Biblical Assurance Against Unprofitable Servant Fear
The concept of assurance against unprofitable servant fear is rooted in biblical teachings and has been interpreted by various Christian traditions. In Luke 1:74, the phrase "that we may serve Him without fear" highlights the idea of serving God free from the fear that enslaves [2].
The biblical notion of fear is complex, encompassing both a healthy reverence for God and an unhealthy fear that can lead to bondage. According to Torrey's Topical Textbook, unholy fear is a characteristic of the wicked, driven by guilt, fear of judgment, and fear of future punishment [1]. In contrast, the fear of believers is distinct from that of non-believers. Calvin notes that believers fear offending God more than they fear punishment, whereas the wicked fear God's anger because they expect it to fall upon them [6].
The distinction between servile fear and filial fear is crucial. Servile fear is the fear of punishment, while filial fear is the fear of offending a loving Father. Aquinas argues that as charity increases, filial fear also increases, but servile fear decreases [3]. This understanding is echoed in the writings of Augustine, who distinguishes between the fear given in the Old Testament to prevent the loss of temporal goods and the fear of eternal fire, which is not yet of perfect charity [8].
The parable of the unprofitable servant in Luke 17:7-10 has been interpreted as a warning against a servile mentality. According to John Gill, the passage emphasizes that servants are not entitled to rewards simply for doing their duty [7]. Calvin, in his Institutes, cautions against interpreting this passage as promoting a servile fear, instead emphasizing the importance of working out one's salvation with fear and trembling as a means of repressing vain confidence [9].
The early Church Fathers also addressed the issue of unprofitable servant fear. The Pseudo-Clementine literature exhorts believers to divest themselves of the fear of idols and to escape unrighteous bondage, highlighting the unprofitability of idols as servants [4, 5].
Sources
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Fear, Unholy — A characteristic of the wicked -- Re 21:8. Is described as A fear of idols. -- 2Ki 17:38. A fear of man. -- 1Sa 15:24; Joh 9:22. A fear of judgments. -- Isa 2:19; Lu 21:26; Re 6:16,17. A fear of future punishment. -- Heb 10:27. Overwhelming. -- Ex 15:16; Job 15:21,24. Consuming. -- Ps 73:19. A guilty conscience leads to -- Ge 3:8,10; Ps 53:5; Pr 28:1. Seizes the wicked -- Job 15:24; 18:11. Surprises the hypocrite -- Isa 33:14,18. The wicked judicially filled with -- Le 26:16,17; De 28:65-67; Jer 49:5. Shall be realised -- Pr 1:27; 10:24. God mocks -- P”
- Luke “Luke 1:74 (BSB) — deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of the Gift of Fear, Art. 10: Article: Whether fear decreases when charity increases? I answer that, Fear is twofold, as stated above (Articles [2],4); one is filial fear, whereby a son fears to offend his father or to be separated from him; the other is servile fear, whereby one fears punishment. Now filial fear must needs increase when charity increases, even as an effect increases with the increase of its cause. For the more one loves a man, the more one fears to offend him and to be separated from him. On the oth”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 8: Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts, Epistles, Apocrypha, Decretals — CHAP. VII.--UNPROFITABLENESS OF IDOLS.: "Begin,(1) then, to divest yourselves of the injurious fear of vain idols, that you may escape unrighteous bondage. For they have become your masters, who even as servants are unprofitable to you. I speak of the material of the lifeless images, which are of no use to you as far as service is concerned. For they neither bear nor see nor feel, nor can they be moved. For is there any one of you who would like to see as they see, and to hear as they hear, and to feel as they feel, and t”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 8: Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts, Epistles, Apocrypha, Decretals — CHAP. XIV. -- IDOLS UNPROFITABLE.: "Begin, (4) therefore, to cast out of your minds the vain ideas of idols, and your useless and empty fears, that at the same time you may also escape tim condition of unrighteous bondage. For those have become your lords, who could not even have been profitable servants to you. For how should lifeless images seem fit even to serve you, when they can neither hear, nor see, nor feel anything? Yea, even the material of which they are made, whether it be gold or silver, or even brass or wood”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 57: and the fear of believers there is a wide difference. The wicked do not fear God from any unwillingness to offend him, provided they could do so with impunity; but knowing that he is armed with power for vengeance, they tremble in dismay on hearing of his anger. And they thus dread his anger, because they think it is impending over them, and they every moment expect it to fall upon their heads. But believers, as has been said, dread the offense even more than the punishment. They are not alarmed 493 by the fear of punishment, as if”
- Luke (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Luke 1:73: The oath which he swore to our father Abraham. When he swore by himself, because he could swear by no greater, that in blessing he would bless him; that his seed should possess the gates of his enemies, and in it all the nations of the earth should be blessed: all which have been fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah; see Gen 22:16. . Luke 1:74 luk 1:74 luk 1:74 luk 1:74That he would grant unto us,.... What is said in this and the following verse, is the substance of the promised mercy, covenant, and oath: that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, as before”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — OF HOLY VIRGINITY. (part 34): that he speaks of that fear, which had been given in the Old Testament, test the temporal goods should be lost, which God had promised unto those not yet sons under grace, but as yet slaves under the law. There is also the fear of eternal fire, to serve God in order to avoid which is assuredly not yet of perfect charity. For the desire of the reward is one thing, the fear of punishment another. They are different sayings, "Whither shall I go away from Thy Spirit, and from Thy face whither shall I flee?"(14) and, "One ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 57: and so abused the goodness of God to their own destruction. But though you should hold that the words were addressed to elect believers, no inconsistency will follow. It is one thing, in order to prevent believers from indulging vain confidence, to repress the temerity which, from the remains of the flesh, sometimes gains upon them, and it is another thing to strike terror into their consciences, and prevent them from feeling secure in the mercy of God. 23. Then, when he bids us work out our salvation with fear and trembling, all h”