Question: "What does it mean to have the fear 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). For the believer, the fear of God is
something much different. The believer's fear is reverence of God.
Hebrews 12:28-29 is
a good description of this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a
kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship
God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming
fire.’” This reverence and awe is exactly what the fear of God
means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to
surrender to the Creator of the Universe.
Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we
understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we
cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding
who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous.
Deuteronomy 10:12,
20-21 records, “And
now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear
the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve
the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear
the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your
oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed
for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own
eyes.” The fear of God is the basis for our walking in His ways,
serving Him, and, yes, loving Him.
Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him.
While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God,
there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the
believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing
His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews
12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the
believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews
12:6), it is still a fearful thing. As children,
the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some
evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God.
We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives
in such a way that pleases Him.
Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be
scared of Him. We have His promise that nothing can separate us
from His love (Romans
8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never
leave us or forsake us (Hebrews
13:5). Fearing God means having such a reverence
for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives.
The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His
discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.
