Fear of the Lord

[Sac49]

I am no great theologian. I dont know everything nor do i have all the answers. But i am no slouch either. Those who know me, know that when i study Gods Word i go into great depth. I have been called a deep thinker and this subject has had me thinking deeply.

Lately i have been studying one of the toughest subjects i have ever studied and tried to understand thru guidance of the Holy Spirit. I have been studying this subject for at least a month (i've lost track). I have read writings on it, listened to sermons on it and have read commentaries on it. Every time i think "i've got it!" God says "not quite. There is more". It has been quite fun doing this study and learning more about God. There is no simple answer to this question.

What is fear of the Lord? What does fear of the Lord mean? How are we as Christians to fear the Lord? How am I to fear the Lord in my every day life?

We are to have a servile fear; the fear of a slave before a master. We are to have philial fear; awe, love, reverance and respect for God. But it is even deeper than that. When we come before God we will have no choice but fall to our knees with our face in the dirt before Him. We wont be able to resist this. Even Gods greatest "adversary", satan, will not be able to resist this. We, and satan, will be before the creator of everything!

"The fear of the Lord" and "fear God" is mentioned all thru the Bible and it is used in different ways depending on the context in which it is mentioned. Fear of the Lord is not something to be taken lightly. On one hand it is something used in worship, prayer and study and on the other it is in complete "I fear God". Then there is "the fear of the Lord is the begining of all knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). What? And the fact that we as Christians are not to fear God.

There are many ways in which we are to "fear the Lord" but there are also many ways in which we are not to "fear the Lord". This thought is just the "tip of the iceberg". I have just seen the "tip of the iceberg" in my study and would like to study this with others. Not by our own undetstanding but by looking into Gods Word and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Its not "what we know" that drives us to study but "what we dont know". Only God can teach us what He has revealed to us so i pray that God would guide us in this study.

To me "fear of the Lord" can bring an understanding of how we are to relate with God in our worshio, our prayer, our study and our daily lives. If we say "I have no fear of God" then we truly do not know what "fear the Lord" means in context and undetstanding.

Even an "atheist" will question God in times of trouble so shouldnt we know what "fear the Lord" means in every definition of "fear the Lord"? Until we "fear the Lord" do we really know God? Do we really know how we are to live our lives for God? Do we really know what we are to God? Do we really know what the meaning of life is?

These are the questions I have and would like to understand. Do we really KNOW GOD? I dont question God but i do question my devotion too God. Do you?

 

[mpaper345]

Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Psa 115:13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

Psa 118:4 Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psa 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We are blessed when we fear the LORD,and the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,and understanding,so without the fear of the LORD we will not get anywhere.

But what is the fear of the LORD.

Pro 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

The fear of the LORD is just that,you fear Him,plain and simple.

We fear the LORD,and we fear to do evil,because we know He hates it,and has the power to go against us if we go against His ways,and we cannot stop Him,and he has the power to cast all who are disobedient in to hell.

The people of the world who do not believe,do so for they do not fear the LORD,for they do not think there is any punishment coming for being evil,or that God does not punish,so they do not fear Him,and that lack of fear keeps them from understanding the truth.

The fear of the LORD is to fear what He can do to us if we are disobedient,so we fear Him,and obey Him.

The fear of the LORD is we fear Him,so we obey Him,for fear of the punishment He can afflict if we do not comply to His rules.

The world does not fear the LORD,for they do not think there is any punishment for being evil.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

It is a fearful thing to fall in to the hands of the living God for all those who are disobedient.

Php 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.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,for it is a fearful thing to not obtain salvation.

Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Do not worry what the world can do to you,but fear God,for He has power to cast in to hell all that are disobedient.

The fear of the LORD,is just that fear the LORD,by obeying His ways that He has laid out upon the world on how to be right with Him,to escape the trouble you will be in if you do not obey.

The fear of the LORD,is plain and simple,the fear of being punished for not acknowledging God,and His ways.

It is the fear of being punished for not doing what is right,as God said what is right.

If God never punished for how we act,and everybody would dwell with Him no matter how we act,what is there to fear.

