thesaurus, and it will not tell you that the opposite of love is fear; it is hate. And while the word “fear” in the Bible is translated from Hebrew and Greek words that have slightly varying and nuanced meanings, the word fear generally means just that—fear. The degree of fear in these definitions can range from “mild uneasiness to stark terror.”31 The frequent biblical command to “Fear not” means we are not to give undue respect or regard to man or to be unnecessarily anxious or afraid of the challenging circumstances that inevitably arise in our lives. But the Bible is exceedingly clear that we are to definitely fear God. But our fear of God is ideally tempered with joyous love, worshipful adoration, and reverential regard. This loving but real fear of God bears witness to the supreme significance of our relationship with Him and to the eternal consequences the relationship holds. We are to both love and fear who He is—“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).
Fear Man—No!
An important distinction must be maintained between the “fear of God” and the “fear of man.” The Bible says we are not to fear the “reproach” or “revilings” of man (Isaiah 51:7). It warns that the fear of man is a “snare” (Proverbs 29:25) and a “sin” (1 Samuel 15:24-25). But the fear of God is “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24). The Bible teaches that while we are not to fear man or the circumstantial challenges we may be confronted with—we are to fear God. But why? So the Lord can scare, intimidate, manipulate, demean, and ultimately control us? Not at all. Scripture makes it clear that the “fear of God” is a most amazing and wonderful thing. It is the beginning of “knowledge” and “wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10). Our fear of God is not only not an “obstacle” to peace—it is something that will bless us (Psalm 128:1), make us “happy,” (Proverbs 28:14) and cause our soul to “dwell at ease” (Psalm 25:12-13).
“Fear of the Lord” Rests Upon Jesus
The prophet Isaiah—prophesying about the coming of the Messiah (the true Jesus Christ)—describes how the spirit of “the fear of the LORD” literally rests upon Him.
And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-2)
Jesus Taught the Fear of God
Our Spiritual Adversary, through his deceptive “God’s dream” theology, wants to redefine fear as something that is the opposite of love and not even real. He wants to eliminate fear because he does not want us to fear and revere the one true God. He does not want us to know the benefits and blessings that come from fearing God. And he most certainly does not want us to know that Jesus Christ Himself specifically taught that we should all fear God. Jesus said we are not to fear those who kill the body, but we are to “fear him” who is “able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:27-28)
The “fear of the Lord” is not only something God desires (Deuteronomy 5:29) but also what He requires (Deuteronomy 10:12)—not for His good, but “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24). Contrary to the false New Age Christ and those who wittingly or unwittingly espouse his false New Age teachings about fear, Scripture repeatedly tells us just how important and necessary the fear of God is for the serious believer.
Fear Of God
Fearing God is What God Desires
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! (Deuteronomy 5:29)
Fearing God is What God Requires
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. (Deuteronomy 10:12)
Fearing the Lord is a Fountain of Life
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)
Fear of the Lord is His Treasure
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. (Isaiah 33:6)
Fearing God Pleases God
The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. (Psalm 147:11)
Fearing God for Our Good
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. (Jeremiah 32:39-40)
Fearing God is for Our Good Always
And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. (Deuteronomy 6:24)
Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Knowledge
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)
Fear of the Lord is to be Sought and Understood
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)
Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)
Fear of the Lord is the Instruction of Wisdom
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. (Proverbs 15:33)
Fear the Lord and Bless the Lord
Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD. (Psalm 135:20)
Fear the Lord and be Blessed
Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. (Psalm 128:1)
Fear the Lord and Praise the Lord
Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. (Psalm 22:23)
Fear the Lord and be Praised
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)
Fear the Lord and Trust the Lord
Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. (Psalm 115:11)
Fear God and Obey His Voice
Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. (Deuteronomy 13:4)
Fear the Lord Above All Other Gods
For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. (Psalm 96:4)
Fear God—There is None Like Him
Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. (Jeremiah 10:7)
Fear God and Go Not After Other Gods
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you. (Deuteronomy 6:13-14)
Fear God and Worship Him
But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. (Psalm 5:7)
Fear the Lord with Reverence and Godly Fear
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29)
Fear God Greatly and Revere Him in the Assembly
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. (Psalm 89:7)
Fear the Lord and Let Him Be Your Fear
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. (Isaiah 8:13)
Fear the Lord and Rejoice With Trembling
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)
Fear God by Serving Him and Cleaving to Him
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. (Deuteronomy 10:20)
