Commenting on Phil 2:12, in an attempt to salvage his (4-Point Calvinist) soteriology, Ron Rhodes wrote that:
The Philippians
were to accomplish their appointed task with an attitude of “fear and
trembling.” This doesn’t mean Paul wanted the Philippines to have terror in
their hearts as a motivation. Rather, the words “fear and trembling” comprise a
Jewish idiomatic expression that speaks of great reverence for God and a humble
frame of mind. (Ron Rhodes and Marian Bodine, Reasoning from the Scriptures
with the Mormons [Eugene, Oreg.: Harvest House Publishers, 1995], 338)
Note a couple of things:
1. Latter-day Saints do not have a fear for our salvation when we
work out our salvation “with fear and trembling”—it is out of love of God. For Rhodes,
anything done out of love of God cannot affect positively or negatively
salvation, which is the result of his unbiblical theology (which is why he and his fellow co-religionists struggles on passages such as Acts 2:38, for e.g.)
2. Rhodes does not offer any support for this claim. He presents
the reader with a bald assertion and his ipse dixit. This is
intellectual disingenuous and deceptive. There is a reason for this.
3. When one examines literature contemporary with the New
Testament, we see that “fear and trembling” is not out of reverence for God merely,
and oftentimes, it is out of horror, contra Rhodes. Note the following
examples where “fear” (φοβος)
and “trembling” (τρομος)
are coupled together:
Then the
fear and dread (φοβος και ο τρομος) of them
fell on all the people, for they said, "There is no truth or justice in
them, for they have violated the agreement and the oath that they swore."
(1 Maccabees 7:18 NRSV)
And while
Apollonius was going up with his armed forces to seize the money, angels on
horseback with lightning flashing from their weapons appeared from heaven,
instilling in them great fear and trembling (φοβον τε και τρομον ενιεντες). (1
Maccabees 4:10 NRSV)
May fear
and trembling (φοβος και τρομος) fall
upon them; by the magnitude of your arms, they became petrified. Until your
people could pass by, Lord, until these your people, whom you possess, could
pass by. (Odes 1:16 The Lexham English Septuagint)
And all
shall be smitten with fear, And the Watchers shall quake, And great fear and
trembling (τρομος και φοβος) shall
seize them unto the ends of the earth. (1 Enoch 1:5, trans. R. H. Charles)
1 And
Enoch went and said: Azazel/span bwsymbs, thou shalt have no peace: a severe
sentence has gone forth
2 against
thee to put thee in bonds: And thou shalt not have toleration nor request
granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness which thou hast taught, and
because of all the works of godlessness and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast
shown to men.'
3 Then I
went and spoke to them all together, and they were all afraid, and fear and
trembling seized them (τρομος και φοβος). (1 Enoch 13:1-3, trans. R. H. Charles)
I entered
into that house, and it was hot as fire and cold as ice: there were no delights
of life therein: fear covered me, and trembling gat hold upon me. (φόβος με ἐκάλυψεν καὶ τρόμος με ἔλαβεν) (1 Enoch
14:3, trans. R. H. Charles)
9 "Do
you not most certainly know that it is written: 'And those who repent never see
punishment?'
10
"And [they did not hearken to] the Apostles or to my word in the Gospels,
and they grieve my angels, and truly they do not attend to my messenger in the
assemblies (for communion) and in my services, and they do not stand in my holy
churches, but they stand and do not fall down and worship in fear and trembling
(ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ), but
boast things which I do not accept, or my holy angels." (Apocalypse of
Sedrach 14:9-10, trans. Craig E. Evans)
1 And when
Aseneth finished confessing to the Lord, behold, the morning star rose in the
eastern sky. And Aseneth saw it and rejoiced and said:
2
"The Lord God has indeed heard me, for this star is a messenger and herald
of the light of the great day."
3 And
behold, the heaven was torn open near the morning star and an indescribable
light appeared.
4 And
Aseneth fell on her face upon the ashes. And there came to her a man from
heaven. And he stood at her head and called to her: ["Aseneth."]
5 And she
said: "Who called me? For the door of my chamber is shut and the tower is
high. How then did anyone get into my chamber?"
6 And the
man called her a second time [and said]: "Aseneth, [Aseneth]." And
she said: "Here am I, my lord, tell me who you are."
7 And the
man said: "I am the commander of the house of the Lord and chief captain
of all the army of the Most High. Stand up, and I will speak to you."
8 And she
lifted up her eyes and saw. And behold, a man like Joseph in every respect,
with a robe and a crown and a royal staff.
9 But his
face was like lightning, and his eyes were like the light of the sun, and the
hairs of his head (were) as flames of fire, and his hands and feet like iron
from the fire.
10 And
Aseneth saw and fell on her face at his feet in [great] fear [and trembling] (ἐν φόβῳ μεγάλῳ καὶ τρόμῳ). (Joseph
and Aseneth 14:1-10, trans. Craig A. Evans)
1 For her
faith and hospitality Rahab the harlot was saved.
2 For when
the spies were sent to Jericho by Joshua the son of Nun, the King of the land
knew that they had come to spy out his country, and sent men to take them, that
they might be captured and put to death.
3 So the
hospitable Rahab took them in, and hid them in the upper room under the stalks
of flax.
4 And when
the king's men came and said, "The spies of our land came in to thee,
bring them out, for the king orders thus," she answered "The men whom
ye seek did indeed come to me, but they went away forthwith, and are proceeding
on their journey," and pointed in the wrong direction.
5 And she
said to the men, "I know assuredly that the Lord God is delivering to you
this land; for the fear and dread of you has fallen on those who dwell in it (ὁ γὰρ φόβος καὶ ὁ τρόμος ὑμῶν ἐπέπεσεν τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν αὐτήν). When
therefore it shall come to pass, that ye take it, save me and my father's
house." (1 Clement 12:1-5, Kirsopp Lake translation)
In Psa 55:5 (LXX: 54:6) provides another
example, where "fear and trembling" is the result of treachery, and
the psalmist wishes to flee from such, showing that Rhodes' argument is a
failure:
4 (3) by
the noise of an enemy and by the affliction of a sinner, because they tilted
lawlessness against me, and in wrath they kept being indignant at me.
5 (4) My
heart was troubled within me, and death's terror fell upon me.
6 (5) Fear
and trembling (φόβος καὶ τρόμος) came
upon me, and darkness covered me.
7 (6) And
I said, "Who will give me wings like a dove, and I shall fly away and be
at rest?" (New English Translation of the Septuagint)
In spite of his attempt to portray himself
as an exegete of the Bible and a skilled theologian, Ron Rhodes, here and all
throughout his works on “Mormonism,” cannot exegete his way out of a paper bag.
His bogus claim about the meaning of “fear and trembling” in Phil 2:12 is just
one example.