 

[Amazing-Grace]

Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Psa 115:13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

Psa 118:4 Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psa 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We are blessed when we fear the LORD,and the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,and understanding,so without the fear of the LORD we will not get anywhere.

But what is the fear of the LORD.

Pro 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

The fear of the LORD is just that,you fear Him,plain and simple.

We fear the LORD,and we fear to do evil,because we know He hates it,and has the power to go against us if we go against His ways,and we cannot stop Him,and he has the power to cast all who are disobedient in to hell.

The people of the world who do not believe,do so for they do not fear the LORD,for they do not think there is any punishment coming for being evil,or that God does not punish,so they do not fear Him,and that lack of fear keeps them from understanding the truth.

The fear of the LORD is to fear what He can do to us if we are disobedient,so we fear Him,and obey Him.

The fear of the LORD is we fear Him,so we obey Him,for fear of the punishment He can afflict if we do not comply to His rules.

The world does not fear the LORD,for they do not think there is any punishment for being evil.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

It is a fearful thing to fall in to the hands of the living God for all those who are disobedient.

Php 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.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,for it is a fearful thing to not obtain salvation.

Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Do not worry what the world can do to you,but fear God,for He has power to cast in to hell all that are disobedient.

The fear of the LORD,is just that fear the LORD,by obeying His ways that He has laid out upon the world on how to be right with Him,to escape the trouble you will be in if you do not obey.

The fear of the LORD,is plain and simple,the fear of being punished for not acknowledging God,and His ways.

It is the fear of being punished for not doing what is right,as God said what is right.

If God never punished for how we act,and everybody would dwell with Him no matter how we act,what is there to fear.

Amen, this is understanding why we must fear The Lord.

Great OP BTW

 

[Sac49]

Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Psa 115:13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

Psa 118:4 Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psa 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We are blessed when we fear the LORD,and the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,and understanding,so without the fear of the LORD we will not get anywhere.

But what is the fear of the LORD.

Pro 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

The fear of the LORD is just that,you fear Him,plain and simple.

We fear the LORD,and we fear to do evil,because we know He hates it,and has the power to go against us if we go against His ways,and we cannot stop Him,and he has the power to cast all who are disobedient in to hell.

The people of the world who do not believe,do so for they do not fear the LORD,for they do not think there is any punishment coming for being evil,or that God does not punish,so they do not fear Him,and that lack of fear keeps them from understanding the truth.

The fear of the LORD is to fear what He can do to us if we are disobedient,so we fear Him,and obey Him.

The fear of the LORD is we fear Him,so we obey Him,for fear of the punishment He can afflict if we do not comply to His rules.

The world does not fear the LORD,for they do not think there is any punishment for being evil.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

It is a fearful thing to fall in to the hands of the living God for all those who are disobedient.

Php 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.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,for it is a fearful thing to not obtain salvation.

Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Do not worry what the world can do to you,but fear God,for He has power to cast in to hell all that are disobedient.

The fear of the LORD,is just that fear the LORD,by obeying His ways that He has laid out upon the world on how to be right with Him,to escape the trouble you will be in if you do not obey.

The fear of the LORD,is plain and simple,the fear of being punished for not acknowledging God,and His ways.

It is the fear of being punished for not doing what is right,as God said what is right.

If God never punished for how we act,and everybody would dwell with Him no matter how we act,what is there to fear.

This is definately one way we are to fear the Lord. But, this is not the only "fear of the Lord". This is a servile fear. We should be afraid of what "our master could do to us if we disobey". This is a healthy fear to have. We should be afraid of Gods justice but since we are Christians we should not be afraid due to His mercy and grace. If God was only a "just" God then due to the definition of Justice we all deserve hell. But since God is also a merciful and graceful God we know that He will have mercy and grace on those who have faith in Him.
This is where "fear of the Lord" becomes shadowy and the lines become hard to see. Not only to have a servile fear but a philial fear as in awe, respect and reverance to God.

If you only define the fear of the Lord as a setvile fear, afraid of the masters punishment, then are we only worshiping God so we dont go to hell? Fear of the Lord is much more than being afraid of Gods wrath due to our sin. If this is the case then are we not just worshiping God so we dont end up in hell?

