Should We Fear God?
©January 2008
Once upon a time, the phrase ‘God fearing man’ was used to describe an individual who was viewed as someone to be respected, honored, and trusted. Someone who recognized that God’s laws were above all others and felt bound to answer to God’s authority. It is not a phrase we often hear these days. Why is that? Is it because in our modern times we no longer fear God? Because we have relegated him to a position where we no longer recognize His authority over us? Or because we now view Him as only the God of love? Have we turned God into a big Teddy Bear? Or our own version of a spiritual Santa Claus?
Should we fear God? Let’s first look at Noah Webster’s definition for the word ‘fear’:
FEAR, n. [See the Verb.]
1. A painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. Fear expresses less apprehension than dread, and dread less than terror and fright. The force of this passion, beginning with the most moderate degree, may be thus expressed, fear, dread, terror, fright. Fear is accompanied with a desire to avoid or ward off the expected evil. Fear is an uneasiness of mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us.
Fear is the passion of our nature which excites us to provide for our security, on the approach of evil.
2. Anxiety; solicitude.
The principal fear was for the holy temple.
3. The cause of fear.
Thy angel becomes a fear.
4. The object of fear.
Except the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me. Gen 31.
5. Something set or hung up to terrify wild animals, by its color or noise. Is. 24. Jer. 48.
6. In scripture, fear is used to express a filial or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear.
I will put my fear in their hearts. Jer. 32.
Slavish fear is the effect or consequence of guilt; it is the painful apprehension of merited punishment. Rom. 8.
The love of God casteth out fear. 1John 4.
7. The worship of God.
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Ps. 34.
8. The law and word of God.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever. Ps. 19.
9. Reverence; respect; due regard.
Render to all their dues; fear to whom fear. Rom. 13.
Well, back in his day, that’s when there still were God fearing men though, weren’t there? That was before we were all enlightened to see that God is so full of love He shouldn’t be feared, wasn’t it? What do the scriptures say?
[Gen 7:1] And it came to pass, that Enoch continued his speech, saying, Behold, our father Adam taught these things, and many have believed, and become the sons of God; and many have believed not, and have perished in their sins, and are looking forth with fear, in torment, for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God to be poured out upon them.
[Gen 7:21] And the fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord which was upon his people.
[Gen 7:74] But before that day, he saw great tribulation among the wicked; and he also saw the sea, that it was troubled, and men's hearts failing them, looking forth with fear for the judgment of the Almighty God, which should come upon the wicked.
[Gen 42:17] And he put them all together into ward three days.
[Gen 42:18] And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God;
[Gen 42:19] If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison; go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses;
[Gen 42:20] But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
So Joseph of Egypt feared God, didn’t he?
[Exo 9:29] And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's.
[Exo 9:30] But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God.
[Exo 9:31] And the flax and the barley was smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.
[Exo 9:32] But the wheat and the rye were not smitten; for they were not grown up.
But the Egyptians didn’t fear God. We know how well that worked out for them, don’t we?
[Exo 18:21] Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens;
[Lev 19:14] Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind, but shall fear thy God; I am the Lord.
[Lev 25:17] Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God; for I am the Lord your God.
[Deu 4:10] Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.
[Deu 5:29] Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!
[Deu 6:2] That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
[Job 1:9] Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught?
Even Satan recognized there was a reason to fear God.
[Job 28:28] And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
[Psa 2:11] Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
[Psa 5:7] But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy; and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
[Psa 9:20] Put them in fear, O Lord; that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
[Psa 19:9] The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
[Psa 19:10] More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
[Psa 25:14] The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.
[Psa 33:8] Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
[Psa 33:18] Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
[Psa 33:19] To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in a time of famine.
[Psa 33:20] Our soul waiteth for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
[Psa 33:21] For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
[Psa 33:22] Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
[Psa 34:9] Oh fear the Lord, ye his saints; for there is no want to them that fear him.
[Psa 34:10] The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger; but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
[Psa 34:11] Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
[Psa 34:12] What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good.
[Psa 34:13] Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
[Psa 34:14] Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
[Psa 34:15] The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
[Psa 34:16] The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
[Psa 34:17] The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
[Psa 34:18] The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
[Psa 34:19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
[Psa 34:20] He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken.
[Psa 34:21] Evil shall slay the wicked; and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
[Psa 34:22] The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
That makes it sound like there is some real action required in fearing the Lord, doesn’t it? Like we might have to give Him more than lip service and actually turn from evil and do only good.
[Psa 36:1] The wicked, who live in transgression, saith in their hearts, There is no condemnation; for there is no fear of God before their eyes.
There it is again. Without fear of God, we are in transgression and are considered the wicked.
[Psa 55:19] God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
So if our lives have not changed, we must not fear Him, huh? Unless, of course, we were already perfect and had no need of repentance.
[Prov 14:26] In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence; and his children shall have a place of refuge.
[Prov 14:27] The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
[Prov 15:33] The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility.
[Prov 23:17] Let not thine heart envy sinners; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.
