Should we be afraid of God? What does the Bible mean when it talks about fear of God? What is this fear?
Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
Deuteronomy 8:6
At the beginning of my reconciliation with Christ, I had a hard time understanding what that fear really was. A super important theme that leads us to have respect and zeal for what comes from God.
Shall we talk a little about it?
Being afraid vs. Fear of God
When we know our God and understand who He is, we may be afraid of Him, but we cannot stay in that stage of fright! Why?
According to psychology, being afraid is related to an involuntary and natural reaction that is associated with the survival instinct. It is related to self-preservation (action or reaction to preserve one’s existence).
So if we do things to and from God for being afraid, we are doing it with the mindset to preserve our own life, and not out of love for Him.
That is exactly where fear comes in!
Ok. But what is the fear of God?
“Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.”
Ecclesiastes 5:7
Through several passages, the Bible shows us that we must fear God and explains what is the fear!
Fear God is to reverence and zeal for His things! The fear of God must not lead us to a position of dread, but a position of love and reverence.
When we understand who God is, we must bow in reverence and do his will because we love him and we understand that his will is good, perfect and pleasant.
We need not be afraid of God, because he loves us, wants our good and has the best for us. However, respect and zeal for the things of the Lord must be rooted in our minds and hearts, lest we sin against Him (Psalm 119: 11).
Without fear …
From the moment we have no fear of God, we don’t take seriously what comes from him and we don’t see how bad the consequences of sin are0. A life without fear of God is a life without love for Him and distant from Him.
If we truly fear God, we will enter into a relationship of deep love for Him. This will lead us to follow the right path and live a life according to His plans.
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Grace and Peace.