You state tbat the "fear of the Lord is plain and simple, the fear of being punished for not acknowledging God and His ways". Well i say not so plain and simple. If we are only afraid of punishment then there is no true worship but only an act of "pleasing" God so we dont go to hell. Does He not just truely deserve our worship due to Him being the one true God? Are we just worshiping God because we are afraid of His punishmebt? Are we so "afraid" of God that we worship out of fear of punishment? Are we to have fear of the Lord due to possible punishment or because He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us?

If this is a god who makes me worship him out of complete fear of him and his punnishment then this is not the one and only true God. The gods of mythology are gods to worship out of fear of what they could do to us. The true God of everything is a God to worship because of what He did for us.

So you can see why there isnt a "plain and simple" answer to this question.

 

[bikerchaz]

Just a little part of this "fear". My friend wants me and my family to go his daughter Christening. I will go because he is my friend. I have talked to him (not in depth), and mentioned that this does nothing and it is only a man made tradition. He answered "His mum would have wanted it, he was Christened, his wife was, his son was" (I was not able to go to his sons).

I am going because he is my friend nothing more. I do not support his action and have made my case clear. I suppose I fear for our friendship. I have relationship with Jesus and Father through the Holy Spirit and I find it difficult to say I fear God but I do revere Him, I stand in awe of Jesus because of what He has done in my life.

I do not fear loosing connection with the Holy Spirit but I fear being complacent and not listening or being to full of myself to hear what He is saying. I fear this most because it seems to happen most.

Walking with God can be or feel a little blah-zey sometimes and it becomes unreal. The connection seems to drop and suddenly I am conscious of being where I can't hear. Prayer is always the answer, talking to God and Jesus is always the way to ignite the fire and feel the warmth of love that flows from the thrown of grace.

I understand the love there is in relationship as with my wife and children so with Jesus, I also understand reverential fear within these relationships, to please my wife and children by not troubling these relationships. By not lusting after another, by not being bullish toward my children, but loving them and looking for ways to enable that love, its not doing housework, though I dare say it would help, but being mindful over situations and conversations as they happen. This too with God, giving glory and worship of life, or living a life fitting of worshipful obedience. This is what the fear of the Lord means to me.

 

[beta]

Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Psa 115:13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

Psa 118:4 Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psa 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We are blessed when we fear the LORD,and the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,and understanding,so without the fear of the LORD we will not get anywhere.

But what is the fear of the LORD.

Pro 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

The fear of the LORD is just that,you fear Him,plain and simple.

We fear the LORD,and we fear to do evil,because we know He hates it,and has the power to go against us if we go against His ways,and we cannot stop Him,and he has the power to cast all who are disobedient in to hell.

The people of the world who do not believe,do so for they do not fear the LORD,for they do not think there is any punishment coming for being evil,or that God does not punish,so they do not fear Him,and that lack of fear keeps them from understanding the truth.

The fear of the LORD is to fear what He can do to us if we are disobedient,so we fear Him,and obey Him.

The fear of the LORD is we fear Him,so we obey Him,for fear of the punishment He can afflict if we do not comply to His rules.

The world does not fear the LORD,for they do not think there is any punishment for being evil.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

It is a fearful thing to fall in to the hands of the living God for all those who are disobedient.

Php 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.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,for it is a fearful thing to not obtain salvation.

Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Do not worry what the world can do to you,but fear God,for He has power to cast in to hell all that are disobedient.

The fear of the LORD,is just that fear the LORD,by obeying His ways that He has laid out upon the world on how to be right with Him,to escape the trouble you will be in if you do not obey.

The fear of the LORD,is plain and simple,the fear of being punished for not acknowledging God,and His ways.

It is the fear of being punished for not doing what is right,as God said what is right.

If God never punished for how we act,and everybody would dwell with Him no matter how we act,what is there to fear.

