He warned us at every turn to fear God, not men—and he confirmed that in everything about his life and death. For somebody who's not a believer in Christ, to fear the Lord, I think it really means you're supposed to be afraid of the Lord, that there's a reality that he is our maker and that because he's a good God, because he's a holy God, because he's a just God, there's a day coming that Jesus tells us that, every idle world, that we're going to be given account for, and I don't know about you but that's … The fear that the Bible tells us to avoid is concern mixed with anxiety or dread; it is the feeling of alarm we have when we expect trouble or danger. So how does fear of God, who is perfect love, take away fear? Okay, that might be possible if it weren't for the "flip side." What Is the Fear of the Lord? The believer's fear is reverence of God. Fear can be one of 2 things, a Godly fear or a worldly fear. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he’s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is, in that child’s world, the source of security and love. W hat does it mean to fear God or fear the Lord? The fear of the Lord is a pervasive and important topic, and I think it is needed today, because we are so quick, I think, to solve the problem of God’s fearsomeness with the gospel that we may not give people a chance to really let them sink in how deeply sinful they are or how fearful God really is. For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. Christianity Today strengthens the church by richly communicating the breadth of the true, good, and beautiful gospel. Servile refers to a posture of servitude toward a malevolent owner. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the Lord is its completion. Many Christians like to soften this up by taking away the fear God can instill by casting people into hell and replacing this with fear meaning “respect”. In the New Testament, ‘fearing God’ comes up a couple of times too. The fear of danger is not the type of fear that is referred to in Ecclesiastes 12:13. He is a loving, merciful, longsuffering, compassionate God. A Humble Fear Of God. The Mosaic Law cites fear of God as a reason to treat the disabled and elderly well (Leviticus 19:14, 32). It’s odd how little we talk about the fear … Have you ever asked yourself these questions? It refers to the fear that a child has for his father. Anxiety, discouragement, worry, and panic can result from fear. What does that mean?” and other questions can be found in our Questions Answered section. What does God mean when he asks us to be holy as he is holy. It can negatively impact our health. Fearing God in the New Testament. To fear God means to dwell upon his beautiful, glorious holiness which is the very opposite of sin and evil, and to revere God and know that he loves us so much that he desires us to hate and turn away from sin. So to fear God is a radically different experience than fearing anything else. from R.C. God said, “…for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Jesus taught, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Fear can also be a good thing. “Throughout the Bible we are told to fear God. So it's clear from these passages, that fearing God is good because it saves us from caving into our own sinful nature. The only ones who are to "fear" God in the sense of "being afraid" are those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ. That is, to fear God is to believe that we are subject to Him and that He may exercise power over us. Human Fear. 2 – Where Does God’s Word Say to Fear God? Yet, the scriptures tell us time and again to fear the Lord; the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. That's why hearing someone is God-fearing actually makes us trust that person more. I know I have. Scripture is full of examples of how fearing God is a positive rather than a negative thing. It makes us aware of danger, but it can be harmful, too. And, of course, the ultimate example of fear and perfect love working together is Jesus Christ. You… What does it mean to fear God? So how do we marry this dichotomy? What does that mean?” and other questions can be found in our Questions Answered section. My friend was surprised to find out that in the Bible ‘the fear of the Lord’ and ‘the love of God’ stand side by side. I think the problem is fear gets a bad rap in our culture. Sign Up For Our Newsletter He spoke lovingly but frankly to all and didn't mince words when people needed to face their sin and repent. If they fear God, they are more likely to keep their word and treat others with kindness. The Fear Of The Lord Brings Great Reward. It is not a fear that we should feel as though will hinder our life in any way. The “fear” that brings God pleasure is not our being afraid of him, but our having a high and exalted, reverential view of him. In this book, Michael Reeves explains that the fear of God is not a gloomy fear marked by anxiety but a heartfelt and happy enjoyment of God as Creator and Redeemer. For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. Question: "What does it mean to have the fear of God?" A little fear is a good thing because that makes us cautious when climbing ladders, using power tools, or driving a car. I mean…why should we fear a loving God, right? We have higher