Matthew 10:28 ESV / 6 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. These distinctions can be helpful, but they can also be a little dangerous. So, in what sense are we to fear God? from R.C. Quite the contrary. —Michael Horton. “ Throughout the Bible we are told 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. I know I have. “It is a frightening thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. God said, “…for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Luther distinguished between that and what he called filial fear, drawing from the Latin concept from which we get the idea of family. With love like that, what is left to fear but God? Perhaps it’s the word “fear” that confuses people. JoHannah Reardon is a former managing editor of ChristianBibleStudies.com. How can we fear God while he expels all fear? Rather than causing someone to be afraid of God, a proper “fear of the Lord” leads one to love Him. We have higher expectations than simply anticipating trouble. 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. Your gift enables our worldwide outreach. The Ligonier Ministries site requires Javascript, but you’ve got Javascript disabled. What does it mean to fear 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!” . The words of God in Gen. 22:12 are spoken after Abraham was about to sacrifice his Son Isaac on the altar. “It is a frightening thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. It’s odd how little we talk about the fear … 10:31). Question: "What does it mean to have the fear of God?" And Paul says to work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1). 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. “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? In his book The Joy of Fearing God, Jerry Bridges says: We cannot separate trust of God from the fear of God. So how do we marry this dichotomy? in all its fullness to as many people as possible. 94 Bible Verses about What Does It Mean To Fear God. 2 – Where Does God’s Word Say to Fear God? What does God mean when he asks us to be holy as he is holy. Fear is what keeps us alive and as long as it isn’t immobilizing, it’s not a problem. So to fear God is a radically different experience than fearing anything else. Some people fear loss of income. The “fear” that brings God pleasure is not our being afraid of him, but our having a high and exalted, reverential view of him. 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. We trust Him only to the extent that we genuinely stand in awe of Him. Donate Now. Abraham raised the knife by which he would have slain Isaac, and that is when God told Abraham to stop. Fix that problem! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. 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). A little fear is a good thing because that makes us cautious when climbing ladders, using power tools, or driving a car. In the New Testament, ‘fearing God’ comes up a couple of times too. 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. What does that mean?” and other questions can be found in our Questions Answered section. If God is a loving and caring God then why should we fear him? W hat does it mean to fear God or fear the Lord? The mission, passion and purpose of Ligonier Ministries is to proclaim the holiness of God The believer's fear is reverence of God. What Is the Fear of the Lord? 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. Anxiety, discouragement, worry, and panic can result from 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. 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). This Bible study helps us define this universal emotion. 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. I mean…why should we fear a loving God, right? Scripture is full of examples of how fearing God is a positive rather than a negative thing. I often hear people explain the fear of the Lord as a mere respect or reverence. You… King Solomon, the author of those words, wrote “Fear God.” Here he is not referring to being afraid of God. Question: "What does it mean to have the fear of God?" Questions in this Episode. Do we need to fear Him because God is angry and mean? “It is a frightening thing to fall into the hands of the living God” . Whatever you fear, ultimately is your God. To him the word "Fear" was a bad or negative word. He is a loving, merciful, longsuffering, compassionate God. Christianity Today strengthens the church by richly communicating the breadth of the true, good, and beautiful gospel. 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. 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)." The Hebrew word for fear (yare'), in verses such as Deuteronomy 6:24, means "reverence" or “awe.” In a sense, … 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. 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.” 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. Find her numerous books at JoHannahReardon.com, including her book No More Fear, which ponders the attributes of God. The type of fear we should have for the Lord is not a fear of being scared for our safety or our lives. 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). Fear of God refers to fear or a specific sense of respect, awe, and submission to a deity. For example in Genesis 42:18, Joseph wins his brothers' trust when he declares he is a God-fearing man. 10:31). Sproul As sinful people, we have every reason to fear God’s judgment; it is part of our motivation to be reconciled with God. Pharaoh brought disaster on his nation because he did not fear God (Exodus 9:29-31). 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. 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. Copyright © 2013 by Christianity Today International/ChristianBibleStudies.com. He spoke lovingly but frankly to all and didn't mince words when people needed to face their sin and repent. Jan 12, 2018 We need to make some important distinctions about the biblical meaning of “fearing” God. He warned us at every turn to fear God, not men—and he confirmed that in everything about his life and death. Fearing God means to honor God. It is like the relationship between parents and children. Jesus said the most important commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, your soul and your strength. Have you ever asked yourself these questions? Fear can be one of 2 things, a Godly fear or a worldly fear. The subject becomes even more mysterious when we read something like 1 John 4:18 that says that "perfect love expels all fear." So how does fear of God, who is perfect love, take away fear? That’s often lacking in contemporary evangelical Christianity. For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. Fear can also be a good thing. 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). 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. That's why hearing someone is God-fearing actually makes us trust that person more. That is, to fear God is to believe that we are subject to Him and that He may exercise power over us. The wicked refuses to fear God. The Fear Of The Lord Brings Great Reward. If they fear God, they are more likely to keep their word and treat others with kindness. 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. So it's clear from these passages, that fearing God is good because it saves us from caving into our own sinful nature. 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. Category: Articles. What Does It Mean To Fear God? Sign Up For Our Newsletter Click here for reprint information. 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. People subscribing to popular monotheistic religions might fear divine judgment, hell or God's omnipotence. 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. For those individuals, the future holds judgment (Hebrews 10:31). 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. What exactly is the fear of God? We’re always to maintain a healthy respect and adoration for Him. What does it mean to fear God? Servile refers to a posture of servitude toward a malevolent owner. It makes us aware of danger, but it can be harmful, too. Human Fear. Why does the Bible and GOD ask us to fear Him? Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the Lord is its completion. To see God in all his glory and then respond to … They fear loss of their job. Fearing God means respecting, obeying, submitting to God’s discipline, and worshiping Him in awe. 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. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). Okay, that might be possible if it weren't for the "flip side." Do the words “fear + God” spark a bit of…discomfort in your bones? Course, the ultimate example of fear that we are told to God. Good, and panic can result from fear. 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