What does it mean to fear the Lord?

What does it mean to fear the Lord? 

When we read the Bible, we often read these words: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". The fact that we find this, and similar statements so often in Scripture, attests to its importance. The point is not to say that fear of God is where wisdom begins, as if it is only the starting point of wisdom. The point is that fear is the foundation upon which wisdom is built. We all need wisdom. We live in a world in which we must not only know what the truth is, but must also know how this truth is applied in various situations. This requires maturity and wise judgement, and for this the fear of the Lord is critically necessary, the Scriptures teach us. Fear of God is the ground on which true wisdom is built. 

But what does it mean to fear God? There are two different types of fear which are highlighted in the Scriptures and we must understand them before we can understand what is expected of us if we, who are believers, are to fear the Lord.

 

1. Slavish fear 

I call it slavish fear because slavery perhaps gives us the best example of this type of fear. Think of a soldier who has been captured by a hostile nation. He is beaten by them, handcuffed in chains, thrown into prison and forced to work like a slave. He hates his masters, but to avoid punishment he must work.  This is what slavish fear is. 

a.It’s the fear that Satan and his demons have

Slavish fear is the type of fear that Satan and the demons have for God. We have an example of this in Mark 1:23-24 “And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’” What drives these demons to fear? It is that Jesus is going to do something to them, that Jesus has come to destroy them. James 2:19 also shows that this fear is found in the demons when it says “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” 

b.It’s the fear that unbelievers should have

Slavish fear is also the fear that unbelievers should have for God. For them, the fear of God should be a fear of judgment and eternal punishment. Jesus speaks about the fear that unbelievers must have for God in Luke 12:4-5 “Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! ” This fear is also what Hebrews 10:31 is talking about when it says "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." 

c. It isn’t the fear believers should have

Slavish fear is the type of fear that Romans 8:15 says the believer should not have. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” We should not have this type of fear: We do not fear God as our enemy; we do not fear that God will treat us like slaves, because we are his children. 

Augustine comments on 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” He says that the fear we read about here is a slavish, fearful anxiety that God might be after us, that His judgement may fall on us. But we are united to Christ and God loves us because of it, therefore the believer does not experience this type of fear. If this type of fear comes over us, Augustine says, it is only right that our pastor or fellow believer should remind us of the truth of the gospel, and the promise of this verse which says that God's perfect love drives this fear out.

 

The fear that is the foundation of wisdom is not 'slavish fear'. This is not the type of fear that the Word encourages the believer to have for God. We don't need to be afraid of God. 

And yet the Bible is clear that we should fear the Lord, so how should we fear Him?

 

2. Fatherly fear 

The fear of the Lord in believers is not driven by fear of judgement and hell.  But the believer seeks to honour God by doing what is right in His sight.  We fear God because we honour Him, we fear Him because we want to please Him, and we fear God because we love Him and seek to bring Him glory in all that we do. 

a.It is reverence for God

The believer's fear is reverence for God. Hebrews 12:28-29 speaks of this “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.” It is a reverence and awe that drives us to surrender to the Creator of the Universe. I call it fatherly fear because it is the healthy type of fear that a child should have for his parents, if he disobeyed them. Not a fear driven by anxiety that he will be punished, although that does play a role, but a fear driven by the fact that he has disappointed his parents. It's a fear driven by a dissatisfaction that he repaid their love with disobedience. 

b.It requires an understanding God’s holiness

A correct fear of God can only be understood if we have a correct understanding of who God is. Unless we understand the holiness of God we cannot fear Him correctly. Deuteronomy 10:12, 20-21, speaks of this: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,… You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.” In this verse we see that it is the fear of God what drives us to walk in His ways, what drives us to serve Him and also drives us to love Him. 

While respect for God is part of this fear, true fear of God is also a proper understanding of how much God hates sin. The believer who falls into sin will experience the discipline of God and therefore fear also includes something of a fear for discipline. Hebrews 12:5-11 speaks precisely about the discipline of the believer who falls into sin. That is why the author says “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected (feared) them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” (v9). But the discipline of the believer is not a rejection by God. It is also not an eternal punishment as in the case of the unbeliever. It is a temporary punishment with the intention of leading us to repentance. We see this in verse 11 “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” 

 

So while the fear that the believer has for the Lord is not primarily driven by being afraid, but by awe and reverence for God and seeks to do God's will, it does contain a degree of being afraid because the casting off of sin in his life is sometimes wrought by discipline, and this should make us afraid to continue in that way. But it is not a fear that is primarily driven by this kind of being afraid, because the child of God does not fear that God will finally or completely reject and throw him away. Our fear is not primarily driven by a fear of punishment, but is driven by a disappointment that we have dishonoured and have not served God, who hates sin. We should fear his disciplining, but not because we fear it will destroy us, but because we know what we have done does not please Him. 

Believers are not afraid of God, we have no reason to be afraid of Him. We have the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). We also have the promise that God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Our fear stems from a holy awe of Him which influences the way we live. Our fear leads to obedience, to submission, to worshiping Him. This leads us to a God-centred life in which we want to please Him in everything we do and in all circumstances we may find ourselves in. 

 

Indeed, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, because the one who understands what true fear of the Lord is does not experience a slavish fearful anxiety by which he fear God’s judgment. It is a holy awe and reverence for His holy character who hates sin and loves righteousness. It does not drive the believer to be afraid of God, but to repent of sin and seek the way that honours God. So God expects the believer to fear Him, but not with slavish fear, but fatherly fear, which leads us to please Him. 

ds. Leon Harmse

Pastor of Sunward Park Baptist Church.