Fear entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed the Creator God (Genesis 3). They were given responsibility to tend the earth and manage its resources. They were warned on the penalty of death away from eating of one particular tree—all the others were available.

They did not resist the temptation and chose to eat its fruit (Genesis 3:6-7). The result was fear. They were so afraid, they tried to hide from God (Genesis 3:10). God extended grace to them by not executing the death penalty at that time. But He did remove them from the Garden of Eden.

There is a fear we should have (Deuteronomy 31:12-13). If we want to live, really live, we must learn to fear God because God alone has power and authority over everything including life and death.

God loves His creation and each person. He desires only to do us good. His instructions, if followed, warn us of danger and teach us how to have good relationships with Him and with each other.

His desire is “do not fear, for I am with you” (Genesis 26:24 NASB). God is to be feared, but He also wants us to know we do not have to live in fear. We can know that God's promise to Isaac applies to all who trust and obey God: “Do not fear for I am with you” (Genesis 26:24 NASB).

We should fear to go against His instructions. In the letter to the Hebrews we are instructed: “Therefore, we must fear if while a promise of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to come short of it” (Hebrews 4:1 NASB).

We can read and trust the promise repeated in Hebrews: “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6 NASB).

Jesus told John “Do not be afraid….” (Revelation 1:17-18). From the beginning in the Garden of Eden through the Gospels about Christ and the Revelation of things to come God assures us in the Scriptures preserved for us that He does have the victory over death. The tree of life will be made available to those who desire to practice righteousness and believe in and follow Jesus, the Son of God (Revelation 22:14).