Fear the Lord and His Angel is With Thee
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. (Psalm 34:7)
Fear God and Serve Him Only
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. (Joshua 24:14)
Fear God and Serve Him in Truth
Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. (1 Samuel 12:24)
Fear the Lord and His Eye Is Upon You
Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:18-19)
Fear God and Be Accepted by Him
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:35)
Fear the Lord and Have No Want
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. (Psalm 34:8-9)
Fear God and Receive His Goodness
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! (Psalm 31:19)
Fear God and Receive His Mercy
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. (Psalm 103:11)
Fear God and It Shall Be Well
Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. (Ecclesiastes 8:12)
Fear the Lord and Be Satisfied
The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. (Proverbs 19:23)
Fear God and Your Soul Shall Be at Ease
What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. (Psalm 25:12-13)
Fear the Lord and Be Happy
Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. (Proverbs 28:14)
Fear of the Lord Is to Hate Evil
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13)
Fear the Lord and Depart From Evil
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:7)
Fear God and Avoid False Prophets
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. (Deuteronomy 13:1-4)
Fear God and be Delivered from Your Enemies
But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. (2 Kings 17:39)
Fear God and Have Strong Confidence and a Place of Refuge
In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.(Proverbs 14:26)
Fear the Lord and Don’t Sin
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. (Exodus 20:20)
Fear the Lord and be Shown His Covenant
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14)
Fear God and Receive a Banner
Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. (Psalm 60:4)
Fear of God for Those Who Rule
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. (2 Samuel 23:3)
Fear God and Honor All Men
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. (1 Peter 2:17)
Fear God and Fellowship with One Another
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. (Malachi 3:16)
Fear God and Submit Yourselves One to Another
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:21)
Fear God and be a Companion to Those Who Keep His Precepts
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. (Psalm 119:63)
Fear God and Beware of Those Given to Change
My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change. (Proverbs 24:21)
Fear of the Lord is Clean
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever. (Psalm 19:9)
Fear of the Lord Brings Honor
By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. (Proverbs 22:4)
Fear the Lord and Walk Uprightly
He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him. (Proverbs 14:2)
Fear God and Walk in His Ways
Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. (Deuteronomy 8:6)
Fear God and Perfect Holiness
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)
Fear God and Declare His Works
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. (Psalm 64:9)
Fear God and Declare What He has Done For Your Soul
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. (Psalm 66:16)
Fear God and Teach Your Children to Fear God
Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. (Deuteronomy 4:10)
Fear God and Individually Grow
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2)
Fear God and Churches Grow
Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. (Acts 9:31)
Fear God and His Salvation is Nigh
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. (Psalm 85:9)
Fear God and Be Saved
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. (Psalm 145:19)
Fear God and Give Him Glory
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him. (Revelation 14:6-7)
Fear God and Fear His Name
Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. (Psalm 86:11)
Fear God and Glorify His Name
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. (Revelation 15:4)
Fear God by Passing Your Time Here in Fear
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. (1 Peter 1:17)
Fear God From All the Ends of the Earth
God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. (Psalm 67:7)
Fear God and His Goodness in the Latter Days
Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3:5)
Fear God All the Earth
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9)
Fear God All Day Long
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. (Proverbs 23:17)
Fear God as Long as You Live
Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. (Deuteronomy 4:10)
Fear the Lord Through All Generations
They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. (Psalm 72:5)
Fear God Forever
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. (Joshua 4:24)
Fear of God: Foundational to Our Faith
Scripture tells us that one of the foundational attributes of the early church was their fear of God:
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. (Acts 2:42-43)
If the anti-Christ false Christ of the New Age movement continues to have his way, fear will continue to be redefined out of the world, out of the church, and out of our lives. This redefinition of fear is at the heart of the deception and why fear being the opposite of love is taught on the very first page of the New Age “Bible”—A Course in Miracles. But those who truly love God and His Word also fear Him. When it comes to the fear of God, fear and love are intimately bound together—they are not opposites. Teaching that they are opposites is to play right into the hands of our Spiritual Adversary and His anti-christ New Age/New Spirituality.
