The word fear occurs 470 times in the Bible–108 times in the NT and 362 times in the OT. Most of the time it refers to typical fear.
We know that the fear of the Lord is “the beginning of wisdom” (Ps 111:10; Prov 9:10), is that which prolongs life (Prov 10:27), and is that which is a fountain of abundant life (Prov 14:27). This expression occurs twenty-six times in the OT and twice in the NT (Acts 9:31; 2 Cor 5:11).
The synonymous expression the fear of God occurs four times in the OT and three times in the NT. In the OT this refers to literal fear of God’s power and might. Second Chronicles 20:29 says, “… the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.” Compare Gen 20:11, where Abraham reasoned that since “… surely the fear of God is not in this place…they will kill me on account of my wife.”
Paul said we are to “perfect holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1). He also said that we are to submit to one another “in the fear of God” (Eph 5:21). Paul then gave three examples: wives submitting to their husbands, children submitting to their parents, and slaves submitting to their masters. All of this is to be in keeping with the fear of God.
Many pastors say that the fear of the Lord is a sense of awe and reverence toward Him, but not fear of Him.
Is that right?
We might modify Dr. Ryrie’s famous saying: “If everlasting life could be lost, it has the wrong name.” Well, if the fear of the Lord is not having a fear of Him, it has the wrong name.
The fear of the Lord is found in a famous NT passage about the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:9-11). All the NT passages concerning the Bema have the element of fear of being disapproved/disqualified/ashamed (e.g., Matt 24:45-51; Luke 19:11-27; 1 Cor 9:27; 2 Tim 4:6-8; 1 John 2:28; 4:17-19).
Believers and unbelievers should fear God’s judgment in this life and His judgment after this life is over. That is part of what it means to fear the Lord. Yes, fearing Him includes awe and reverence toward Him. But it is more than that.
Of course, as long as we continue to believe His promise of everlasting life, we do not fear eternal condemnation. We know we will not be judged regarding our eternal destiny (John 5:24). We do not fear that God has it in for us. We know that He loves us and wants us to be victorious.
The grace of God is not a license to sin. It is a license for holiness. It encourages holiness. We fear the Lord and serve Him in fear and trembling because He means so much to us. He is our loving Father. He does not spare the rod when we need correction. The prodigal son reminds us of what will happen if we depart from fellowship with God and go into the spiritual far country.
Here are two quotes from online sources that I found helpful:
GotQuestions.Org writes, “Some redefine the fear of God for believers to ‘respecting’ Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin…”
Logos Bible Software at Logos.com says,
It’s common for Bible teachers to say that “fearing the Lord” and “being afraid of the Lord” are two very different things. But this overstates the case. The Bible’s choice of the word fear to describe a response to God isn’t insignificant. Fear is a God-given survival mechanism…In terms of fearing God, the Bible is filled with examples of humans whose sense of self-preservation made them cower, cringe, and fall on the ground in the presence of God…
Keep grace in focus by fearing the Lord.