But wait, those are all from the Old Testament. Those and many more. But that’s all that ‘Law of Moses’ thing, isn’t it? We’re living under the ‘New Covenant’ now, so that is all done away and fulfilled. So what does the New Testament say?
[Luke 1:46] And my spirit rejoiceth in God my Savior.
[Luke 1:47] For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
[Luke 1:48] For he who is mighty hath done to me great things; and I will magnify his holy name,
[Luke 1:49] For his mercy on those who fear him from generation to generation.
[Luke 12:4] And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do;
[Luke 12:5] But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear; fear him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
[Mat 10:25] And fear not them who are able to kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
[Luke 1:49] For his mercy on those who fear him from generation to generation.
[Acts 9:31] Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
[2 Cor 7:1] 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.
Sure sounds like that fear of the Lord is still in place, doesn’t it? What about the Book of Mormon?
[3 Ne 2:54] But in this thing they were disappointed, for the Nephites did not fear them, but they did fear their God, and did supplicate him for protection;
[3 Ne 11:23] But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.
[Mormon 4:93] Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.
[Mormon 4:94] Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God.
I submit to you that not only should we still fear the Lord, but that we have even more reason to fear Him than did those living under the Old Covenant. Why? Because they were given rituals and ceremonies with which to show their obedience. We are called to a higher law. One that is not only an outward symbol of our obedience to God, but that is an inward change wrought upon our very souls. Read the Sermon on the Mount if you doubt me.
[Mat 5:23] Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time that, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment of God.
[Mat 5:24] But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of his judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, or Rabcha, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
[Mat 5:29] Behold, it is written by them of old time, that thou shalt not commit adultery.
[Mat 5:30] But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
[Mat 5:31] Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart, for it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross, than that ye should be cast into hell.
[Mat 5:35] It hath been written that, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.
[Mat 5:36] Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery.
[Mat 5:37] Again, it hath been written by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.
[Mat 5:38] But I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
[Mat 5:39] But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
[Mat 5:40] Ye have heard that it hath been said. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
[Mat 5:41] But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
[Mat 5:42] And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have it; and it he sue thee again, let him have thy cloak also.
[Mat 5:43] And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him a mile; and whosoever shall compel thee to go with him twain, thou shalt go with him twain.
[Mat 5:44] Give to him that asketh of thee; and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away.
[Mat 5:45] Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.
[Mat 5:46] But I say unto you, love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you;
[Mat 5:47] That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
[Mat 5:48] For if ye love only them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same?
[Mat 5:49] And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans the same?
[Mat 5:50] Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
That’s a rather tall order to fill, isn’t it? Do you fulfill those criteria? I know I certainly don’t. I fail miserably. There is always forgiveness, though. God’s grace covers a multitude of sins. Yes, there is always forgiveness. Yes, only by God’s grace are we saved. But there is a condition upon that grace. We must ‘go and sin no more.’ We must repent. And to be truly repentant, we cannot continue to live in the sins of which we ask forgiveness. This is precisely why we have reason to fear God. For He knows our hearts. He knows when we are only going through the motions or when we are truly striving to do His will.
We do well to remember that God is not a Teddy Bear. He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega, and it is by His Word that He created all things. Without Him we cannot even take a breath. All things in our life are there by His grace. Even if we do not acknowledge His existence, He is still the one who gives us all that we have. We truly have nothing, for it is all His. Here’s another word to consider. Our God is ‘omnipotent’. What does that mean?
From Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:
OMNIP'OTENT, a. [supra.]
1. Almighty; possessing unlimited power; all powerful. The being that can create worlds must be omnipotent
2. Having unlimited power of a particular kind; as omnipotent love.
Interestingly enough a search through the Bible only gives us one verse using this word:
[Rev 19:6] And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
However, it is used more in the Book of Mormon:
[Mos 1:97] For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven, among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay,
[Mos 1:116] And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given, nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
[Mos 1:117] For behold, he judgeth, and his judgment is just, and the infant perisheth not, that dieth in his infancy;
[Mos 1:118] But men drink damnation to their own souls, except they humble themselves, and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent:
[Mos 1:119] For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been, from the fall of Adam, and will be, for ever and ever;
[Mos 1:120] But if he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint, through the atonement of Christ, the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
[Mos 1:121] And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come, when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
[Mos 1:122] And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent;
[Mos 3:3] And also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.
[Mos 3:21] Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him, who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.
Definitely sounds like a God of power. A God who can do anything at His own will. God is not some spiritual Santa Claus that we present a wish list to and get our wishes granted. He is a God of glory and power who commands us to give Him our whole beings in return for the mercy He shows us. We are nothing without Him. He is not looking down at us chuckling when we make mistakes and shaking His head when we fail and hoping that we will learn our lessons. He is GOD. He commands the planets and stars, the seas and skies, the mountains and valleys. He does as He wills and we are insignificant before Him. It is our foolish pride and vanity which tries to turn Him into a God that can be treated as our equal. He is not our equal. He is GOD. He has no equal.
[Phil 2:12] Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
[Phil 2:13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
[Phil 2:14] Do all things without murmurings and disputings;
[Phil 2:15] That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
[Phil 2:16] Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.