I think this is a bit too much OT teaching still ! Not saying all this is not true and it was indeed to instill in us a healthy RESPECT for God....I'm all for it ! but consider the NT and the way JESUS would have us respond to God NOW. Of course the new teaching could only work if we correctly absorbed the old teaching with a sense of 'obedience and respect'. But are people/christians prepared to start there ??
From what I see and hear re christian teaching they are not much interested in starting from scratch....they only want to know about the 'risen/resurrected Christ and what He has done for them....for the convenience and ease He offers them of not having to do anything themselves , not even the keeping of the Commandments. Jesus is never seen as an EXAMPLE for them to follow or to walk with !
We always hear about the 'finished work on the cross as if Christ had nothing more to teach us.

 

[beta]

Just a little part of this "fear". My friend wants me and my family to go his daughter Christening. I will go because he is my friend. I have talked to him (not in depth), and mentioned that this does nothing and it is only a man made tradition. He answered "His mum would have wanted it, he was Christened, his wife was, his son was" (I was not able to go to his sons).

I am going because he is my friend nothing more. I do not support his action and have made my case clear. I suppose I fear for our friendship. I have relationship with Jesus and Father through the Holy Spirit and I find it difficult to say I fear God but I do revere Him, I stand in awe of Jesus because of what He has done in my life.

I do not fear loosing connection with the Holy Spirit but I fear being complacent and not listening or being to full of myself to hear what He is saying. I fear this most because it seems to happen most.

Walking with God can be or feel a little blah-zey sometimes and it becomes unreal. The connection seems to drop and suddenly I am conscious of being where I can't hear. Prayer is always the answer, talking to God and Jesus is always the way to ignite the fire and feel the warmth of love that flows from the thrown of grace.

I understand the love there is in relationship as with my wife and children so with Jesus, I also understand reverential fear within these relationships, to please my wife and children by not troubling these relationships. By not lusting after another, by not being bullish toward my children, but loving them and looking for ways to enable that love, its not doing housework, though I dare say it would help, but being mindful over situations and conversations as they happen. This too with God, giving glory and worship of life, or living a life fitting of worshipful obedience. This is what the fear of the Lord means to me.

I agree with you friend, it is difficult to maintain fellowship with God and friendship with ungodly people. The churches of this world make a 'christening into a religious requirement when actually it is no more than giving a child a 'name....which can easily be done just 'on paper. I can understand they base it on Jesus own ritual of being circumcised, but since physical circumcision is no longer required neither should christian/religious christening....as I see it.

 

[TMS]

i'm not sure what others have said but i look at it like this.
Fear God because He is the creator, the life giver, and holds our life in His hands, He is all powerful.
As sinners we have great reason to fear God, we should die, realising how great our problem is, is the beginning of wisdom.
But realising how God has saved us from sin means we don't need to fear Gods wrath.

To fear God leads us to a place where we don't need to fear God's wrath because we know that he is Love, but we still fear Him because He is God almighty.

 

[Grace777x70]

There is a terror of the Lord which is what us Christians that are now God's children are NOT to have. I believe the scriptural fear of the Lord in relation to us being children of God now - is to have reverence and to be awed for the Lord for not only who He is but the power He has.

To be afraid of God as in the usage of the word "fear" is NOT for us Christians. To have this type of "fear" is to not really know the love of God for us yet as we ought to.

1 John 4:18 (NASB)
[SUP]18 [/SUP] There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

 

[HisHolly]

John Bevere has teaching on this subject. Ex 20:20 is one of his main texts. I think to disregard the OT bc the NT is a misfortune to all who participate. The NT was possible bc those in hearing understood the OT. As for the gentiles that didn't, in Acts Paul and the Apostles gave a run down of truths from the beginning and ended with Christ resurrection. They also gave a few laws to keep. But everyone is free to do believe otherwise.

 

[prove-all]

Psalms 8:4 (KJV)

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?




[h=3]Hebrews 2:6 (KJV)[/h]

But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
or the son of man, that thou visitest him?​

​

 

[prove-all]

Acts 9:31 (KJV)

Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea 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.





Psalms 111:10 (KJV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:

a good understanding have all they that do his commandments:

his praise endureth for ever.​

​

 

[Amazing-Grace]

Sorry I was unable to elaborate this morning as I was in a rush to get to work...

