My Thoughts on the Word "Fear" in 2 Timothy 1:7
The Bible talks about two kinds of fear. Vernon McGee's "Thru the Bible Commentary" on 2 Timothy 1:7 has him talking about them. One is the healthy kind of fear. The other is an unhealthy kind of fear. We do know that we need the fear of the LORD before we can attain true wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). In McGee's commentary, we can read where he thinks the word fear is better translated as cowardice. Fear is a natural thing and it can be a lifesaver. For example, it's a fear of consequences that keeps me following the rules. Why do I follow the ten commandments? It's because I fear what could happen of the consequences of sin. I may no longer be under the law but I still follow the law because I love God and fear the consequences of my actions. It's like a son fearing that his parents would have a big belt waiting for them if they did something wrong. Any child of God caught disobeying the moral law can expect God to spank them. I also follow other rules such as warning signs because disobeying them has drastic consequences. It's like playing in a chemistry laboratory or smoking near flammable wares can cause utter destruction.
The Strong's commentary says that fear used in 2 Timothy 1:7 is deilia. The meaning is timidity, fearfulness, or cowardice. We also have the word phobeo which is used to describe fear in terror. Phobeo is were we get the word phobia. Matthew 8:26 has the word deilos which means timid or fearful when Jesus rebuked the winds. 1 John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out phobos because if you fear God then this is phobos or terror of judgment. This is talking about phobos or being afraid of everything and not a healthy kind of ear.
The King James Version's (KJV) use of archaic words may be one reason why others aren't KJV Only. I personally still use the KJV the most but I now check out other translations. The English Standard Version (ESV) still uses fear. The New International Version (NIV) uses the word "timid". This is the exhortation or encouragement Timothy gets from Paul. Timothy is told that God gives not a spirit of timidness but of power, love, and sound mind. The NIV uses self-discipline while the ESV uses the word self-control in regards to a sound mind. That also serves as a warning that you can't do it on your won - you need God's power if you want to have that boldness and courage. Peter neglected that and ended up denying Jesus three times before breaking into tears.
There is also the statement that courage is not the absence of fear but overcoming it. It's like when you practice cooking. You certainly fear to get yourself cut or burned. Developing discipline then happens that you be careful not to get yourself injured while overcoming irrational fears. You start to learn to be careful in food preparation and frying. You start setting healthy boundaries to make sure you get your cooking done right. You have overcome your fear of injury because you have mastered how to prevent injury. Now, you end up cooking and you learn from your mistakes. You don't fear failure while you seek to learn from your failure. If you have no sense of fear then you must be very foolish. There's a statement that says that somebody fears nothing because he knows nothing. Real brave people fear something but overcome certain amounts of fear while keeping some amounts of fear as necessary. That's the kind of fear Christians are to have - overcoming cowardice while still having a healthy fear of the LORD.