Do you have a question you wish you could ask, but you’re too embarrassed to pose it because you think you’re the only one who doesn’t know the answer? Or, because you’re afraid of looking dumb?
Yeah, me too! That feeling is the worst.
There is a regular question I get, and it concerns one of the most confusing phrases found in Scripture “fearing God.” If you google, “What does it mean to fear the Lord?” you will get 155 million results. That’s a lot of answers!
The question can be especially difficult to answer because it feels like certain verses, related to the concept of fearing God, are in tension with, or even contradictory towards, one another.
For example, as you read Proverbs 9:10, you see these words, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.” However, when you turn to the end of the Bible, you can read 1 John 4:18, which says: “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.”
So, how do you reconcile these two references to fear when they feel like they’re saying opposite things?
It all comes down to what is meant by the word “fear” in the context of the verse.
In Proverbs 9:10 and many other instances within the Old Testament, the fear of the Lord is a positive thing. It’s always presented as an attitude or posture to be celebrated.
Put simply, “fearing God” in these contexts means to take God seriously. Marked by reverence, awe, wonder, and sobriety, our posture towards God when we fear Him reflects His majesty and might.
After all, God is in heaven, and we are on earth. God sees from the beginning and into eternity. All we see is previous moments and the one we are in, which provides a rather imperfect perspective. It seems like fearing God has to do with taking Him as seriously as He takes us.
When I step back and reflect on God’s character - all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present - I feel like there are no secrets with God. A God with whom there are no secrets is a God who is always exposing the truth.
This is what the writer of Hebrews describes in chapter 4, where we read, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”
In this text, we see a powerful word picture of God’s Word laying us bare. The Greek words draw a picture of someone going for the trachea - laid-bare in the most vulnerable space. An animal before it was slaughtered would have its chin lifted, and its throat laid bare.
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “go for the jugular,” this is the same idea. An encounter with God through His word lays us bare and vulnerable. Is it any wonder that we’re called to fear God when what God does is expose the true nature of things?
I’ve had this experience repeatedly. Reading Scripture has exposed things in my heart, which I didn’t previously see...
Years ago, I read Numbers 13-14. This is the passage about the twelve spies. In that text, God exposed my cynicism, and I began a journey towards hope.
As I was reading Romans 8, God exposed my shame-shaped identity and introduced me to His unconditional love.
In Mark 1, my unworthiness was exposed, and I heard the words “you are my beloved son” for the first time.
In 1 Corinthians 15, I saw what my sin had destroyed and discovered how God wanted to resurrect it.
Again and again, we see God taking us seriously, but do we take Him as seriously?
The invitation to fear the God who lays us bare isn’t the only powerful picture we see in Hebrews 4.
Hebrews 4:16 offers us a remarkable invitation: “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
If we are as exposed as Hebrews 4:12-13 says, then how can we come into God’s presence as boldly as verse 16 describes? Because we are called to take God seriously, with reverence, but not be terrified or timid before Him. God is offering His grace to us, and because of that, we can expect to find mercy in His presence, not condemnation.
In Romans 8:1, Paul writes, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Fear of condemnation has no place for one who belongs to Jesus. The fear which is described in a negative sense throughout Scripture is the fear which concerns punishment and the kind that produces timidity and a lack of courage.
Courage-sapping fear cannot coexist with the love we now have in Christ. In 1 John 4:18, John writes, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.”
When we recognize who God is, we can look at Him with a healthy fear. Our worship will become filled with awe and wonder, not familiarity and boredom. When we recognize what He’s done for us, our fear of the Lord won’t drive us away from His presence, our fear will draw us into His presence. Even when we feel totally unworthy, we get to run to God boldly, knowing that we will find grace and mercy at the moment we need it most.
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the parents of three “little savages.” He is the creator of the Free to Forgive Course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com.
