Get a gun and point it at me, and I'll give you fear...

but get a conscience and live according to it, and I'll give you respect.

There is a clear difference between fear and respect. The Lord wants us to learn to make DISTINCTIONS (Hebrews 5:14), that's what the SWORD (Ephesians 6:17, we learn Godliness by His Spirit because we are taught compassion and the discernment of what is good and what is bad) of the Spirit does, it produces DIVISIONS between the things that are right and the things that are wrong. Of course, anyone who acknowledges The Lord's existence at all will also acknowledge His power and the only possible reaction can be to respect His abilities and power, believer or not. But only unbelievers have reason to FEAR being without His grace of salvation and blessings. It is human nature that we are taught not to make DISTINCTIONS and use words in a general (not specific) manner instead of 'making our words SURE' (let your yes be yes and your no be no), and the god of CONFUSION is happy that we do. If you are dissatisfied with The Lord's effort to explain that we shouldn't fear Him (in John 4:18), then you will see who does command that you fear Him in Isaiah 29:13.
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