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Acts 9:31 says that “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.” The fear of the Lord—the fear of God—is central to the Church of God. John Murray, a 20th-century Presbyterian theologian, called the fear of the Lord the ‘soul of godliness,’ the soul of the Christian life. Yet it’s a term and concept we rarely hear about in our churches today.
But what is the fear of the Lord? The Reformed theologian Wilhelmus à Brakel defined it like this: “Filial fear is a holy inclination of the heart, generated by God in the hearts of His children, whereby they, out of reverence for God, take careful pains not to displease God, and earnestly endeavor to please Him in all things.” That’s a good definition. Let me build on it and slightly develop it: To fear the Lord is to be deeply aware that everything I do, say, and think—or don’t do and say—is open to the all-seeing eyes of God my Creator, Father, and Judge, and therefore I am to be genuinely concerned to live in such a way as to please him and keep my conscience clear before him. I think this captures the essence of what the Bible means when it repeatedly tells us to fear God.
Below are 12 miscellaneous truths about the fear of the Lord.
1. The fear of the Lord is a deep awareness that God is all-seeing and omnipresent
Hebrews 4:13 states, “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (more on that later). Psalm 94:9 asks rhetorically, “He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?” A crucial difference between the godly man and the godless man is that the godless man does not live, act, and make decisions based on the fact that everything he says and does is open to the eyes and ears of his Creator. Psalms 10:3–4 says of the godless, “For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’” and Psalms 36:2–3 that “he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good.” So again, an essential difference between the godly and the godless (or atheist), is the deep awareness that the holy eyes of heaven are constantly upon me to scrutinize my decisions, words, and actions.
2. The fear of the Lord is the born-again sinner’s desire and dedication to please our beloved Father
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.’” (Gen 17:1)
“Walk before me and be blameless”—live in a way that pleases me. It used to be said that a deed could be pleasing to God, that is, it pleased God. This disposition to walk before God, to please him in all we think, say, and do, is a result of the supernatural work of the Spirit of God in us as he gives us new birth and makes us new creations in Christ. The natural man, dead in his sins, seeks only his own pleasure and the approval of man. But 1 John 3:9 says, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” Why is that? Because God has said, “I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me” (Jer 32:40). The new heart that God gives us, comes with the fear of the Lord, that is, a desire to live in a way that pleases our Father.
3. The fear of the Lord is the only sensible response to the person and attributes of the Triune God
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” asks Exodus 15:11. In Jeremiah 5:22 the Lord asks “Do you not fear me?… Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.” God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the eternal and living God—is wonderful and awesome! He is thrice holy and no man can see his face and live (Ex. 33:20). He “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see” (1 Tim. 6:16) and if he were to hold his breath for one millisecond, the universe would cease to exist. Angels with covered faces do not cry out, “Cuddly, cuddly, cuddly, is Daddy God Almighty,” but rather “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (Rev. 4:8). In light of this, fear is the only sensible response. Not to fear God is the height of foolishness; he who does not fear God is a fool.
4. The fear of the Lord involves our whole life
The fear of God is not just one virtue among many, or one aspect of our lives, but rather commanded by God in every aspect of our existence. We are to fear him in our relationships, so that we treat and relate to one another in a dignified, loving, righteous, and self-controlled way. We are to fear him by forgiving those who sin against us, because God has forgiven us an infinitely greater debt. We are to fear him in how we speak to our spouse, which jargon we use in the workplace, and how we respond with laughter to some jokes and not others. We should fear him in which movies we choose to watch or music we enjoy. We should fear him by wisely stewarding the gifts he has given us—the fear of the Lord should permeate everything. The Bible says, “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:14) 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 Pet. 1:17). In Colossians, “Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord” (3:22), in Hebrews, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28–29), and 2 Corinthians, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience” (2 Cor 5:11).
The fear of the Lord should characterize our entire walk of life.
5. The fear of the Lord leads to blessing
Proverbs 22:4 says, “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life” and in Psalm 128:2–4, “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.” As a general principle, godliness leads to blessing, although this blessing can take very different forms in our individual lives.
6. The fear of the Lord leads to suffering and persecution
Paul writes to Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). The history of salvation itself demonstrates this well. Hebrews 11, the great eulogy of faith, ends like this, “Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (v 35–38). If you fear the Lord, you will gain the contempt, scorn, and persecution of this world because Jesus himself promised “in this world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33) and “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake” (Matt. 24:9). Holding a biblical view of marriage and shamelessly standing for Christian sexual ethics will not make you popular. Believing in an eternal hell reserved for all those who reject Christ as Lord and Savior and therefore lovingly pleading with your colleagues to repent will not necessarily make you likeable. The confession of Jesus alone as Lord and embracing the practical implications of that confession will, in this world, lead to suffering; if you live a God-fearing life in Christ Jesus, you will be persecuted.
