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What is the Fear of God?

What do we mean in the Eastern Orthodox Church when we talk about the fear of God? The following quotes offer important insights into this question.
Saint Dorotheos of Gaza wrote:
“A godly man fears and keeps to God’s will, not for fear of punishment or to avoid condemnation, but because he has tasted the sweetness of being with God, and fears he may fall away from it. He fears to be turned from it.”

Saint Theodorus the Great also writes:
“The greater our longing for God, the greater grows our fear. And the more we hope to attain God, the more we fear him. For as nothing is more blessed than to attain God, so nothing is more terrible than this great fear of losing him.”

The 20th-century elder, Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, said:
“The fear of God is when you love him, when you truly love him with all your heart, and you strive never to offend or sadden him—not only with your deeds, actions, and words, but also with your thoughts. You try to please him in everything you do or say. That is the fear of God, the fear of doing anything that might sadden or offend our parents.”

And in the book The Mountain of Silence, Kyriakos Markides sums it up like this:
“The fear of God of the saints refers to the fear of losing their connection with God, the divine lover, not the fear of a patriarchal despot who rules over the universe with an iron fist.”

We do not have, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the image of God as Zeus—a powerful, mighty being waiting for people to mess up so he can lower the boom on them. For us, the fear of God arises when we realize, even if just for a moment, the beauty and fulfillment we find in communion with God. Then, we do not want to lose this Divine connection, and we do not want to conduct ourselves in a way that would result in losing it.

It is the fear of losing God, not the fear of God himself.

Whenever I post something like this, at least a couple of people respond with the quote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” These words are repeated several times in the scriptures. One place we find them is in Proverbs 9:10. And yes, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. It can be an effective wake-up call and a good starting point. It is the natural response of a humble heart before the Lord, his saints, and his angels.

But it is not a place that God expects us to be stuck in forever. He does not need us to fear him. And we remember that in the scriptures whenever an angel visits someone and the person is afraid, what is the first thing the angel says? “Don’t be afraid.”

St. Anthony the Great, referencing 1 John 4, said:
“I no longer fear God, but I love him, for perfect love casts out fear.”

So, fear can be a starting point for us. It can be what we need to take this whole thing seriously, but it is not where we must remain. It is a beginning, but ultimately everything must be driven by love.

Because frankly, if the reason I come to church, pray, read the Bible, and do all these things is simply because I am afraid of being punished, then I am making it about me. I do not want to get punished, so that is why I am doing these things.

In truth, our motivation should be the love of God and the desire for an intimate fellowship with him unto the ages of ages.

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Our Father

Much has been written about the Lord’s Prayer and you can find hours and hours of podcast episodes on it. It’s worth taking the time to look these sources up (this lecture by Fr. Thomas Hopko is a great place to start).

St. John Chrysostom said:

The Lord teaches to make our prayer common, in behalf of our brethren also. Because he does not say: “My Father, in Heaven,” but, “Our Father,” offering up his supplications for the body in common, and in no way only looking out for his own good, but looking out in all things for his neighbor’s good. And by this he at once takes away hatred, and quells pride, and casts out envy, and he brings in selfless love – the mother of all good things, and exterminates the inequality of human things…

What St. John is pointing out is that we don’t say, “My Father,” we say, “Our Father.” The Lord’s Prayer is the great equalizer in Christianity. Regardless of our race or cultural heritage, of our station in life, or of any other demographic into which we can be separated, we are all united in calling God: Our Father.

An ancient Christian saying states that “One Christian is no Christian.” Christianity is relational at its core. The word for Church in the New Testament, “ecclesia,” literally means a people called together. This is how the Lord Jesus Christ defines his people: as one Body, united by his grace.

In my journey through life, I don’t walk alone. I walk together with all of my brothers and sisters, untied through Christ as a family of faith, children of Our Father in heaven. 

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Brightly Burning Flames

St. John Chrysostom is arguably the greatest preacher in Christian history. A central theme in his teaching is that Christians must not settle for the bare minimum. Instead, we are called to give God our very best.

In his homilies on the Gospel of John, he said:

“The life of a Christian should be like a flame, burning with love for God and neighbor.”

Consider what we read in John 3 about God’s gift to us. He “loved the world so that He gave His only-begotten Son”—to be born, to preach, and to die on a cross—“so that those who believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.”

If we only do the bare minimum—if our flame burns dimly—we are not giving God enough. That kind of response is unfair, considering all He has done for us. Bare minimum Christianity does not reflect true discipleship. It falls short of honoring the One who gave us everything.

