What does it mean, God fearing?

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Permalink Reply by Carla on July 15, 2018 at 8:36am

Hi Jason, 

Welcome to AAG!  The fear of God doesn't mean to be afraid of Him.  It's more of a reverence...  respect for Him to walk in His ways.  We believe that HE is who HE says He is... Creator of the universe...including us.  We understand how much He hates sin.  As believers we no longer will experience His judgement on sin, but we will experience His discipline.  Just as a parent disciplines a child they love, God disciplines us, His discipline always comes from love, for love, and for the purpose of keeping us close to Him (Hebrews 12:6).  God is love (1 John 4:8; Romans 8:38,39) .. it's at the very core of who He is, and it's the motivation in everything He does.  Therefore, we desire (as His children) to live in ways that will please Him, not grieve Him. 

To the contrary, the unbeliever has every reason to fear God in the sense that we generally categorize and define 'fear' (Luke 12:5 , Hebrews 10:31).  But because we have repented of our sin and believe the gospel, we don't fear in that same way.  We understand that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).   We understand that God is Holy, Just and Righteous.  We understand how God feels about sin and separation from Him and we agree with Him.

Basically it means that we respect Him, obey Him, and worship Him alone, separated out from the world. Deuteronomy 10:12, 20,21;  Hebrews 12:5-11

Blessings, Carla

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Permalink Reply by Tammy on July 15, 2018 at 9:19pm

In my own mind, I had the perfect answer but I wanted to type you out this great theological answer full of Scriptures & my great inspirations given by the Holy Spirit with all of those eloquent words & sound all Christianese. Then I happened upon this article & it was AWESOME. I can't add or take away a single word. I found it pretty awesome.  Living in California for the past 3 years, it doesn't take much to impress me in the God-zone these days though. If I hear someone just say 'bless' not even including the word God, I'm turning around & seeing if just maybe I might find a commonality. If I hear the word 'Jesus', it's usually someone using it as a cuss word. Anyway, here's the article. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

What does it mean to fear God?

JoHannah Reardon

I often hear people explain the fear of the Lord as a mere respect or reverence. But the Bible uses the word fear at least 300 times in reference to God, so we make a mistake when we downplay it. 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 do we marry this dichotomy? How can we fear God while he expels all fear?

Scripture is full of examples of how fearing God is a positive rather than a negative thing. For example in Genesis 42:18, Joseph wins his brothers' trust when he declares he is a God-fearing man. It was because the midwives feared God that they obeyed him instead of the authorities by sparing the Hebrew babies (Exodus 1:17). Pharaoh brought disaster on his nation because he did not fear God (Exodus 9:29-31). 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). The Mosaic Law cites fear of God as a reason to treat the disabled and elderly well (Leviticus 19:14, 32). 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. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). And Paul says to work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1).

So it's clear from these passages, that fearing God is good because it saves us from caving into our own sinful nature. That's why hearing someone is God-fearing actually makes us trust that person more. If they fear God, they are more likely to keep their word and treat others with kindness. 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).

So how does fear of God, who is perfect love, take away fear? William D. Eisenhower puts it this way in his article 'Fearing God" in Christianity Today:

Unfortunately, many of us presume that the world is the ultimate threat and that God's function is to offset it. How different this is from the biblical position that God is far scarier than the world …. When we assume that the world is the ultimate threat, we give it unwarranted power, for in truth, the world's threats are temporary. When we expect God to balance the stress of the world, we reduce him to the world's equal …. As I walk with the Lord, I discover that God poses an ominous threat to my ego, but not to me. He rescues me from my delusions, so he may reveal the truth that sets me free. He casts me down, only to lift me up again. He sits in judgment of my sin, but forgives me nevertheless. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the Lord is its completion.

And, of course, the ultimate example of fear and perfect love working together is Jesus Christ. He warned us at every turn to fear God, not men—and he confirmed that in everything about his life and death. He spoke lovingly but frankly to all and didn't mince words when people needed to face their sin and repent. 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)." With love like that, what is left to fear but God?

JoHannah Reardon is a former managing editor of ChristianBibleStudies.com. Find her numerous books at JoHannahReardon.com, including her book No More Fear, which ponders the attributes of God.

Copyright © 2013 by Christianity Today International/ChristianBibleStudies.com. Click here for reprint information. https://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/bible-answers/spirit...

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Permalink Reply by thewatchman on September 4, 2018 at 10:35pm

Awesome article Tammy, TY, and love you!

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Permalink Reply by Tammy on September 4, 2018 at 11:06pm

Love you too. Miss u

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on September 29, 2018 at 8:12pm

Greetings Jason,

The first question one must ask is "What is fear?"

Suffice to say fear comes in many forms and a wide range of degrees. While that is true it is also true that fear can be a healthy response. Fear often is a major motivating factor that helps to keep us from doing something that we should not. While I may desire to obey civil laws because the law is good I am also motivated by the fact that I do not want to go to jail. 

I would like to also suggest that the concept that all He asks is faith is not a complete picture. Faith leads us through the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to salvation, God asks us to grow in Him. We are called to be holy as He is holy. That is a tall task that can only be accomplished thru the work of God, yet there is a part we play in the sanctification process in this life while awaiting our passing or His return.

Why do I bring this up? Times have changed, though not all have fallen into this I dare say a large group of the church world has. There was a day, rightly so, that we aspired to be like God. We desired to be righteous, holy and good. Many today have devalued the Word of God and have attempted to bring God down into the image of man. There is a view that one day we will see the Father and (a bit of exaggeration here) walk up to God and say "What's up?" as if we are simply buddies or equals. That is far from the truth ... we will always be the created, yes those who have come through repentance and received Him are children of God, but still the created. He is the Creator. We are the clay and He is the Potter and as the Potter He has the right to do with the clay as He wills ... and we have the Word of God revealing to us what He wills regarding us. 

Thus, the fear is not a terror brought on by the thought we will be destroyed, but rather by a right understanding as to who He is and who we are. 

I will add one more thing ... the Book of Revelation gives us many points to ponder, but I will give two. 1) The Apostle John comes into the presence of God and falls face down before the Living God. I am confident in that moment John experienced a plethora of emotions ... love, reverence, joy and fear. 2) Examine the awe of the throne of God including God Himself.

Now let me return to where I started my comment ... much depends on how one defines the word fear and how it is applied in the context.

Lord Bless,

LT

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Permalink Reply by Anita on November 28, 2018 at 4:04pm

From my understanding of the bible.  We should have a healthy fear of God which is deep respect.   But nevertheless we must fear the punishment which can be meted out to us.  We must hate the evil consequences of sin.  When Achan sinned in Joshua chapter 7 the earth covered him and his family.  The children of Israel were fearful and they ran away. They saw the consequences of sin.  We must have a healthy respect for God but be fearful of sinning.  God is love but he can show his wrath.  We must always have deep respect for him and have a zero tolerance for sin.

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