Fear of Holy Spirit and Loss of Salvation in Acts
The "fear of the Holy Spirit" in Acts refers to a profound reverence and awe that permeated the early Christian community, particularly in response to divine judgment and miraculous power. This fear is distinct from a "slavish dread" and is instead characterized as a "filial reverence" or a holy fear, conjoined with love and hope [1].
The book of Acts records instances where a sense of fear came upon individuals and the entire church. For example, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, "Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles" [2]. This fear was not merely a reaction to the miraculous, but also to the manifest presence and power of God at work.
A significant event illustrating this fear is the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. They sold a piece of property but kept back some of the proceeds, while claiming to give the full amount to the apostles. Peter confronted Ananias, stating, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?" [6]. Ananias immediately fell down and died. When his wife Sapphira later repeated the lie, she also died. This incident resulted in "great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things" (Acts 5:11). This fear was a recognition of the Holy Spirit's holiness and the severe consequences of attempting to deceive God [6].
This "fear of the Lord" is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, where it designates true piety and involves hating evil, pride, and falsehood [1, 5]. In the New Testament, a holy fear is enjoined as a preventive against carelessness in religion and an incentive to penitence [1]. This aligns with the understanding that offenses against the Holy Spirit, such as lying to Him, grieving Him, or resisting Him, are serious [6].
The concept of "loss of salvation" in Acts is not explicitly discussed in terms of a believer losing their salvation after receiving the Holy Spirit. However, the severity of the judgment against Ananias and Sapphira highlights the danger of trifling with the Holy Spirit [6]. While their immediate physical death was a consequence of their deception, the text does not directly address their eternal destiny.
The New Testament emphasizes the necessity of the Holy Spirit for confessing Christ and for salvation itself [3]. The Holy Spirit is essential for regeneration and for believers to live a life pleasing to God. The unpardonable sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is mentioned in the Gospels as a sin that "will not be forgiven" (Matthew 12:31-32) [6]. This suggests a profound and irreversible rejection of the Spirit's work.
The fear described in Acts is not the "unholy fear" characteristic of the wicked, which includes fear of idols, man, or future punishment [4]. Instead, it is a reverential fear that leads to obedience and a deeper relationship with God. Augustine distinguishes between a "slavish fear" and a "free love," noting that Peter's initial fear was questioned by a bond-woman, but after the resurrection, his free love was questioned by the Lord [9]. This suggests a progression from a fear motivated by consequences to a love-motivated reverence. Aquinas further elaborates on different kinds of fear, noting that "human fear" is not a gift of God, but the fear of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell is [8]. He also connects penance, or repentance, to fear, stating that it can originate from fear [7].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Fear of the Lord the — Is in the Old Testament used as a designation of true piety (Prov. 1:7; Job 28:28; Ps. 19:9). It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial reverence. (Comp. Deut. 32:6; Hos. 11:1; Isa. 1:2; 63:16; 64:8.) God is called "the Fear of Isaac" (Gen. 31:42, 53), i.e., the God whom Isaac feared. A holy fear is enjoined also in the New Testament as a preventive of carelessness in religion, and as an incentive to penitence (Matt. 10:28; 2 Cor. 5:11; 7:1; Phil. 2:12; Eph. 5:21; Heb. 12:28, 29).”
- Acts “Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. -- Acts 2:43”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Confessing Christ — Influences of the Holy Spirit necessary to -- 1Co 12:3; 1Jo 4:2. A test of being saints -- 1Jo 2:23; 4:2,3. An evidence of union with God -- 1Jo 4:15. Necessary to salvation -- Ro 10:9,10. Ensures his confessing us -- Mt 10:32. The fear of man prevents -- Joh 7:13; 12:42,43. Persecution should not prevent us from -- Mr 8:35; 2Ti 2:12. Must be connected with faith -- Ro 10:9. Consequences of not -- Mt 10:33. Exemplified Nathanael. -- Joh 1:49. Peter. -- Joh 6:68,69; Ac 2:22-36. Man born blind. -- Joh 9:25,33. Martha. -- Joh 11:27. Peter and John. -”
- 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”
- Proverbs “Proverbs 8:13 (BBE) — The fear of the Lord is seen in hating evil: pride, a high opinion of oneself, the evil way, and the false tongue, are unpleasing to me.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Offences Against the Holy Spirit — Exhortations against -- Eph 4:30; 1Th 5:19. Exhibited in Tempting him. -- Ac 5:9. Vexing him. -- Isa 63:10. Grieving him. -- Eph 4:30. Quenching him. -- 1Th 5:19. Lying to him. -- Ac 5:3,4. Resisting him. -- Ac 7:51. Undervaluing His gifts. -- Ac 8:19,20. Danger of trifling with the Holy Spirit. -- Heb 6:4-6. Doing despite to him. -- Heb 10:29. Disregarding His testimony. -- Ne 9:30. Blasphemy against him, unpardonable -- Mt 12:31,32; 1Jo 5:16.”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of Penance as a Virtue, Art. 5: Article: Whether penance originates from fear? I answer that, We may speak of penance in two ways: first, as to the habit, and then it is infused by God immediately without our operating as principal agents, but not without our co-operating dispositively by certain acts. Secondly, we may speak of penance, with regard to the acts whereby in penance we co-operate with God operating, the first principle [*Cf. FS, Question [113]] of which acts is the operation of God in turning the heart, according to Lam. 5:21: "”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of the Gift of Fear, Art. 9: Article: Whether fear is a gift of the Holy Ghost? I answer that, Fear is of several kinds, as stated above (Article [2]). Now it is not "human fear," according to Augustine (De Gratia et Lib. Arb. xviii), "that is a gift of God"---for it was by this fear that Peter denied Christ---but that fear of which it was said (Mt. 10:28): "Fear Him that can destroy both soul and body into hell." Again servile fear is not to be reckoned among the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, though it is from Him”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — CHAPTER XV. 26, 27. (part 3): out fear.(5) In fine, before the Lord's passion, his slavish fear was questioned by a bond-woman; but after the Lord's resurrection, his free love by the very Lord of freedom:(6) and so on the one occasion he was troubled, on the other tranquillized; there he denied the One he had loved, here he loved the One he had denied. But still even then that very love was weak and straitened, till strengthened and expanded by the Holy Spirit. And then that Spirit, pervading him thus with the fullness of richer grace, kindled his h”