Fear God and keep His commandments
Let’s talk about what it means to fear God¹.
You’re probably thinking, “Wait, what are you talking about? Fear God? Aren’t we, as Christians, supposed to live without fear? Didn’t Jesus die so those who believe may have eternal life with God after death?”
You would be correct; Jesus died so that we may have life eternal. And, we are still told to fear the Lord. Let’s dig into some Scripture and see what that means.
Examples from the Old Testament
Let’s start with the Old Testament:
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
(Ecclesiastes 12:13)and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.
(Isaiah 33:6)The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 1:7)
The Hebrew word for “fear” is yirah with the origin coming from the verb, yare. Its definition is “to fear”, but there is nuance. Yare means “to be afraid of” and “to reverence or honor”. The scriptural excerpts above are in the context of reverence².
To reverence means “to treat with deep respect”. Therefore, the Ecclesiastes quote reads as “treat God with honor, keep his commandments, because this is your moral obligation”. The Isaiah quote can read as “deep respect for God is His people’s treasure.” And the Proverbs quote is straight-forward: the awe of God is the gateway to wisdom.
Does the New Testament affirm this?
Oh yeah, definitely.
The Greek word that is used in the following excerpts is phobos. It means “panic flight, terror, alarm, reverence and respect”. Contextually, reverence and respect are the intended meanings³.
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
(Acts 9:31)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.
(2 Corinthians 7:1)Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.
(2 Corinthians 5:11)And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
(1 Peter 1:17)
The interlinear Bible confirms the contextual meaning of “fear”. Its rich, studied analysis of the grammar of the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic is trusted by theologians. To fear God is to esteem, respect, honor, venerate, and adore Him above anyone or anything else.
To fear God is to esteem, respect, honor, venerate, and adore Him above anyone or anything else.
Purpose
Even if fearing God means respecting God, what’s the point though? What purpose does this serve in my walk with Christ?
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
(Psalm 25:14)
The fear of God brings us deeper into relationship with Him. I think this is the same as when God describes His relationship with Moses:
Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
(Exodus 33:11)
Fearing God acknowledges His holiness, His greatness, and His glory. It puts God on the metaphorical pedestal that He deserves. It is how:
- He brings us closer to Himself.
- We can obey Him immediately, even when it doesn’t make sense.
- We can begin to live unafraid of what other people think, living a life content with Him.
The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
(Proverbs 19:23)
But how?
How does one increase their fear of God? We’ll explore how in the next story. 👇
¹: This series is inspired by The Awe of God by John Bevere. It’s a good book for people who are taking their walk with Christ casually and are wondering “Where is God?”.
²: The sub-definition of yare as referenced in these Old Testament passages.
³: The sub-defintion of phobos as referenced in these New Testament passages.
