— To uplift, inform and challenge —

Fellow Soldier,

Who among us did not grow up with a measure of fear concerning God?  In our folk’s home, He (with the frequently invoked surname of “Almighty”) was the ultimate weapon to bring we kid’s behavior in line with parental expectations.  Wielded by a towering father and reinforced by sternly religious grandparents, it imbued this child with quite a fearful view of authority.

Having been raised under a cloud of uncertainty concerning God’s manward intentions, it was a huge relief to one day discover that biblical fear has dimensions other than punitive; indeed, reverential and constructive.  Thus, it behooves all who name Christ as Savior and Lord (unsaved as well) to understand this and live accordingly.  For, once born-again, we are called to “... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Php 2:12).

The fear of God

From cover to cover, the Bible tells us to fear God.

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” — Second Corinthians 7:1

If you’re one who cringes at the word, “fear,” be comforted with this scriptural reminder: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (1Jn 4:18a). Likewise be reminded that those who have not surrendered to the “perfect love” of God in Christ Jesus, indeed, have EVERY thing to fear.  Warren Wiersbe capsulizes this truth: “The fear of God is the fear that conquers all others, for the person who truly fears God need fear nothing else.”

For many, a most difficult aspect of this issue is reconciling a fear of God with His love. Paradoxically, they divinely co-exist and are vital to our well-being, so let’s see what scripture says about the matter.

Two Kinds of Fear

1). The frightful.  Those rejecting God 'til their dying day, receive no reprieve from sin’s universal, iron-clad death penalty.  One's opinion or approval of this is entirely irrelevant, as God's Word stands absolute.  Without having accepted the commutative work of Christ, the doomed person spends a conscious, agonizing eternity separated from the love and goodness of God, their Creator. “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23a).  For this cause, there’s MUCH to be feared, even by the many “good” but unrepentant folks (sin’s captives) who reject Jesus as their Savior, Lord and only hope (Rom 3:23).

2). The godly.  The person who accepts the soul-saving sacrifice of Jesus, has the undeserved opportunity to live “happily ever-after.” That is, eternally with God. Volumes have been written about the benefits of exchanging one’s sin for God’s forgiveness, which not only shreds our “rap sheet,” but annuls sin’s death penalty.  For “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16b). This fact relieves a born-again of life’s biggest fear monger: one’s eternal destiny. Doubt or dark foreboding is replaced by peace, certainty and positive expectancy, for God’s love takes away sin-based fear.  This is NOT to say we Christians have no fear of God.  We surely do.  But, it is a wondrous kind, born of love.  It’s literally, “awesome.”

(I know, I know ... we’re “preaching to the choir.” It’s quite intentional as a loving reminder and with the hope this article will fall into the hands of one yet to be reconciled with God.  Do consider passing it on.)

Awesome Fear (the good kind)

Insight into the love/fear conundrum  is gained by reflecting on the normal parent-child relationship; a healthy one includes both elements. Children naturally love parents, even though trained to fear correction for disobedience and ill behavior. Biblically administered correction fosters righteous behavior, engendering a wholesome fear and respect for authority ... without degrading the loving, filial relationship.

Key to this result is LOVE; that spark of divinity intrinsic in even the most depraved soul.  It’s the loftiest of human motivations.  We sing about love and our beloved.  We write about it and them.  Our minds, mouths, pens, phones and keyboards generate and/or endure endless chatter about the matter.  We’re obsessed with it.  We work, strive, risk and will sacrifice ALL for love’s sake ... fervently desiring to please the object of our affection.  Perversely, we even kill to gain or retain it.  It’s just THAT vital a necessity of life.

Why?   Because divinely designed into the essence of every being, is a throne room reserved for its Creator-parent.  Although many an squatter might take up residency, there can be no true peace without God's habitation. Only His eternal, unconditional love and reign of righteousness will do: “... for God is love” (1Jn 4:8b).  At conversion, interlopers are evicted in favor of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, which births an awesome fear.  Thus, with fear and trembling, we humbly worship, love and obey Father-God, Who also corrects and trains us.  For no sin-liberated born-again wants to disappoint or offend God's infinite love and pure holiness.