Our faith calls us to grow and to strive for excellence. Christ loved us enough to give His life. We should love enough to leave our comfort zones, especially for those who need our care, compassion, and love.

This is our calling.

We must constantly ask ourselves: “Am I doing enough, or have I become too comfortable?”

God deserves our effort. Christ deserves our excellence.

May each of us become a brightly burning flame—radiating His light and life to the world.

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Our Christ-Like Responses

In the Gospels, Jesus only answers the questions of people who are sincerely asking. To people who come to try to trip him up, people who just want to argue and debate, he doesn’t offer an answer. This is our example for what to do when people want to debate points of faith with us.

Christianity, is not about debating it is about encountering the living Christ and the transformative power of his gospel. And that can only happen with a heart that’s open.

So to those who come to us with questions with an open mind and an open heart. Yes, let’s do our best to offer them a response, or to find somebody who can answer the questions. To those who just want to get into verbal jousting matches, we can save our breath, our time, and our energy.

However, it’s important to remember that even those who seem to be antagonistic may be doing so out of a place of hurt or confusion. Perhaps they’ve had negative experiences with the Church or with people who say they’re Christians, and they’re lashing out as a result. Or maybe they’ve simply never been exposed to a loving and compassionate understanding of the faith. As a result, it’s always be helpful to approach these conversations with empathy and understanding, rather than defensiveness or judgment. We can listen to their concerns, validate their feelings, and offer them a gentle and respectful response.

​Of course, there will always be those who are simply looking for a fight. But even in these situations, we can choose to respond with love and grace. This is the most Christ-like response of all. We can pray for them, and we can trust that God will work in their hearts in His own time. In the meantime, we can focus on living out our faith in a way that is both authentic and inviting. By showing others the love of Christ through our words and our deeds, we can draw them closer to Him.

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The Eucharist

Too Big for Words (4)

In this fourth episode on the Holy Mysteries – the sacraments, we examine the Eastern Orthodox understanding of the Eucharist. In the Orthodox Church, Holy Communion is called “the medicine of immortality and the antidote to death.”

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Want to learn more about Eastern Orthodoxy? → https://fostrorthodoxy.podia.com Support my online ministry ➔ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/frajarmus
Many thanks! Prayers & Blessings

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Chrismation – Born of the Spirit

Too Big for Words – Part 3

In John 3 Jesus says that we need to be “born from above” (“born again”) “of water and Spirit”. In this video, we learn about the Eastern Orthodox Church’s understanding of the birth of the Holy Spirit. We discover that the roots of this belief are found in the earliest days of Christianity.

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Want to learn more about Eastern Orthodoxy? → https://fostrorthodoxy.podia.com
Support my online ministry ➔ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/frajarmus
Many thanks! Prayers & Blessings.

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Selfless Love in Action

Agape is selfless love – a love that seeks nothing for itself and gives everything for the sake of the other. This is the love of Christ, who gave up his own life so that we may live forever.

True selfless love goes beyond seeking recognition for what we have done or expecting gratitude or repayment in return. It is not a tool to leverage favors in the future, nor is it reserved for those who have earned our affection in the past. Instead, genuine selfless love flows freely, reflecting the boundless and unconditional love of God. It means acting because we recognize a divine opportunity to reflect the love of Jesus Christ – a love that calls us to care for others as He has cared for us.

When we embrace this kind of love, our actions and words become a living testimony of Christ’s love. As we show kindness, extend forgiveness, or offer help to others, we open the door for them to encounter Christ’s presence through us. As 1 John 4:19 reminds us, “We love because He first loved us.” This truth underscores the foundation of our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.

To bear the name of Christ is to carry His love into the world. It is to make visible the invisible God by allowing His love to shine through our deeds, even when no one notices or thanks us. In doing so, we fulfill His command to love others as He has loved us. By being ambassadors of his Christ’s this love, we glorify Him and share the hope of salvation with others.

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Mary – The Theotokos

I’m delighted to share with you my first collaboration with my good friends at the Patristix YouTube Channel. God willing, it’s the first of many.

This is a session of the Fellowship of St. Theophan the Recluse (FOSTR), a world-wide online community of Eastern Orthodox seekers and inquirers. I’d only recorded audio at this session, and I’m very grateful to Brothers Robinson at Patristix for the wonderful artwork and video.

Find out more about FOSTR here → https://fostrorthodoxy.podia.com

And visit the Patristix YouTube channel! → https://www.youtube.com/@Patristix

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Support my online ministry ➔ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/frajarmus ☕️
Many thanks! Prayers & Blessings.