The Conclusion—Fear God
The Bible makes it very clear that we are to fear God, and we are not to adopt false teachings about fear that are taught by the precepts of men (Isaiah 29:13). In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon states that when all is said and done—we are to fear God and keep His commandments:
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
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Endnotes
1. A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume (Glen Ellen, California: Foundation for Inner Peace,1975), (Introduction) p. 1.
2. Ibid., (Text) p. 94.
3. Ibid., (Text) p. 584; p. 377.
4. Ibid., (Workbook) p. 183.
5. Ibid., (Text) p. 38.
6. Ibid., (Text) pp. 49-50.
7. Ibid., (Workbook) p. 119 Lesson 70 “My salvation comes from me.”
8. Ibid., (Text) p. 125.
9. Ibid., (Manual) p. 87.
10. Ibid., (Text) p. 147.
11. Ibid., (Text) p. 425.
12. Ibid., (Text) p. 52.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid., (Text) p.377.
15. Ibid., (Workbook) p. 77.
16. Ibid., (Text) p. 147.
17. Ibid., (Text) p. 422.
18. Ibid., (Text) p. 420, p. 606.
19. The Oprah Winfrey Show, February 4, 1992, quoted from DVD copy of program and transcribed by author.
20. Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982), p. 51.
21. Warren Smith, Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church (Mountain Stream Press: Magalia, CA, 2004), p. 80.
22. Rick Warren, “Easter: God’s Antidote to Fear” (The Christian Post, April 9, 2009, https://www.christianpost.com/news/easter-god-s-antidote-to-fear-37969).
23. Mark Batterson, Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You It’s Too Small (New York, NY: Multnomah, 2016), p. 124.
24. Ibid., p. 4
25. Ibid., p. 7.
26. Mark Batterson’s review of The Shack: https://web.archive.org/web/20101226173947/http://evotional.com/2008/05/what-im-reading.html.
27. Jesus Calling endorsement by Mark Batterson: https://www.jesuscalling.com/blog/gregalan-williams-mark-batterson.
28. “Recommended Reading” list on Batterson’s website: http://web.archive.org/web/20061209190909/www.evotional.com/reading.htm.
29. Mark Batterson, Chase the Lion, op. cit., p. 36.
30. Pastor Jason Mitchell, “The Opposite of Love Isn’t Hate” (Relevant Magazine, May 5, 2017, https://relevantmagazine.com/god/faith/the-opposite-of-love-isnt-hate).
31. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology online at biblestudytools.com.
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Isn’t that verse in Psalm 19 grand to say the least: “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.”? Rick Warren and company are, apart from many other things, missing out on the cleanliness of the fear of God. It keeps us clean – like a shower after a tiring and dirt-ridden day, only much more wonderful! Thankyou for the solidity of your reverence for God’s holy Word.
Bravo for Warren! He hit the rock of error with a mighty hammer. Bravo for correct doctrine! God’s word is like a fire that burns up the wood, hay and stubble in people’s lives and a hammer that breaks the stones of unbelief and error in people’s heart. Never a more timely word. Keep up the much needed work of shining the Light.
And yet, with mine ears, I heard: “You’d better fear US should you and your son leave (a little camouflaged cult) for which we had never signed up in the first place, hehe, in order to get my son’s girlfriend, now wife, our of there), this assembly, the ONLY right way to the ONLY savvrin’ god in the entire region (about a small US state). Cursed you’ll be.”
Well, I ran home, hugged my teddy, and ate 35 marshmallows, What did the devil say again? It was so long ago, I have forgotten. But he and his henchman wanted to be feared.