What Saith Scripture?

Fearing the Lord does not mean we walk about, worried or afraid God is going to strike us down ... though fear is required: “Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him” (Deu 13:4).  Awesome fear is vital to sanctification and holiness: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2Cor 7:1; 1Pet 1:16).

Awesome fear of the Lord is having a reverential and profound regard for His majesty, holiness, power and glory.  It’s to hate evil (Prov 8:13) and is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10).  It’s a treasure and eternal life to those who have it (Isa 33:6; Prov 14:27).  Awesome fear is also purifying (Psalm 19:9).  “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (Ps 86:11) — and what causes this fear of God? His righteousness, greatness, forgiveness, judgment, etc., etc. (Gen 30:33; Deu 10:12-22; Ps 130:4; Rev 17:7).  Also, the wondrous things He has done.  But ABOVE ALL, what fosters an awesome fear of God the most, is ... His unconditional, unflagging, parental love.  This in nowise diminishes His intrinsic worthiness to be feared as God Almighty.

Awesome fear pleases Him. “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Ps 147:11). When we fear the Lord, it draws on His paternal pity (loving compassion): “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him” (Ps 103:13).  When we fear God, he has mercy on us: “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him” (Ps 103:17).  Fearing God pleases and benefits a believer as well: "Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments” (Ps 112:1).

Awesome fear of God makes us feel secure: “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge” (Prov 14:26).  Fear helps keep us from evil ways: “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil” (Prov 16:6).  When we fear God, He answers our prayers: “He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them” (Ps 145:19).  Fear of the Lord helps keep us from sin: “And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not” (Ex 20:20).  Godly fear is also a fountain of life: “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death” (Prov 14:27).

The fear of God Impacts Nations

Sin and violence are rampant in society today, partly because God has been ostracized ... as has His Word and the fear of divine correction. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom 3:18).  America has become little different than Israel in her days of the Judges, of which scripture reports: “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Jdg 17:6).

Since ungodly forces in America began to (conspicuously) prevail in the early ‘60s, so have attacks on God and the divinely-based U.S. Constitution.  Increasingly, that inspired document has been skirted through reinterpretation and circumvention.  What (originally) made it and America unique, was that it created a Republic to be governed by the rule of law, NOT a Democracy controlled by the majority.  A HUGE distinction.  A republic’s justly and evenly administered laws help assure civic order, harmony and national stability.  Whereas, historically, a democracy always degenerates into a mobocracy, always eventually collapses and is ALWAYS followed by a totalitarian regime.  The core reason it fails is because it lacks a fear of God.  Without the moral standard, guidance and correction of God, democracy invariably produces a selfish, corrupt and totalitarian society that is doomed to fail.

Because of mankind's prideful and rebellious (fallen) nature, his divinely imbued giftings of intelligence, creativity, ingenuity, diligence, etc., are skewed toward Babel and Sinatra ("My Way") ambitions.  Following after his depraved spiritual "father of lies" (Satan) he deems himself to be the highest of authorities on all matters pertaining to life, death and wisdom in general.  In his state of being monumentally deceived as the "captain of his ship and master of his fate," he fears nobody.  Er ... that is, except the intrinsically unsettling uncertainty of his after-life destiny.  In sad truth, the throne room of his soul harbors its eternal enemy.  Until that spiritual vagabond is evicted and replaced by the King of Kings and Lord of all ... he will have no real peace or security.

Therefore, dear follower of Jesus (we who, by divine grace and faith alone, bask in the sunshine of His love) rejoice under, and delight in the light and correcting yoke of Christianity ... including its fear of an awesome Father-God.  Because now, thoughts of eternity engender hope, joy and anticipation.  “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:  For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12: 28,29).
 

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