Topical Bible: Unholy Fear is Described as a Fear of Idols

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Unholy fear, as described in the Bible, often manifests as a fear of idols, which are objects or entities that people revere or dread in place of the one true God. This type of fear is considered unholy because it diverts reverence and trust away from God and places it upon created things, which are powerless and lifeless. The Bible consistently warns against idolatry and the misplaced fear that accompanies it.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites are repeatedly cautioned against the worship of idols. In Leviticus 26:1 , God commands, "You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or a sacred pillar, or place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am the LORD your God." This directive underscores the importance of exclusive devotion to God and the rejection of any form of idolatry.

The prophet Isaiah vividly describes the futility and absurdity of idol worship. In Isaiah 44:9-10 , it is written, "Those who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing?" Here, the prophet highlights the irrationality of fearing or revering idols, which are mere creations of human hands and hold no real power.

Jeremiah also addresses the fear of idols, emphasizing their impotence. In Jeremiah 10:5 , he states, "Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good." This passage reassures believers that idols are not to be feared, as they are incapable of influencing the world or the lives of those who worship them.

The New Testament continues this theme, with the Apostle Paul addressing the issue of idolatry in his letters. In 1 Corinthians 8:4 , Paul writes, "So about eating food sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one." Paul affirms the nonexistence of any true power in idols, reinforcing the idea that fear of them is misplaced and unholy.

Furthermore, in Acts 17:29 , Paul speaks to the people of Athens, saying, "Being then God’s offspring, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination." This statement calls believers to recognize the living God, who is far beyond any material representation or idol.

The fear of idols, therefore, is a deviation from the proper fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Unholy fear leads individuals away from the truth and into spiritual bondage, as they place their trust in that which cannot save or sustain them. The Bible consistently calls believers to reject such fear and to place their faith solely in God, who alone is worthy of reverence and awe.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 17:38
And the covenant that I have made with you you shall not forget; neither shall you fear other gods.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

part vii.
... of falsehood for the sake of this unholy heresy. ... they beheld these things, were seized
with fear, and ventured ... to act in the manner before described; for they ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/part vii.htm

Mongrel Religion
... Thus have I described the nature and the growth of this ... bare and run with the hounds,
they fear the Lord ... the holy God is dishonored by these unholy hypocrites. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 27 1881/mongrel religion.htm

God's Law Immutable.
... Says the wise man, "Fear God, and keep ... In chapter 13(736) is described another beast ...
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /25 gods law immutable.htm

God's Law Immutable
... Says the wise man: "Fear God, and keep His ... 13 (verses 1-10) is described another
beast ... blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 25 gods law immutable.htm

Of Christian Liberty.
... unclean of itself," (by unclean meaning unholy); "but to ... be done cannot be omitted
from any fear of offense. ... of liberty which we have described, believers have ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 19 of christian liberty.htm

The Repentance of Believers
... God, are their words pure, free from unholy mixtures ... our enemies should serve him
without fear, in holiness ... they repent in the sense above described, until God ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 14 the repentance of.htm

Reform
... So will it be with us, I fear the stump ... lascivious and foolish talking, and many
unholy thoughts, that ... fold reformation, such as I have described; broken images ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/reform.htm

part viii.
... crimes these men have committed cannot adequately be described. ... he treated his brother
in an unholy manner; and ... the careless and such as fear Constantius will ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/part viii.htm

A Plea Regarding Christians by Athenagoras, the Athenian
... They have, furthermore, described their exploits with a wealth ... They imagine, moreover,
that by fear they will either ... he made Zeus even more unholy and wicked ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/a plea regarding christians by.htm

Matt. Ix. 27-30.
... as one writing a history, so hath he described him. He saith not, "the unholy, the
all unholy one," but hath ... receiving me in the Lord's house, I fear lest thou ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xxxii matt ix 27-30.htm