Yes, that is indeed something we have to wrestle with. It is a difficult doctrine.
I, for one, am not going to change the words of Scripture as you are advocating. I must instead allow the words of Scripture to change me.
The fact remains that the word “fear” is indeed included throughout the New Testament, and we are admonished by Jesus and His followers to continue to fear God (as well as to love Him).
If you want to discard the thoroughly biblical, though admittedly difficult, doctrine of “the fear of the Lord,” that’s up to you.
Theo, first I would like to thank you for the exchange of ideas and thoughts. I always enjoy a discussion that looks at the supporting facts and also the context. I really do try to keep an open mind and consider all points of view.
I also consider the Bible as the inspired word of God and use it as the operating manual for my life. Thus I try to see where I or others may have mis-interpreted it either through the language translation process or just in culturally biased interpretations of the times.
When I really started experiencing direct communication, it threw me several curve balls where my actual experiences differed from what I was reading in the Bible. In each of those instances I went to word origins and found there was an alternate interpretation of the original word that fit my experience. I believe in reading the Bible and praying for guidance.