The idea of fearing God is not to avoid an idol’s vengeance. Nowhere in the Bible is the believer expected to engage in chants or ritualistic dances to appease the Almighty. To fear God has both positive and negative connotations.
When we fear him, we are demonstrating a heartfelt awe and respect. We consider him superb in all aspects that should warrant us to pay what is justly due him.
An element of fearing God includes appreciation for the salvation he has offered us. He has done what we could not do for ourselves. He went to the extremes allowing Jesus to die on the cross in our behalf; suffering what is due us. His plan of salvation is so magnificent and comprehensive we can only fear him in reverence and appreciation.
We have a deep spiritual motive which empowers us to be persuaded by his Holy Spirit toward salvation that comes to all people with both a promise and an offer. When we fear him, we grasp onto believing the promise of eternity. Therefore, the believers’ fear is that of a feeling of respect in the presence of divine authority.
The positive aspect of this fear brings us to a place of humility when confronted with divine power and action. Our thinking recognizes that which is outside beyond and different from ourselves that we cannot understand. As a result, we take ourselves to a place of reverence. This is why the early church was described as “walking in the fear of the Lord. “ (Acts 9:31) God is a healthy experience tying our souls to him.
To begin explaining the negative aspects of fear, let me tell you about a woman who years ago came to me for counseling. She was so afraid of losing her salvation that it was tattooed as an expression on her face. I asked her how much sin she would have to sin before she sinned away her salvation. That question was beyond her consideration. She was not a believer in Jesus Christ as her Savior. She was actually afraid of God! Her spiritual life was so unstable she could not imagine the grace and love of Christ. She relied on her own works for salvation. Oh, she feared God all right. She feared him as a wrathful God who would strike her down if she committed even a minor travesty. She never returned for another counseling session.
Religion has no positive value if the follower cannot enjoy the prospects of eternity based on the sacrificial blood of Jesus. Such religion lacks reverence and respect for God. Living in the shadow of eternity can be positive or negative. It is positive to consider being face-to-face with Jesus in the mansions that he built for us. It is negative in the sense of being so overly conscious of God that the person forgets the mediation works of Jesus which he does before the Heavenly Father in our behalf.
Having an awareness of God in our lives can lead us to living a holy life in word and deed. It is because God is holy that we must strive, even though never achieving completely in this life, to have a perfect holy witness before the rest of the world. To be in awe of God is to maintain a godly sorrow that brings repentance in each day’s prayer because of our unworthiness in the presence of who God really is. Paul tells us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12) That experience of fear brings us to the importance of how we live always seeking to incorporate the love of Christ within us. As William Barclay said, it is “an awed wonder and a trembling eagerness, and passionate effort” that we have while serving Christ.
Christian Writer 