on the fear of God

Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways.

You will indeed eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;

you will be happy and it will be well with you.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house.

Your children will be like olive shoots about your table.

Look, for thus shall a man be blessed who fears Yahweh.

[Psalm 128.1-4]

"Professor John Murray says, 'The fear of God is the soul of godliness.'... Although it is true that the concept of the fear of God is treated more extensively in the Old Testament, it would be a mistake to assume that it is not important in the New Testament. One of the blessings of the new covenant is the implanting in believers' hearts of the fear of the Lord. In Jeremiah 32:40, God said, 'I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.'... [We see the fear of God in the New Testament in Acts 9:31 and in] the example of the Lord Jesus Himself, of whom Isaiah said, 'He will delight in the fear of the Lord' (11:3)." [Jerry Bridges, The Fruitful Life, pp. 31-32]

"The Bible uses the term 'fear of God' in two distinct ways: that of an anxious dread, and that of veneration, reverence, and awe. Fear as anxious dread is produced by the realization of God's impending judgment upon sin... Although this aspect of the fear of God should characterize every unsaved person who lives each day as an object of God's wrath, it seldom does. Paul's concluding indictment of ungodly mankind was, 'There is no fear of God before their eyes.' (Romans 3:18). The Christian has been delivered from fear of the wrath of God (see 1 John 4:18). But the Christian has not been disciplined from the discipline of God against his sinful conduct, and in this sense he still fears God. He works out his salvation with fear and trembling; he lives his life as a stranger here in reverent fear (see 1 Peter 1:17). For the child of God, however, the primary meaning of the fear of God is veneration and honor, reverence and awe. Murray says this fear is the soul of godliness. It is the attitude that elicits from our hearts adoration and love, reverence and honor. It focuses not upon the wrath of God but upon the majesty, holiness, and transcendent glory of God." [33]

"It is impossible to be devoted to God if one's heart is not filled with the fear of God. It is this profound sense of veneration and honor, reverence and awe, that draws forth from our hearts the worship and adoration that characterizes true devotion to God. The reverent, godly Christian sees God first in His transcendent glory, majesty, and holiness before seeing Him in His love, mercy, and grace. There is a healthy tension that exists in the godly person's heart between the reverential awe of God in His glory and the childlike confidence in God as heavenly Father. Without this tension, a Christian's filial confidence can easily degenerate into presumption." [33-34]

"One of the more serious sins of Christians today may well be the almost flippant familiarity with which we often address God in prayer. None of the godly men of the Bible ever adopted the casual manner we often do. They always addressed God with reverence. The same writer who tells us that 'we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place,' the throne room of God, also tells us that we should 'worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire' (Hebrews 10:19; 12:28-29). The same Paul who tells us that the Holy Spirit dwelling within us causes us to cry, 'Abba, Father,' also tells us that this same God lives in 'unapproachable light' (Romans 8:15 and 1 Timothy 6:16)... We must begin to recover a sense of awe and profound reverence of God. We must begin to view Him once again in the infinite majesty that alone belongs to Him who is the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the entire universe. There is an infinite gap in worth and dignity between God the Creator and man the creature, even though man has been created in the image of God. The fear of God is the heartfelt recognition of this gap - not a put-down of man but an exaltation of God." [34]

"Not only will a right concept of the fear of God cause us to worship God aright, it will also regulate our conduct. As John Murray says, 'What or whom we worship determines our behavior.' The Reverend Albert N. Martin has said that the essential ingredients of the fear of God are correct concepts of the character of God, a pervasive sense of the presence of God, and a constant awareness of our obligation to God. If we have some comprehension of God's infinite holiness and His hatred of sin, coupled with this pervasive sense of God's presence in all our actions, yes, even our thoughts, then such a fear of God must influence and regulate our conduct. Just as obedience to the Lord is an indication of our love for Him, so is it also a proof of our fear of God. [Deuteronomy 6:2 says] 'You shall fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands... The fear of God should provide a primary motivation for, as well as result in, obedience to Him. If we truly reverence God, we will obey Him, because every act of disobedience is an affront to His dignity and majesty." [35-36]