expectations than simply anticipating trouble. The Ligonier Ministries site requires Javascript, but you’ve got Javascript disabled. In the blog post on How to overcome fear in life, we looked at worldly fears, in this post we look at the fear of God. “It is a frightening thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. “ Throughout the Bible we are told to fear God. For example in Genesis 42:18, Joseph wins his brothers' trust when he declares he is a God-fearing man. As we learn more about the surprising good news of the fear of the Lord, we will discover the vital role we play in displaying to the world the awesomeness of our God. I think this distinction is helpful because the basic meaning of fearing the Lord that we read about in Deuteronomy is also in the Wisdom Literature, where we’re told that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The focus here is on a sense of awe and respect for the majesty of God. Answer: For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31). Jesus said the most important commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, your soul and your strength. If God is a loving and caring God then why should we fear him? We trust Him only to the extent that we genuinely stand in awe of Him. I mean at first glance that seems kind of counter-intuitive doesn’t it? What Does It Mean To Fear God? Psalm 66:16 It is written, “Come and hear, ALL YOU THAT FEAR GOD.” Acts 13:16 “Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and you that FEAR GOD, give audience.”; Acts 13:26 “Men and brethren, children of the ‘stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you FEARS GOD, to you is the word of this salvation sent.” Fearing God does not mean we should be scared of Him necessarily, scared in a way that we should not want a relationship with Him. To trust him and to abhor wickedness amounts to the fear of the Lord. Donate Now. Fix that problem! To him the word "Fear" was a bad or negative word. In the Bible we get a few glimpses into heaven, and we see the heavenly creatures worship Him around His throne continually, crying out “Holy, holy, holy!” and covering their faces. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). Your gift enables our worldwide outreach. When the Bible refers to the “fear of the Lord,” it means having a deep respect, reverence and awe for God’s power and authority. It’s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person. What exactly is the fear of God? Find her numerous books at JoHannahReardon.com, including her book No More Fear, which ponders the attributes of God. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Or it’s the kind of fear that a slave would have at the hands of a malicious master who would come with the whip and torment the slave. But he also demonstrated love beyond human understanding when he lived out his words, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends (John 15:13)." 10:31). in all its fullness to as many people as possible. Abraham raised the knife by which he would have slain Isaac, and that is when God told Abraham to stop. Matthew 10:28 ESV / 6 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. This Bible study helps us define this universal emotion. Fear is what keeps us alive and as long as it isn’t immobilizing, it’s not a problem. As sinful people, we have every reason to fear God’s judgment; it is part of our motivation to be reconciled with God. To “fear him” means to stand in awe of him: “Let all the earth FEAR the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world STAND IN AWE OF HIM!” . In fact, Romans 3, a classic chapter on sin, says that our chief sin is that we "have no fear of God at all" (Romans 3:18). The church has become weakened by humankind’s need to please and fear of criticism. Jan 12, 2018 Answer: For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31). These distinctions can be helpful, but they can also be a little dangerous. About a month ago I had a lady e-mail me, and express that her boyfriend had a hard time acceptng the phrase "Fear the Lord." We need to make some important distinctions about the biblical meaning of “fearing” God. Questions in this Episode. Fearing God means respecting, obeying, submitting to God’s discipline, and worshiping Him in awe. People subscribing to popular monotheistic religions might fear divine judgment, hell or God's omnipotence. JoHannah Reardon is a former managing editor of ChristianBibleStudies.com. Every Christian is to fear the Lord, which doesn’t mean to be afraid of the Lord, but to be in awe of God’s glory and power. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”Then, in verse 20, Moses says something seemingly contradictory to the people, but really it’s not contradicting at all: Do not be afraid. Question: "What does it mean to have the fear of God?" In this regard, Luther is thinking of a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who dearly wants to please them. The words of God in Gen. 22:12 are spoken after Abraham was about to sacrifice his Son Isaac on the altar. That’s often lacking in contemporary evangelical Christianity. How can we fear God while he expels all fear? “It is a frightening thing to fall into the hands of the living God” . One last point: If we really have a healthy adoration for God, we still should have an element of the knowledge that God can be frightening. There's been something that's been eating away at me about our relationship with God. With love like that, what is left to fear but God? The wicked refuses to fear God. Some people fear loss of income. It was because the midwives feared God that they obeyed him instead of the authorities by sparing the Hebrew babies (Exodus 1:17). As sinful people, we have every reason to fear God’s judgment; it is part of our motivation to be reconciled with God. The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer, or the executioner. As sinful people, we have every reason to fear God’s judgment; it is part of our motivation to be reconciled with God. Category: Articles. —Michael Horton. Luther distinguished between that and what he called filial fear, drawing from the Latin concept from which we get the idea of family. 94 Bible Verses about What Does It Mean To Fear God. The Next 500 Years: 2017 National Conference, God in Our Midst: The Tabernacle and Our Relationship with God, Naming Ligonier the Beneficiary of a Bank or Investment Account, Gifts That Provide Income and Tax Benefits. “The fear of God isn’t fear of Him, it’s fear of being without Him.” -John Bevere Have you ever wondered what does it mean to fear the Lord? Fearing the Lord means to be in awe of his holiness, to give him complete reverence and to honor him as the God of great glory, majesty, purity and power. And lest you think this is only an Old Testament idea, note that Jesus states this stronger than anyone when he says, "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. To fear God is absolute reverence and awe for an Almighty God, the Creator of all things. Do the words “fear + God” spark a bit of…discomfort in your bones? When Luther struggled with that, he made this distinction, which has since become somewhat famous: He distinguished between what he called a servile fear and a filial fear. Perhaps it’s the word “fear” that confuses people. But the Bible uses the word fear at least 300 times in reference to God, so we make a mistake when we downplay it. Why does the Bible and GOD ask us to fear Him? King Solomon, the author of those words, wrote “Fear God.” Here he is not referring to being afraid of God. And Paul says to work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1). In Matthew 10, Jesus said not to "fear those who can… In 2 Corinthians 7:1 it says: “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.” Here fearing God is connected to holiness. They fear the loss of a relationship because they turned their spouse into an idol…So, to fear God alone drives out our fear of other things and other people and other places. Copyright © 2013 by Christianity Today International/ChristianBibleStudies.com. What type of fear is it speaking about? The type of fear we should have for the Lord is not a fear of being scared for our safety or our lives. 10:31). What does it mean to “fear” God? The believer’s fear is reverence of God. 1. It’s natural to fear that we might mess up our lives, but our union wi ... Just because we all experience fear doesn't mean we have to live with it. Followers of Christ are not to live in a state of anxiety. Pharaoh brought disaster on his nation because he did not fear God (Exodus 9:29-31). What does it mean to fear God? Moses chose leaders to help him on the basis that they feared God and wouldn't take bribes (Exodus 18:21) and told the Hebrews that God met with them in a terrifying display of his power so that they wouldn't sin (Exodus 20:20). We’re always to maintain a healthy respect and adoration for Him. We get very flippant and cavalier with God, as if we had a casual relationship with the Father. “It is a frightening thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. Fearing God means to honor God. One last point: If we really have a healthy adoration for God, we still should have an element of the knowledge that God can be frightening. So, in what sense are we to fear God? The subject becomes even more mysterious when we read something like 1 John 4:18 that says that "perfect love expels all fear." Quite the contrary. Whatever you fear, ultimately is your God. It is like the relationship between parents and children. Click here for reprint information. To see God in all his glory and then respond to … The Hebrew word for fear (yare'), in verses such as Deuteronomy 6:24, means "reverence" or “awe.” In a sense, … Sproul Psalm 111:10 ESV / 9 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. William D. Eisenhower puts it this way in his article 'Fearing God" in Christianity Today: And, of course, the ultimate example of fear and perfect love working together is Jesus Christ. For those individuals, the future holds judgment (Hebrews 10:31). In his book The Joy of Fearing God, Jerry Bridges says: We cannot separate trust of God from the fear of God. We are invited to call Him Abba, Father, and to have the personal intimacy promised to us, but still we’re not to be flippant with God. Q. Each issue highlights new, ready-to-download Bible studies at ChristianBibleStudies.com, and other tools to help you become a dynamic teacher of God2019s Word. Rather than causing someone to be afraid of God, a proper “fear of the Lord” leads one to love Him. 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