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Note: we will add new material to this site as led by the Holy Spirit, as He leads us in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please visit our Archive section for past posts, or our Essentials page for further edifying study. April 11, 2008 Do We Modern Christians Fear the Lord? It is easy, is it not, to affirm our love for our Precious Lord and God. But can we go so far as to say that we actually fear Him, and that we tremble at His Word? Put another way - does not keeping His every word and instruction fill us with a sense of dread and foreboding? And does it at all bother us in the Spirit that we dishonor Him so? What has happened to the fear of God among us dear brethren? Have we listened to the lie that says the fear of the Lord is of the old, yet love is of the new? As the Spirit permits, let us look into this a little closer by the light of His Word. It is sad, perhaps even tragic, to observe the Church of the present hour, wantonly departing from the sacred truths of Scripture; so ready to embrace the foolishness of the world in the name of Christ. It is doubly sad to watch the redeemed Body of Christ being deluded by methods and philosophies that can never produce the fruit of holiness and faithfulness in the lives of God's people. Yet, despite this, the self-esteeming church, the psycho-analyzing church, the healing, miracle-seeking church is running headlong after diverse and unsanctified opinions regarding the subject of motivation. "Love, and love alone, must motivate us to follow Christ." is the message of the day heard from many a pulpit and seminar tape. "Fear is from the devil and is the opposite of faith; nothing done from the motivation of fear is emotionally healthy", goes the modern message on this subject. Sadly, many are listening with their ears wide open and their Bibles closed. By emphasizing love (or other psycho-social forces such as friendship, for example) as the singular motivating influence on our obedient response to the Lord, while at the same time effectively ignoring what the Bible calls the "Fear of God", the modern church has done a great disservice to new disciples and the Word of God. Clearly, the Bible teaches that we are to obey God out of love for Him and a desire to be formed in His likeness. But it also teaches that we are to approach God from the perspective of created beings in the presence of the Awesome and Terrible One who holds our very existence between His fingers. To fear God, and Him alone...this is the plain and consistent imperative of both the Old and the New Testaments. What the patriarchs, prophets and apostles all had in common was this, that they feared the Lord. All wisdom, knowledge and edifying counsel has its source and beginning in the one kind of fear that is sanctioned and promoted in the Scriptures. It is not a negative, irrational and debilitating fear, as all others are, but rather a positive and empowering fear that impacts the heart, mind and the spirit in man. It is the only reasonable and honest response of the creature in the presence of the Creator. It implies, by necessity, a posture of deference and servitude to a higher and perfect being. Consider the clear and emphatic words of the Savior, when He said, And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28) And the Apostle Peter, Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. (1 Peter 2:17) Consider the fruits of walking in the fear of the Lord, as described in Acts 9… Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. (Acts 9:31) Oh little ones, to walk in the fear of the Lord does not result in psychological ill-health, but peace, edification and fruitfulness. To act from a healthy and informed fear of God is to operate from a genuinely positive and God-ordained motivation. Yet the modern preacher turned therapist, having chosen to borrow from humanist psychology rather than the Bible, has banished all fear as unhealthy, negative, immobilizing, and threatening to one's self-image. Better to convince the believer that he is loved, and loved unconditionally, that he is a friend to Jesus, and that God accepts Him for what he is. Our Lord does indeed accept the newborn babe for what he is when born, but then He fully expects (and empowers us) to walk in His ways (actually in His Life to be more precise), to please the Holy Father and to present a true and righteous testimony of the Master and His Kingdom in this world. I dare say by His abiding grace this is impossible apart from the fear of the Lord abiding within the child of God. The Fear of God Defined [Note: The Greek root for fear in the scripture passages above is phobo, (from which we get out English word, phobia) and means: a) to fear, be afraid of; b) reverence; c) to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm; d) to fear to do something for fear of harm; e) venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience; f) terror, dread.] When the Bible speaks of the fear of God (or the fear of the Lord) it truly means fear; a genuine fear, not simply "respect" as some commentators have wrongly emphasized. Fear certainly embodies the notion of respect, but it goes much deeper. Webster's Dictionary hits it right on the head in defining fear as "profound reverence and awe, esp. toward God" and "an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger". Does this not effectively describe the responses of most human beings in the Bible as they came into the awesome presence of the Most High? Consider Job's posture after being questioned by Jehovah… Then Job answered the Lord and said: Behold I am vile; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken I but will not answer; Yes twice but I will proceed no further. (Job 40:3-5) Therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:6) And Isaiah, who lost himself in beholding the