Fear

[John Hammond]

I do not know the proper place for this post. Please inform me if there is a better place for this post?
----------------------------------------------------------------
I just got a call from a Buddhist friend who is reading about Russian mystics. He could not understand their us of the word "fear" when referring to to God.

I will forward responses to this post to my friend.

Thanks,

[Herman Blaydoe]

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. It is the FIRST step in realizing just who this God person is anyway*. Extreme Awe as in "reverential awe, esp. toward God" (Unabridged Dictionary). It is a "natural" feeling when you realize how BIG God is and how little we are. I say "natural" in fallen wordly terms. It should not be natural to fear God, but we live in an UNNATURAL (fallen) state.

It is a beginning state but not an end state. St. Anthony said: "I no longer fear God, but I love Him. For love casts out fear."

*obscure reference from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy