Is fear a sin?

Lots of people sinned in the Bible - only Jesus was perfect. So if we see something in the Bible it is for our edification. Fear and doubt are natural for unbelievers, but it is not natural for believers. So a lot hangs on our belief, and a corollary of that is faith.
You cannot give yourself faith, like suddenly you just decide to believe, it grows from trusting in Jesus the more you get to know him, the more you realise you can TOTALLY trust him. I mean what is he gonna do, betray you? No way.
Everyone else may, even friends and family, but Jesus won't. How do we know? Because he is the truth. He always tells the truth. To believe otherwise makes God out to be a liar.

God does forgive us when we repent, so don't worry and do not fear. He knows how weak we can be. Jesus even told Thomas to touch his sides when he was doubting. I think Jesus was a bit incredulous that people didn't believe him at first. I reckon so many people got used to everyone telling white lies all the time that, when someone actually told the truth, they just couldn't bring themselves to believe it.
 
Fear and doubt, for a season, can indicate that one is taking the things of God very seriously indeed.

Fear:
A lot depends on what is being feared, the nature of that fear, and how you respond. Fearing God may just mean you are beginning to learn wisdom. Fearing tomorrow may be because you have not prepared, and you know you are not ready. This can help you to be better disciplined in the future. In that case, it is not the fear that needs to be addressed. Living fearful of those around you or of the general future can indicate a problem.

Doubt:
I you are doubting your need of Christ's sacrifice, or His love for you, or your own acceptance of His gift, this is a problem that needs fixing. If it is doubting some piece of theology, that can be an encouragement to meditate on His word, and discuss with other believers.
 
God gave us all a range of emotions, and I agree with @dan in the lion's den, that it is how you react to those emotions that is telling. Fear like pain is a symptom that something is wrong and is a defensive tool. I fear separation from God - that doesn't lessen my faith. Fear is used 400 times in the KJV, not always with the word not. Fear is human and is felt by us all at times. I can fear for the lost and mislead - am I sinning then? We are encouraged to question/doubt and resolve those issues in scripture...is that too, a sin? I fear bad consequences of my acts and that keeps me on a path....a good path. If a dog is growling and snapping at me, I'm gonna be aware I might be bitten. You need the emotion of fear to deal with the world. When you twist fear with cowardice...it is easier to say than in reality do. Fear is a vast subject and can't be divided into what I've seen here. The Word is telling us there are actually some things to fear as we go thru everyday life. Christ, in Gethsemane says "let this cup past..." He knows what's coming and in no way is that a lack of trust in the Father. I don't think fear/doubt is a sin, I think it is a natural reaction/emotion. It is what you do with that emotion that may be the sin.
 
Mykuhl said:
Yes I agree Jim....perfect or perfected or complete and fully mature love casts out fear. But most of us in the body of Christ have not attained to that kind of love yet.

So my main reason for wanting to know if fear/doubt is a sin....WAIT! I think I may have jus gotten my answer!....the meaning of the repent is the change the way you think about and to turn away from what you are doing right? So....repenting from fear/doubt would mean to turn away from it and change the way you are currently thinking about it and turn to the truth about it.
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Amen and about a million more amens
 
Siloam said:
Fear and doubt, for a season, can indicate that one is taking the things of God very seriously indeed.

Fear:
A lot depends on what is being feared, the nature of that fear, and how you respond. Fearing God may just mean you are beginning to learn wisdom. Fearing tomorrow may be because you have not prepared, and you know you are not ready. This can help you to be better disciplined in the future. In that case, it is not the fear that needs to be addressed. Living fearful of those around you or of the general future can indicate a problem.

Doubt:
I you are doubting your need of Christ's sacrifice, or His love for you, or your own acceptance of His gift, this is a problem that needs fixing. If it is doubting some piece of theology, that can be an encouragement to meditate on His word, and discuss with other believers.
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Fear of the Lord is respect or reverence and what is do Him.
Fear for tomorrow means tomorrow has more attention or power over you thern His word.
Doubt is opposed to faith. One can not not doubt and believe together for one will over comer to the other.
 
Silk said:
God gave us all a range of emotions, and I agree with @dan in the lion's den, that it is how you react to those emotions that is telling. Fear like pain is a symptom that something is wrong and is a defensive tool. I fear separation from God - that doesn't lessen my faith. Fear is used 400 times in the KJV, not always with the word not. Fear is human and is felt by us all at times. I can fear for the lost and mislead - am I sinning then? We are encouraged to question/doubt and resolve those issues in scripture...is that too, a sin? I fear bad consequences of my acts and that keeps me on a path....a good path. If a dog is growling and snapping at me, I'm gonna be aware I might be bitten. You need the emotion of fear to deal with the world. When you twist fear with cowardice...it is easier to say than in reality do. Fear is a vast subject and can't be divided into what I've seen here. The Word is telling us there are actually some things to fear as we go thru everyday life. Christ, in Gethsemane says "let this cup past..." He knows what's coming and in no way is that a lack of trust in the Father. I don't think fear/doubt is a sin, I think it is a natural reaction/emotion. It is what you do with that emotion that may be the sin.
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Please show me where these emotions are ok or just a part of naturtasl life ?
 
When Jesus approaches the apostles, while walking on water, He says, "Fear not". Does that not imply that if you think you are dealing with a "ghost" that it is natural to feel fear? Scripture is replete with scripture to fear God and His power - that also implies fear is natural to the human condition. It also implies that when you go against God's Will, that you are doing something wrong. When I'm in trouble, my knee jerk reaction is to turn to God. Because I trust Him and Love Him and know, whatever the situation, it will all pan out. It does not stop me from feeling fear, tho. And if you say you have never feared, you would leave me wondering.
 
All the "fearful" will be cast into the lake of fire. That should give us a clue weather or not "fear" is a sin!!!

1Jn 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.

Rev_21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
 
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Fish Catcher Jim said:
Fear of the Lord is respect or reverence and what is do Him.
Fear for tomorrow means tomorrow has more attention or power over you thern His word.
Doubt is opposed to faith. One can not not doubt and believe together for one will over comer to the other.
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Yes, but early in my Christian life, the difference between 'Fear' and 'Respect' was a problem for me. I felt that if respect was what was meant, then respect should be what was said. It's not do much a problem now. It took me a while to come to understanding about it.

As far as doubt, it still depends on what is doubted. I really doubt that Shiva is dancing. I guess that I don't have faith in Shiva. Definition and context are important, and were not defined in the original post.
 
Ok, I am the one that made the OP, let me specify what I meant. I meant fear of anyone, anything or any circumstance/situation apart from God, so anything except the fear of the Lord. Also, doubt/lack of faith towards anything to do with God.
 
Silk, it is my opinion that any fear apart from the fear of the Lord is a part of the natural man, not a part of the new renewed born again man. It is walking in the flesh not walking in the Spirit.
 
Fear is a "spirit" not a feeling or emotion!

2Ti_1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
 
Mykuhl said:
Silk, it is my opinion that any fear apart from the fear of the Lord is a part of the natural man, not a part of the new renewed born again man. It is walking in the flesh not walking in the Spirit.
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All emotions are indeed, flesh based....it is how we react to them that has to do with the Spirit. We live in human flesh......If you walk in the spirit...your reaction is different because everything you do has to do with God. Again, God gave us all emotions for a reason. We recognize, for instance, "righteous anger" , do you lust when you want intimacies with a spouse or is that part of love? The flesh is built with primal instincts such as survival, avoidance of pain and others. In the physical body, you have to deal with the world and as simply as that, walking in spirit does not lie to you and say you feel no fear. It tells you the truth of how to deal with it. Jesus tired, got angry, walked distances and if hit, He felt pain. And He was Spirit personified. Call it what you like, worries/concerns/problems/troubles...all of these are fear based. You can over do any emotion, in either direction.
 
Faith and fear are polar opposites. If you want to know exactly what faith is not, it is not fear. What ever you "fear" that you do not want to happen, will happen, and it is always bad!!! What ever you want to happen will happen by faith, and it is always good. Fear always bring to you what you do not want.
 
CS Lewis wrote about anxiety(fear). Some of you may have some belief or theology paradigm you need God to fit in to so you won"t agree but to others he wrote:
Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith, but they are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the passion of Christ.

He went on to write about how Christ lowered himself in the Garden to feel all that a man would feel facing a horrific death. I highly recommend reading CS Lewis.
 
CCW95A said:
Faith and fear are polar opposites. If you want to know exactly what faith is not, it is not fear. What ever you "fear" that you do not want to happen, will happen, and it is always bad!!! What ever you want to happen will happen by faith, and it is always good. Fear always bring to you what you do not want.
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Hmmm would you say then that fear is perverted faith then? That it is Satan's form of faith?
 
2Sa_15:14 And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.
Jer_6:1 O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.

Luk_21:21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

The definition of flee is to run away from danger or evil. The first symptom of being in the face of evil is to flee (from fear).
Fear is a symptom of danger. I know I'm going to get pounded with, He who is in you is stronger than.....But scriptural advice as seen above is flee. It is God who is stronger than evil, not you the human being. Fear is a word and it is a warning sign. It all pans out in any event, no matter what happens.
 
Mykuhl said:
Hmmm would you say then that fear is perverted faith then? That it is Satan's form of faith?
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As faith moves the hand of God, fear moves the hand of the devil. This is why all those who are "fearful" will be cast into the lake of fire. The fearful do not want to go to Hell, and that is why they are going there because they are afraid of going there!!!
What you fear will come upon you. Yes, fear is a perversion of faith!
 
Silk said:
2Sa_15:14 And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.
Jer_6:1 O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.

Luk_21:21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

The definition of flee is to run away from danger or evil. The first symptom of being in the face of evil is to flee (from fear).
Fear is a symptom of danger. I know I'm going to get pounded with, He who is in you is stronger than.....But scriptural advice as seen above is flee. It is God who is stronger than evil, not you the human being. Fear is a word and it is a warning sign. It all pans out in any event, no matter what happens.
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I wouldn't be too concerned with gett'n pounded. I've learned to not get too caught up with those who claim some sort of spiritual supremacy. I ran across this quote while looking for CS Lewis' take on anxiety:
The christian is not one who has gone all the way with Christ. None of us has, the christian is one who has found the right road.
I forgot to grab the name of the guy that wrote it.
I think thats why we are the Body of Christ. We all have a piece of the Truth from our perspective and we bring it to share with the rest of the Bo9dy. We recognize we need each other.
 
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