How Do Christians Understand Ecclesiastes 12:13?
I had quite the moment today when I opened up my Bible App. This has been my go-to app on my phone for my morning devotions. And I admit, it's almost too convenient because instead of relaxing in the word, this app makes it super quick to get some scripture into your brain and then go on with your day...
Not the best example of being in the word at all lol I know, I know....
But this verse popped up today and it's one that I have memorized basically since I became a Christian. I know what it says and how it reads to me, but I was super curious about how the rest of Christiandom interrupts it...
Fear God and keep his commandments.
Seems pretty straightforward wouldn't you agree?
It's even cemented that much more with the book ends of this scripture....
Let us hear the conclusion of the WHOLE matter....
...for this is the WHOLE duty of man.
Fearing God is reverence. It's not meant that you should 'fear' your creator in a bad way. It's to be in awe of how great He is. And because of His greatness, we keep His commandments. We do that because we are saved, not to be saved.
Again, for me this is as simple as it gets when it comes to understanding a verse....
However it seems a lot of Christians love to do biblical gymnastics when it comes to 'keeping the commandments of God'.
You hear things like....I'm not under the law, I'm under grace. Other things like Jesus fulfilled the law, so I don't need to keep them anymore.
And which is fine, in fact, I believe both of those statements above as well.
However I simply cannot just ignore what the bible says. And when we pick and choose which of the commandments we are to keep, it becomes like I mentioned above...Biblical gymnastics.
This is why I would love to hear how Christians and everyone else that reads that verse written by Solomon, understands it.
Thoughts, discussions, opinions, bible studies....Are very much encouraged and welcomed :)
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If the wisest man that has ever lived said "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom"; Then we have to choice than to fear and obey him.
Thanks for sharing
Amen to that!
Do you think to read the other holy books?
There's only one holy book ;)
And someone else believing in the other religion would say the opposite, why this disagreement :)
Absolutely. And coming from my secular upbringing, I looked into them all. Read the books of most religions. Grew up in the melting pot of North America, so I was exposed to everything and everyone.
The truth I found in Jesus and the bible, I just couldn't ignore or deny it anymore. So for me, there's only one truth.
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The fear of God is truly the beginning of wisdom
Once we have the fear of God in our hearts, we tend to do other things well and righteously
Agreed. The faith driven life is a big reward
Even before man (Adam) sinned, this was his entire duty; to fear him(God) and keep his commands.
Our Lord Jesus emphasized on this when he said 'love God with all hearth, soul n might'.
People seems to misinterprete scripture a lot to fit their canal desires, it's something I advise a lot that we should abstain from; God cannot be mocked (Galatians 6:7-8).
I love what you are doing here friend, keep it up.
Amen to that!
We must choose who to worship....The traditions and theories of man, or God.
Opening up the conversation to hear how others interpret this verse is a great idea, especially since Scripture can resonate differently for each believer depending on their journey. I think this creates an important space for thoughtful discussion and growth!