If God is love and forgiveness, why do many Christians call themselves "God fearing"?

I actually asked this in Sunday School one day (either I did or someone else did... either way, the topic came up, lol).

Remember that the Bible was written ages and ages ago, they simply talked differently during the time of the writing of the King James Bible (the first Bible in English). In the old texts, the word "quick" means, not fast, but living. An "incarnation" is something that came from your body/DNA, in this case, it means a child.

"Fear" doesn't mean to be afraid of God in this case, it means to respect Him. If you respect somebody who is a lot more powerful than you, wouldn't you be just a LITTLE afraid to oppose that person, even if you fully knew that they would NEVER hurt you even if you did??

To "fear" means to respect. Like i said, the King James Bible was written way back when English was spoken differently and the words had different meanings than they do today.

I hope this helped. :)

What does it mean to fear God? Godly fear reflects awe and a profound reverence for Jehovah as well as a wholesome dread of displeasing him. Such godly fear is not morbid; it is healthful and proper.

Fearing to displease Jehovah God will help us because it “means the hating of bad.” (Proverbs 8:13) Unquestionably, the fear of displeasing Jehovah will keep us from compromising because of the fear of man. It will also help us to obey God’s instructions no matter what difficulties have to be overcome. Further, it will keep us from yielding to temptations or inclinations toward wrongdoing. The Scriptures show that it was the fear of Jehovah that enabled Abraham to attempt to offer up his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice, and it was the fear of displeasing Jehovah that enabled Joseph successfully to resist the immoral advances of Potiphar’s wife.

Fearing God means to respect Him with awe and reverence. God is loving and just. He is mighty and able to lovingly call those who accept His Son's sacrificial gift to them, His adopted child. He is just in that He won't allow sin into Heaven.

One can either accept His free gift of grace and salvation which brings us into the loving relationship with Him that He intended for all of us from the beginning or experience the fearsome result of separation from Him forever.

The fear of God, to c Christian, is not dread, but awe. You've stumbled over a semantic exercise.

Excellent question.

This expression is both over-used and misunderstood. It is, in my experience, a phrase kept alive largely by the media and in movies that have a certain agenda in the way they portray Christianity - usually negative. And the more you (or anyone) remains confused, the less likely they are to explore the Christian faith.

The Holy Bible states (I apologize for not recalling the specific chapter/verse) "The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord." It is important to note that this "fear of the Lord" is ONLY the BEGINNING of wisdom. In other words, there is much more to know about Him (as revealed in the life of Christ in the Four Gospels), but at the youngest, most "infant-like" part of one's understanding of God is that He is both terrible and just in His power - yet fully merciful and kind. At the very base of our understanding of Him, we should acknowledge His power, justice, and judgment taht will fall upon us. But out of His Love, as demonstrated through the sacrifice of His Son, the relationship with Him becomes personal, leaving "fear" behind as another level of understanding of His character is revealed. (It is at this point we leave the "beginning" of wisdom and our understanding begins to transcend fear and graduate into a Love back to Him.)

Since each of us has sinned, and God's justice cannot allow sin, a penalty has to be paid. Since God's justice is pure and true, there can be no full pardon without some form of payment. Someone has to pay the debt. You and I cannot argue in our own favor and find redemption. I cannot ask a friend to pay this debt, since all of my friends have sinned too. Or, I could accept the penalty myself, which is eternal death (of the soul) and hell, since my defense is tainted by my own sins. So what is needed is a sin-free life to pay the debt. A perfect sacrifice. This is what is offered through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A perfect life makes for the perfect (and only acceptable) sacrifice. Jesus took on the penalty of death for you and I. By acknowledging this sacrifice and accepting Christ's sacrifice in place of your own, you have left behind this "fear of the Lord." Fearing the Lord's wrath for sin is a compelling fear. But since He paid the price Himself that we owe in full, we don't have to. (That is why "fear of the Lord" is ONLY the beginning stage for gaining wisdom. There is more wisdom to be gained, which can transcend the fear.) What transcends this early "fear" is acknowledging the sacrifce He made for you. It marked the single greatest act of compassion and mercy the universe will ever see. And it's staggering to realize He knows and loves you personally; and He desires the same love from you.

Once you embrace Christ's sacrifice in place of your own penalty for sin, no more fear.

This "God-fearing" phrase is a bit out-dated in real-life Christianity. It has more of a "fire and brimstone" connotation that some have trouble seeing through to the Love. But don't get me wrong. God is all about Justice and many will perish because of pride and other sins. His sacrifice demonstrated His Love for you and His perfect Mercy, yet some will fail to acknowledge this, and they are the ones that will have just cause to be terrified.

It's in the bible somewhere that fear is the beginning of wisdom. And wisdom teaches us that love is more powerful than fear.

there are several definitions of "fear":

1.fear: response to a perceived threat of ones security;anxiety, worry,utter terror

i assume this is what you are thinking

2:reverance, honor,awe,

i believe in both:

fear #1 b/c his divine character is perfect holiness and righteousness and fairness, he is unlimited in power and knowledge. i know Gods wrath over sin and that frightens me.

#2: knowing that Gods wrath as been satisfied in Jesus Christ releives me from fear (#1) of condemnation. So by accepting Christ i am in honor and in awe of him and thankful.

The new testament God is all warm and fuzzy, but the dude in the old testament was not nearly so understanding and would smite you without a second thought. You want to fear that God.

I think it is a "King James" word that is usually translated to mean respect in more modern versions of the Bible.

The term God "fearing" had nothing to do with fear. It meant more like "having reverence for"