Lord… Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of Hosts. (Isaiah 6:5) And the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration… While he was still speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" And when the disciples heard it they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. (Matthew 17:5-6) The Lord Himself asks… "Do you not fear me?", says the Lord. "Will you not tremble at My presence, who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it?" (Jeremiah 5:22) The compelling message of the Bible is that true peace can only result when we fear God and nothing else. How is this possible? If we fear the Lord, we have nothing to fear from the created realm, over which he alone is sovereign. The understanding and God-fearing Christian appreciates that all there is to fear, be it death, loss, pain, etc, abide under the sovereign control of the Lord of Hosts. A true feeling of security, then, comes from a healthy, inspired fear of God that inevitably produces obedience, respect, trust, reverence and deference. Only God can satisfy the real need of the human heart for purification and holiness. The God-fearing man never fails to remember this. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. ( 2 Corinthians 7:1) As we dig deeper into the Scriptures brethren, we discover that holiness and the fear of the Lord are beautifully and wondrously aligned. Consider further what the Proverbs tell us of the fear of God… But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil. (Proverbs 1:33) The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way. (Proverbs 8:13) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy one is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10) Why is this? Because God is the fountain-head of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, meaning, truth, and moral purpose. We fear God because He alone assumes the place of the Uncreated One. He alone is sovereign and all powerful, able to create and destroy by divine decree, able to subdue or promote that which He has made for His glory. "Their Fear Toward Me is Taught by the Commandment of Men" But isn't it true today brethren, that in the church that there is a tendency to recreate and redefine God in our own image; to have more of a benign, man-sized God (Isaiah 29:13)? We skip gleefully over the many scriptures that speak of the fearsome, holy wrath of God, yet in so doing we misrepresent His loving-kindness and tender mercies. Again, as with so much in the modern gospel to all people, there is only partial truth, which is no truth at all, but a cleverly disguised prescription for confusion and unfruitfulness. Few, if any, churches in America would invite Jonathan Edwards or Charles Spurgeon (let alone the apostles Peter or Paul) to preach from their pulpits, were they alive today. And it would be hard to imagine A.W. Tozer being a regular guest on Christian talk radio, with his customary emphasis on the awesome attributes of God. Is it not true brethren, that we have fabricated a uniquely kinder and friendlier deity, because that is what we modern believers feel comfortable with (it seems that comfort is more important today than accountability or truth); this is the gospel that appeals to those in search of emotional healing and personal well-being. Oh dear little ones, indeed He is a healer, a mender of emotional wounds, a friend and brother to us. Yes, indeed fellow saints, He is all these things and more, but He is also the awesome and terrible God who loathes evil and will not, under any circumstances, allow sin to pollute His universe. Should we not fear Jesus Christ, who said… Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. (Matthew 15:13) And reckon with other scriptures that teach… Hell and destruction are before the Lord so how much more the hearts of men. (Proverbs 15:11) God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm 7:11) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies…but whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil. (Proverbs 1:28) And… Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will He be thought worthy who tramples the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay", says the Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:29-31) We should tremble and be undone before the God who pronounced destruction and woe on the religious hypocrites who led people into bondage with their deceptive teachings and practices. We should fear the Lord who said to them in Matthew 23:33... "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?" But Does Not Love Cast Out All Fear? The fear of God compels us to know, understand, and depend upon the will of the Lord, as represented in Holy Scripture and empowered by the indwelling Spirit. But, says the modern proof-text Christian, does not love cast out all fear? Does not the Bible teach that… "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." (1 John 4:18) To fear God, unlike the fear of anything that is created, is healthy and good for us. He alone must be the object of our fear (Revelation 15:3-4). The fear of God stands distinct from all other fears, whether they be real or imagined. In this matter and as a necessary principle, we must allow the Ever-teaching Spirit of Truth to place scripture alongside scripture to gain the whole Bible truth. The same David who wrote… The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1) also wrote… The fear of the Lord is clean (read "pure"), enduring forever. (Psalm 19:9) Who is the man that fears the Lord, him shall He teach in the way He chooses. (Psalm 25:12) The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. (Psalm 25:14) The man who fears the Lord waits upon Him in a posture of humility, dependence, deference, submission, obedience, trust, respect, and awe. When the Lord speaks, he listens. When He commands, he obeys. When He promises, he trusts Him. When He