7. The fear of the Lord drives out the fear of man
The fear of man is one of the main reasons behind a weak Church. The more we fear God, the less we will fear creatures. When we have the right perspective of who God is and are diligent in living to his pleasure, obeying his commands, claiming his promises, then man and his opinions, words, threats will no longer affect us in the same way. In Nehemiah 4:14 we read: “I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.’” Remembering the Lord, the great and awesome, drives out the fear of man. Jesus himself tells us not to fear those who kill the body and then can do nothing more, but the one who can kill and then cast both body and soul into Gehenna—fear properly.
8. The fear of the Lord is something we grow in through constant practice
Paul says, “Train yourself in godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:7–8). Here we see not only that godliness, the fear of God, leads to eternal life, but also that it is something we can grow in.
While true fear of God is planted in our hearts at the moment of salvation, it is, just like our sanctification process, something we can grow in over time. The Apostle urges Timothy, and by implication us, to actively train ourselves in the fear of the Lord. In another place he writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). Similarly, the writer of Hebrews speaks of “those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14). We train ourselves in the fear of the Lord by spending time with God daily, by reading his Word, by fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters, by nurturing and cultivating our God-given conscience and listening to its voice, and by confessing and repenting whenever we sin against the Lord or against one another.
9. The fear of the Lord is constantly looking back to Calvary
God-fearing people will live their lives on Calvary’s hill, constantly reminding themselves of what their Lord accomplished for them upon that cross. On Calvary we see the wrath of God against sin, the justice and holiness of God who crushed Christ when he bore the sins of his people so as to atone for their guilt with his blood—“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). The cross reveals God’s holy hatred of sin. The cost of God’s saving us from the slavery of sin and the wrath to come was his eternal and spotless Son. And Jesus, the Lamb of God and the Good Shepherd, freely gave his life that our lives might be saved for eternity. By constantly reminding ourselves that our sin cost our Savior’s life, we rekindle our holy hatred of sin. Thus we can sing with Isaac Watts, “When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord that I should boast save in the death of Christ, my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them through his blood.” Proverbs 8:13 states: “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” It is when we see God’s love in the cross of Christ that our love for him is birthed and grown—and with it our hatred for the sin that grieves him and separates us from him.
It is when we see God’s love in the cross of Christ that our love for him is birthed and grown—and with it our hatred for the sin that grieves him and separates us from him.
10. The fear of the Lord is constantly looking ahead to the Last Judgment
The fear of God not only looks backward but also forward to the day of Judgment. Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 states, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Jesus himself says, “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light” (Luke 8:17), and Paul writes that when the Lord comes he will “disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God” (1 Cor. 4:5). One day, all that we believed went unseen—both evil and good—will be disclosed in front of the whole universe. To fear God is to live with an eternal perspective, constantly remembering that one day you will give an account before the Judge of all the earth, Christ himself, who has said, “By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:37).
Yes, we are declared righteous by grace alone through faith alone in the person and work of Christ alone, but that faith is not an empty, dead faith, but a living faith that leads to a godly walk. Time and again the New Testament speaks of what awaits the godless, those who do not fear God. Peter writes of “the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:7). Jude writes: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 14-15). The Bible’s warnings about the Last Judgment are there to urge us to walk in the fear of the Lord. “Let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it” (Hebrews 4:1).
11. The fear of God is primarily expressed through obedience
“Fear God and keep his commandments,” we read, and it is important that we pay attention to the last three words.
Keeping God’s commandments, obeying God, is fear of God in practice. “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark…,”we read in Hebrews 11:7, and in Genesis 22:12 the angel of the Lord says to Abraham, who was one second away from slaughtering his son Isaac, “Now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” Noah and Abraham feared God with holy fear and obeyed him. It is quite simple: he who fears God obeys God and he who disobeys God does not fear God. Yes, our obedience will be imperfect and many times we will fail, but if our life is not marked by a regular obedience to God’s will as he has revealed it in his Word, then it is a sure sign that we do not fear God in our hearts. And if we do not, we have every reason to be terrified and fearful in the second sense of the word.
12. The fear of the Lord is intended to lead to intimacy and deep communion with the Lord
David writes in Psalm 25, “Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant” (vv. 12–14). The Lord is intimate with those who fears him, he whispers secrets to them, he is intimately present in their lives. He teaches them which paths to choose in life—for the God-fearer is more receptive to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit and wiser in applying biblical principles. It is true that all members of the New Covenant know God and are equally righteous before him because Jesus’ righteousness has been imputed to them all by faith alone. But that does not mean that all members of the New Covenant, all Christians, know God equally or that the Lord is equally familiar or intimate with them all. There is nothing in the Bible to suggest this. The degree of intimacy in our relationship with the Lord will be regulated by our fear of God, our dedication to please him. Let us be careful in our walk and not be a spiritual sluggard. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15, “Take heed therefore how you live, not as unwise men but as wise.” Watch how you walk. The good life—the life of intimate intimacy with the Lord—is preceded by fear of the Lord.
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This list is by no means an exhaustive theology of the fear of the Lord. Much more can and should be said. True fear of God, as we have seen, is the fruit of salvation. And salvation is by grace. Thus it follows that fear of the Lord in a person’s life is the fruit of the redeeming grace of God, regenerating and sanctifying us. Therefore, may our prayer always be: “Lord God, give me grace to fear you!”
