I keep hearing Christians talk of how there is a problem in the body of Christ when it comes to fearing God. This has led me to seek the truth in regards to this topic. Some of them say that it means more than just reverence and awe but it also means to be afraid. I say we are not to be afraid of God because that’s what I keep reading in His Word. The only thing we should be afraid of is a life without Him and the consequences that come from disobedience. But I do not believe that I am to be afraid of God. What has led to such a focus on fearing God in some congregations is that there is the lack of reverence that seems to be apparent in the lives of believers. They believe that people just want their ears tickled. They do not want to hear about God’s wrath, they just want to feel good.
While this may be true for some, I don’t believe that it is the goal for most. I understand the churches focusing on “feel good” sermons all the time but the Christian faith is not about feeling good. It’s about sacrifice. It’s about pain. It’s about enduring persecution and hardship. But, it is not about fear. It is about trusting a Holy God who strengthens and suppllies and delivers and loves and carries us through it all. It’s about the good that comes from the pain. It’s about the joy that comes from and in the sorrow.
We live in a dark and depraved world full of hurting people. At some point, these people will come to the end of themselves. Some of them will commit suicide. Some will commit murder. Some will steal. Some will turn to alcohol or drugs or any other means of ending their pain. But some will turn to the body of Christ. They are looking for hope. They need to find that hope in Christ. They should find Christ through His church. So, do they need to hear a message that God is a big, scary, wrathful God who punishes his own if they are not obedient? Do they need to hear a message on how believers just can’t ever seem to measure up, that they are losers? Do they have to witness Christians being continuously reminded of what failures they are? What’s the point of coming to Christ if we are doomed to continue to live in defeat and hopelessness? What about Christ’s blood covering all our sin? What about the forgiveness of all sin, past present and future? Can we really scare people out of Hell? Who wants to serve a God they have to be afraid of when they are already living in total fear in this world? To me, that is missing the whole point. Is the problem in the church a lack of being afraid of God? In my opinion, absolutely not!
From my many years as a Christian and student of the Word, the message I get when it comes to fearing God has nothing to do with being afraid. Believers are never to be afraid of God or His wrath. I cannot accept that fear (being afraid) of God’s wrath is ever the driving force behind a sinner coming to grace. If so, the reason they come is selfish because they don’t want to suffer. From this believer’s perspective, that defies the whole reason Jesus died. The driving force behind a genuine conversion is about God’s love, grace, and mercy (pardon for those undeserving). It is about understanding who God is and our sinful condition. It is about realizing how much we are loved. It is realizing how unworthy we are to be so loved by Him and wanting to change from being self-centered to God focused. It’s about understanding grace.
Here is what I have concluded from the time I have spent with God on this subject...
First, I want to take a look at Proverbs 1:7: ” The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction” (NKJV).
In this instance within the text, this fear is referring to a holy reverence of God that leads to salvation. If there is any kind of “being afraid” that could be spoken of in regards to this particular verse of scripture, I would have to say that the non-believer fears the consequences of a life without God (a life doomed to God’s eternal wrath). God’s wrath is certainly something to be afraid of but the Bible is God’s call to all of us to not be afraid to come to Him. Proverbs 1:7 is speaking to the foolish, those who are not believers who think they need no instruction and whose lives are a mockery to God. Fear of the Lord in this verse is for those whose eyes begin to see where grace begins. When a non-believer experiences this awe and reverence (fear) of God is for the very first time – this where wisdom begins.
Proverbs 9:10 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. ( NIV). The ISV translates this as, “The fear of the LORD is where wisdom begins, and knowing holiness demonstrates understanding”. This leads to the next point.
The Merriam -Webster Dictionary defines wisdom as
“the natural ability to understand things that most other people cannot understand”.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of understanding what most others cannot. This is when a person can understand grace for the very first time. It is then, that they see God’s mercy (undeserved pardon) towards them. It is God’s kindness, (not His wrath) that leads a sinner to repentance.
The only people who should be afraid of God are those who die without Him and even then, It is not God that should cause them to experience terror, but their choice to suffer His wrath and be apart from His love and grace for all eternity. I think we need to be afraid of not living under grace instead of being afraid of God. Proverbs 9:10 takes the believer to the next level. Once a person receives the wisdom of God, he begins to know God and His holiness. He begins to experience that holiness and that knowledge is understanding. But without fear (holy reverence, respect, and awe), there is no hope for the sinner. Non-believers are not afraid of God. To the contrary, they live in mockery of God. They are foolish and empty of wisdom. If anybody should be afraid of God’s wrath, they should be because they will be doomed to eternity under that wrath unless they come to a place of fear (holy reverence and awe) of Him. But, then again, terror cannot be the motivation for our surrender. Our surrender must come from a repentant heart motivated by love or it cannot be genuine.
1 John 4: 17-19
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
Thinking this through has led me to believe that there is never a real reason to be afraid of God Himself because God is the the definition, the the very essence of perfect love. God is where love begins and the absence of God’s presence is the absence of love’s existence. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. Verse 18 says that there is no fear in love. In fact, it is that perfect love (God’s love) that drives out fear. So, with this enlightenment, it doesn’t even make sense that a person would be afraid of God. Oh yes, His physical presence would certainly overwhelm me to the point of falling on my face and trembling in fear (overwhelming awe and reverence beyond anything I can imagine or measure). But, I would not tremble because I was afraid of what He might do to me in my worthlessness because I understand His love, mercy and kindness. I understand that because of His love and Christ’s sacrifice, I am worthy. I am His child. I can approach the throne of God with boldness as His child! It is only by God’s divine grace, mercy and perfect love that we can even hope to ever come to an understanding that He is the Almighty, Holy, Righteous, God who is to be feared (awed, respected, reverenced).
This is not “tickle your ears and make me feel good” theology. This is God’s message all through His Word. The Bible can be summed up in one brief statement:
~1 JOHN 3:16~
This is what fearing God looks like to me
God put the wrath we deserve on His Son who didn’t deserve it because of His love. Jesus declared, “It is finished“. Hallelujah! I am free because He died for me! I am no longer a slave to sin but a beloved, redeemed child of God! It is not God’s will that a single person perish but that all would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us! It is not fear (being afraid) of God that leads to repentance. It is God’s kindness, mercy, and grace that is extended to all who will receive it. It is His gift of love.
“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
Matthew 14:27
RhemaJoy Ministries 
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