Faith without Fright: What it means to fear God?

Hi there,

How has it been with you? I believe God has carried you on with grace and love, and I hope you have stayed connected in devotion. What has God been teaching you? I would love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts here.

A few weeks ago, one of our disciples asked me a question, and I want to discuss it with you this week. She wanted to know what it meant to love God and fear Him – does it mean the same thing? She thought she loved God, but she did not fear Him. What then does it mean to love God and fear Him? Are they mutually exclusive? Can they co-exist? Can I love God and fear Him at the same time?

The subject of the fear of God has been misunderstood by many, and by so doing, we have misrepresented the character of God. When we consider the verse in Proverbs 9:10, ‘the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom’ it simply means that the beginning of being wise is having the fear of God. Reading the same scripture in the Amplified version explains it better

‘The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom.

This immediately shows us that our fear of God is not out of terror but reverence – that when we worship Him, we do it with an understanding of how great, magnificent, holy, and awesome He truly is. The truth is that a correct revelation of God will bring us to this point. Everyone who saw a glimpse of the glory of God in scripture immediately fell to their face or knees in worship. Even when we read scriptures describing who God is and what He has done in Christ for us, it should bring us to worship. This is wisdom. The Bible says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). It is simply wisdom for anyone to know that God exists and to recognize Him for how great and loving He is.

Love and terror cannot co-exist. The Bible tells us that there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment (1 John 4:18). Many of us have entertained the picture of a God who can torment us if we don’t do the right things all the time, as though He judges us by our performance. No! That was the case under the law. It was performance-based. It was judgment according to your works. God never torments His children. He is a God of love and gives only good gifts (James 1:17). He also never counts our sins against us when we come to Him (Romans 4, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Under grace, we receive the gift of righteousness freely and power to live out our new life with the help of the Spirit of God which we have now received as children of God.

This is also a good opportunity to address any misunderstanding about Philippians 2:12

‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.’

This scripture does not mean you are responsible for your salvation, nor does it mean that you should always come before God with trembling and terror like someone who serves a bipolar God who can decide to kill you if you are not careful. This cannot be the case because it goes against the will of God for His children. God wants His children to be assured of His love for them and be confident in His ability to keep them in His love (Philippians 1:6; Jude 24).

Look at the words of Jesus in John 10:28, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” God wants you to know that you cannot fall out of His hands. You are eternally safe and secure in His love. This truth should bring you comfort and bring you to the point of godly reverence for a God who became sin for us and took our place so that we can enjoy eternal peace and intimacy with God. We also often stop at Philippians 2:12, when the next verse says, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Taken together and read in context, both scriptures teach us that as children of God, we should live out our obedience to God in our actions with the understanding that the power to live right also comes from God. This is all love and no terror. Love and terror cannot co-exist but love and reverence can co-exist.

Let’s close this with two examples. Consider the ocean and a volcano. both mighty and massive forces of nature. Both can destroy. Both are beyond human control. But many people love the ocean, and they speak of it with reverence – calming, peaceful, and beautiful, even as they acknowledge its power. On the other hand, a volcano, while also beautiful in a way, often stirs up terror. People respect it but in a fearful way. Its power is unpredictable, explosive, and dangerous.

Another example is the difference between a father’s voice and a stranger’s yell. Both might be loud and commanding. When a father raises his voice to protect or correct, it can fill you with reverence—you feel his authority, but also his love and care. On the other hand, when a stranger yells at you in anger, you feel terror—there’s power there too, but no relationship, no assurance of love.

When the Bible tells us to ‘serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear’ (Hebrews 12:28), this is what it means – the godly kind of fear, the type that brings us to worship and express our love to God. That is the choice we must make. That is the part we play in our relationship with God. This is also the subject of our study later this month at the April worship service. You do not want to miss it. Register here. I can’t wait to see you there.

Shalom.

With love,

Testimony.

**All scriptures are in NKJV