No doubt, you have heard that if you are a Christian, you have nothing to fear from God. We are told that “God is a god of love. We are his children. There is nothing to fear from God. And all that talk about the fear of the Lord? Why that’s just a way to say we should respect him and be in awe of his glory and majesty. So, you can rest easy and set aside any notions about fearing God.”
That is what some people want you to believe, but what if they’re wrong? What if we should fear God? Think of Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
These words are clear, and the meaning is intelligible: Fearing God leads to wisdom. Therefore, we should fear God.
Now wait a minute, Pastor Steve. Are you saying that God wants us to fear him?
That is exactly what I’m saying. But let’s slow down a minute and think this through. Let us examine three questions. The good ol’ what, why, and who questions. What is fear of God? Why should we fear God? And who should fear God?
First, what is fear of God? The Hebrew word for fear is yare, and the Greek word is phobos. Both of these words mean to fear or be afraid.
It is true, however, that some Bible scholars say that these words can mean to revere God or be in awe of him, but these scholars offer little evidence for this definition. The truth is, the Bible does not have any unambiguous uses of these words where they might mean reverence or awe. In other words, when the Bible talks about the fear of God, it means to fear him.
For example, Adam was afraid of God because he disobeyed him. (Genesis 3:10).
Abraham feared being killed, so he lied about Sarah being his wife (Genesis 26:7).
The people of Israel were afraid of God when he spoke to them from Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 5:5).
In the New Testament, Jesus says: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).”
These verses and dozens more indicate that fear means to be afraid. In some cases, it means to be terrified.
So, that answers the first question. What does it mean to fear God? It means to be afraid of him. We’ll look more at this question at the end of the episode.
The second question asks why we should fear God.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the reason to fear God is because there are positive benefits for fearing him and negative consequences for not fearing him. God loves us and wants us to fear him so that we may have a good life.
The Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so (Deuteronomy 4:10).”
Psalm 25:12-14 says: “Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”
Psalm 85:9 says that God’s “salvation is near to those who fear him.”
Psalm 103:11 says that God’s “steadfast love [is] toward those who fear him.”
Psalm 103:13 says, “The LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.”
Luke 1:50 says that God’s “mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”
Those are some very beneficial reasons to fear God.
Another reason to fear the Lord is to keep us from sin and rebellion. Jeremiah 5:21, 23-24 says: “Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? . . . This people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God.“
When we fear God, we are living in obedience and faithfulness. Ecclesiastes 12:13 “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
To fear God is a way to avoid his judgment. Psalm 2:11-12 “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
Now that we’ve investigated the what and why of the fear of God, we need to answer the who question. Who should be afraid of God?
Scripture divides the human race into two groups. Believers and unbelievers. The obedient and the disobedient. The righteous and the unrighteous.
Obviously, those who do not believe, are disobedient and live ungodly lives should fear God. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says:
If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:26-27).
God’s judgment upon sinners is very real and frightening. At the same time, however, God commands his people to fear him. Deuteronomy 13:4 “You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.”
1 Peter 2:17 “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”
2 Corinthians 5:10-11. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.”
In other words, in the light of God’s judgment, we should fear the Lord.
2 Corinthians 7:1 “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”
Philippians 2:12 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Who should fear God? Everyone—believers and unbelievers. All people need to have a healthy fear of God.
Now, I want to double back and think a little more about what it means to fear God, especially for the believer. In what way should a Christian fear God?
First, our fear of God should not be a controlling emotion. We are to be controlled by our love for God, not fear of God. 1 John 4:16-18
God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.
We fear God, but at the same time, God’s love and mercy override and supersede this fear.
Think about it like this. If you’ve ever worked with a chainsaw, you know that you need to have a healthy fear of what the chainsaw will do. Your fear of the chainsaw, however, does not prevent you from using it. You know how to safely use this dangerous tool and your confidence in your ability to use the chainsaw overrides your fear.
Your fear of the chainsaw is always there in the back of your mind, but fear isn’t the dominant thought. You use the saw in confidence, and your fear doesn’t hinder your work.
In the same way, our fear of God does not spoil our love for God. Our fear of God is part of our relationship with him, but fear is not our surface emotion. We don’t cower before him constantly afraid that he will punish us.
So, on the one hand, the fear of God is a real fear, but on the other hand, our fear of God does not hinder a loving relationship with him. Fear of God is not a surface emotion. It’s in the back of our mind, in our subconscious, always reminding us that there are good reasons to fear God, but at the same time, God’s love for us and our love for God keep the fear in the background.
Think about it like this. The Apostle Paul said that he was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10).” He said that he could rejoice in his suffering (Romans 5:2-3). James tells us to rejoice in our suffering (James 1:2). As Christians, we can endure suffering and rejoice because, although the suffering is real and painful, it is not our controlling emotion. Joy is our controlling emotion. In a similar way, we can fear God and love him at the same time.
Let’s think about it from a different angle. God told his people to fear him, yet he says also not to fear him. Exodus 20:18-20
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
Moses tells the people not to be afraid because as long as they fear and obey God, they don’t have to be afraid. The fear of God keeps us from sin, and as long as we have that fear, we don’t have to be afraid.
It may seem paradoxical that fear of God takes away the fear of God, but there you have it. Let me close with a Scripture from First Samuel.
When the people of Isreal asked the prophet Samuel for a king, Samuel told them that they had sinned against God. In response, the people begged him to pray for God’s mercy. Samuel told them not to be afraid of God’s judgment because God cared for them. 1 Samuel 12:16-24.
The prophet Samuel says:
I will call upon the Lord. . . And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great. . . and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. . . For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. . . Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart.
So, on the one hand, we are to fear God, yet on the other hand, our fear of God does not override or supersede our love for him.
Leave a Reply