chastens, he learns. When He teaches, he esteems it as absolute truth. And when He appears in His Awesome Glory, he falls on his face as though dead (see John in the Revelation of Our Lord). Oh how I wish this would describe yours truly even on my best days brethren. Oh how we need to pray always for one another that this would be so for all His little ones. Oh Lord, save us from ourselves in Your Beloved and Holy Son! When the Bible says that perfect love casts out fear it is referring to all creaturely fears that are unhealthy and unfounded. There is no incompatibility between our love for God and our fear of Him (Deuteronomy 10:12). It is the fear of the Lord that compels (another word for motivation) us to take sin as seriously as God does. It is the fear of the Lord that compels us to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), by inspiring a reverential attitude towards His attributes. But as for me, I will come into your house in the multitude of your mercy; in fear of you I will worship toward your holy temple. (Psalm 5:7 To Truly Know God as He is, is to Fear Him It seems evident that the main reason we modern Christians do not fear the Lord as we should, is because we do not truly know Him as He is. With all the emphasis these days on worshipping in the spirit, experiencing God, and true spirituality, there is a disturbing lack of hard, scriptural teaching on the attributes of God. Just recently, I found myself re-listening to a series of sermons given by A.W. Tozer (circa 1956-1958) on this subject, and I found myself grieving the absence of such powerful instruction in the church today. To know Him requires that we see Him as He is; and only His Spirit can lead us deeper into His Very Being dear saints. To see the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His unsurpassed Holiness and Glory and Righteousness and Truth, is to see the Eternal and Most High Father who sits over the Circle of the Earth. Oh that we would be blinded to everything and everyone else that we would truly behold Him, and see with the eyes of the Spirit that we are as nothing, and less than nothing. Perhaps more young (and old, for that matter) Christians would take God more seriously if they discovered what He is like, that He is in fact holy, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, all-wise, creative, pre-eminent, infinite, eternal, perfect, loving, merciful, judgmental, exclusive, a god of justice, immense, and so on. Perhaps we all would fear Him more if we were more consistently reminded of the degree to which our God is unlike us. Instead the preachers of the day would bring Him down from His throne as did the serpent in the garden. They would suffer the temptation to present the Most High in man-like terms, so that we might relate to Him easier. They would forget that the man Jesus came to lead us up to the Father, not the other way around. They would devise a theology that is man-centered and humanistic rather than God-centered, God-sourced and God-glorifying. Oh Lord, please forgive us, for how we have strayed so terrible! There is Fear in the Gospel as Well as Love Oh that we would realize and learn dear saints, that both the Love of God and the Fear of God work together to lead us into the very Heart of God! The hope of the gospel message does not remove fear entirely, as psychology does, or seek to rationalize it away, but it consists in having the appropriate fear object. Christ's teaching in Matthew 10 on the fear of God in no way conflicts with other passages that emphasize our love relationship with Himself and the Father. We can love God deeply and spiritually, while also recognizing our utter dependence on Him; our absolute hopelessness apart from His salvation and grace. We can praise Him for His loving-kindness and tender-mercies, while also acknowledging His fearful power and pre-eminence; that indeed our very destiny wallows in the hollow of His hand. If we fear God most truly, we should necessarily fear everything else less. Reverence for the Lord includes an acknowledgement of the power of God and a sober recognition of the consequences of trying to violate His ordained will. Reverence for the Lord is a healthy recognition of our creature-hood. Man is dependent upon one greater and more glorious than himself, and it is the very foundation of wisdom to recognize this fact. From the fear of God proceeds a unique outlook on life that influences every thought, action, and intention. When we fear God we take Him into account as He is, and what He thinks about a particular subject is the baseline upon which all opinion and conduct is measured. To acknowledge and exalt God's exclusive attributes, to recognize that He alone inhabits a place above all else, is to fear Him as the Bible commands. No man can ever be the same after coming to an awareness of the pre-eminent and perfect nature of God. Conclusion Let us hear the whole conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13) Only those who heed every word and command given by Our Lord Jesus Christ will share with Him in His Holy Kingdom coming soon to this earth. Let us therefore return to a balanced teaching and understanding of this matter among His people. Let us teach from the whole Bible and not just the parts that appease our fickle human sensitivities. Let us bring new converts to the true God and the real Jesus Christ, without neglecting the tougher aspects of His sovereignty, character and judgment. Let us forfeit the counsel of the ungodly and return to instruction in doctrine and righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16) from the Holy Scriptures. In Jesus' Precious and Mighty Name. Amen. Please pray for us here at Living-Walk, that we would watch and see the Master at work, and understand what He would have us be and do. Your friend and servant in Christ Jesus, Wayne |
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