Obviously this "fear" of The Lord has many sides. When we fall down on our faces at His feet this isn't the same fear I quoted from post #2, no this is respect, reverence and being in awe of Him for who He is and what He has done. Fear is also about not wanting to disappoint Him - even though we know we are forgiven when we sin we do not want to disappoint Him - it not about Him being angered just disappointed.

 

[eph610]

The Fear of the Lord is simply your reverence to him...that is all...the Hebrew word has many lexicons[meanings] but in context with the Fear of the Lord found in Proverbs and Psalms, it means fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety, revered...

Peeps the Bible is not complicated....the message is simple Reverence the Lord

 

[Spiritualpixie]

Excellent topic and I agree for the most part.
I had zero fear of God before I came back to Christ. Simply because I was arrogant and thought I knew everything. I hated authority, still not to fond of it tbh, however I was riddled with a deeper inner evil fear that is indescribable....so,outwardly I would swear at God, cursing Him for creating evil, blaming Him for everything smh.... But When I came to Christ, a new 'fear' which I'd never experienced before began to replace my deeper darker fears. The best way that I can describe it is, that I'm in total Awe off God, kinda like when you see electric for the first time, then realise that if you stick your finger in the socket you're gonna get zapped...So you don't do it, instead you take heed of the warnings given to you... Because you respect the fact that this electric is far more powerful than anything you've ever encountered before.....I Don't want to obey God because I'm scared of Him, but obey Him because I love Him. And this gentle 'fear' Awe and Respect towards God is an excellent bonus for someone as stubborn and rebellious as me.....I've never been a coward, but God's Greatness makes me cower in shame because of how I treated Him in my past....

 

[mailmandan]

I see fearing God as fear of offending God and a righteous awe and respect for Him (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 34:9; Isaiah 66:2). Prior to my conversion, while still attending the Roman Catholic church, I basically saw God as a tyrant who couldn't wait to punish me every time I messed up. That is an unhealthy fear!

 

[prove-all]

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth,
and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me,

and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

 

[Sac49]

The fear of the Lord is not "simply this or simply that". We are to have reverance, respect and be in awe of God. We are to fear the Lord also in the way a slave fears his master. And yes we should also have a healthy dose of just plain simple fear of God in respect to the awesome power which He has.

I think the fear of the Lord is understanding all of these points. If we dont worship God yet fear Him then we are just plain afraid of God. If we worship God yet arent afraid to dissapoint Him then we have no concern of consequences if we do something wrong thus we dont respect His authority. If we arent afraid one bit about His awesome power then then we arent in awe of Him. I think fearing the Lord encompases all of these ways in which we are to fear the Lord. This is my understanding of "fear of the Lord" from the study i have done on this subject so far but i dont think i understand it completely as of yet.

For example; how is the fear of the Lord the beginning of all knowledge as we read in Proverbs 1:7?

 

[eph610]

The fear of the Lord is not "simply this or simply that". We are to have reverance, respect and be in awe of God. We are to fear the Lord also in the way a slave fears his master. And yes we should also have a healthy dose of just plain simple fear of God in respect to the awesome power which He has.

I think the fear of the Lord is understanding all of these points. If we dont worship God yet fear Him then we are just plain afraid of God. If we worship God yet arent afraid to dissapoint Him then we have no concern of consequences if we do something wrong thus we dont respect His authority. If we arent afraid one bit about His awesome power then then we arent in awe of Him. I think fearing the Lord encompases all of these ways in which we are to fear the Lord. This is my understanding of "fear of the Lord" from the study i have done on this subject so far but i dont think i understand it completely as of yet.

For example; how is the fear of the Lord the beginning of all knowledge as we read in Proverbs 1:7?

I respect electricity because it can kill me...I have seen others get killed or seriously hurt by having a fear of electricity.....


I also think you should try relating to God by looking at Jesus Christ.....by relating to God through Jesus Christ most of these answers would be given...

 

[notuptome]

Pr 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Reverential trust in Jehovah God.

For the cause of Christ
Roger