What does it mean to have the fear of God?

GotQuestions.org

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

What does it mean to have the fear of God? We're going to answer that question. You can also discover more on GotQuestions .org.

00:08

For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God.

00:17

For the believer, though, the fear of God is something much different. The believer's fear is reverence of God.

00:25

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship

00:32

God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

00:38

This reverence and awe is exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to the creator of the universe.

00:48

Proverbs 1 .7 declares, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

00:55

Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom.

01:02

True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous.

01:09

And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the

01:14

Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your

01:20

God with all your heart and with all your soul? Fear the Lord your God and serve

01:25

Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name. He is your praise.

01:30

He is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.

01:38

The fear of God is the basis for our walking in His ways, serving Him, and yes, loving

01:44

Him. Some redefine the fear of God for believers to respecting Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing

01:53

God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God for the believer includes understanding how much

02:00

God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin, even in the life of a believer.

02:06

Hebrews describes God's discipline of the believer. While it is done in love, it is still a fearful thing.

02:13

As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions.

02:19

The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases

02:27

Him. Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be scared of Him.

02:33

We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love. We have His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

02:41

Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives.

02:48

The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.

02:55

That answers the question, what does it mean to have the fear of God? On our website, GotQuestions .org,

03:00

you'll find a deeper discussion and recommended resources. If this helped you, give us a thumbs up and click subscribe.