Freed from the fear of man, filled with the fear of God

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At first glance, it seems contradictory to be freed from fear and then to experience fear again. But what does the fear of God mean today? Even many Christians are uncertain. Back then, Paul warned Timothy against outward piety without true divine power. How relevant that is today!

Fear of God begins with a renewed image of God.

When asked about the fear of God, one often encounters perplexity because one's image of God is primarily based on personal ideas and not founded and shaped by the Word of God. This leads to opinions like, "God is a loving God," or to reassuring oneself with the words, "God understands me, and He knows why I act the way I do." In Psalm 50:21, God describes this behavior: "You did this, and I kept silent; you thought I was like you." In doing so, we overlook the fact that God is the Creator—we reduce Him to a human being like you and me.

But when we look to the Word of God, the prophet Isaiah already foretells that the Messiah will be filled with the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. The Russian translation even goes on to say that he will be filled with the fear of the Lord (cf. Isaiah 11:2-3). Thus equipped, Jesus was able to complete his journey on earth, leaving us with a wonderful example. We want to follow this example joyfully. The path of following Jesus is a path on which we look to Jesus step by step, thereby getting to know him better and increasingly adopting his character – and in doing so, becoming increasingly filled with the fear of the Lord.

The correct attitude before the holy God

When Jesus was still on earth, Scripture tells us that the disciple whom Jesus loved—John—lay on Jesus' breast. For John, this was clearly nothing unusual or presumptuous. He loved his Lord and Master, who—like himself—was in human form. However, when John received the revelation from God on the island of Patmos and Jesus appeared to him in glory, he fell to the ground as if dead. Here, there is no longer any mention of him lying on Jesus' breast, for Jesus no longer appeared to him in human form, but in His glory—as the Son of God. John could not help but fall down, overwhelmed by awe and the appearance of the Son of God.

It is also very important for us to understand that we serve a loving God, who is at the same time our almighty Creator and Lord, who has mercy on us out of grace and love. This does not mean that we must live in fear of Him. But precisely because of this, the necessity of approaching Him with reverence becomes apparent when we recognize that He is God and we are merely dust. This can be compared, at least to some extent, to the way we treat dignitaries—here, for example, we pay particular attention to our words and our behavior. This behavior, only on a far greater scale, describes the fear of God.

John Newton writes in the well-known and often-sung hymn "O Grace of God Wonderfully": "Grace has taught me fear and also freed me from fear." We see this principle in men of God such as Moses. When God calls him at the burning bush, Moses is still bound by a certain fear of man. But as his ministry progresses, God reveals himself to him more and more in miraculous ways. While this completely dispelled his fear of man, Moses' fear of God grew.

It is important to distinguish between fear and fear of God.

When Adam sinned, he feared God and hid from Him. We understand that this didn't suddenly make him devout, but rather that he feared God because of the sin he had committed—for fear is associated with punishment (see 1 John 4:18). Sin led Adam, who had previously lived in regular fellowship with God, to seek to escape that fellowship so as not to be convicted as a transgressor. Just as then, sin today robs us of the boldness to appear before God.

In contrast, however, through the blood of Jesus we have the boldness to enter the sanctuary (cf. Heb 10:19) – to this wonderful communion with our Creator. There we gain a deeper understanding of His omnipotence, His nature, and His love. And at the same time, we grow in the fear of God because we become newly aware of who God is – and how insignificant we are in comparison to Him.

In fellowship with God we grow in the fear of God.

“But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that the fear of him should be before your eyes, so that you will not sin!’” (Exodus 20:20).

God wants us to understand this too – He doesn't want us to hide from Him or withdraw out of fear. No, because He created us to have fellowship with Him. The communion with Him in the quiet of one's own room should be emphasized here: in prayer, in studying His Word, strengthened by fasting. This draws us closer to God, reveals to us the wonders of His law, and we grow in the fear of God because we experience how God is with us, hears our prayers, and answers us through His Word.

The consequences of neglecting this personal communion with God are also evident in the negative example of the cleansing of the Temple (cf. Mt 21:11-13). The money changers and merchants were in the Temple, where God's presence was, yet they were seeking not God, but Mammon. It never even occurred to them that their actions were reprehensible. Jesus brought this to their attention by quoting the prophet Isaiah, saying, "My house shall be called a house of prayer," and driving them out. The further a person is from God, the less reverence for God they possess. What remains is a formal worship service with rituals and customs, without the real God and communion with Him being at its center.

In the fear of God we also learn humility.

“But Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on earth” (Numbers 12:3/ Luther Bible 2009).

When Aaron and Miriam raised their accusations against Moses, we don't read that Moses responded. Instead, God's Word points to his humility. Moses' character makes it clear that humility goes hand in hand with the fear of God. For as we grow in the fear of God, we recognize more of God's greatness, and at the same time, we ourselves become ever smaller. God saw this state in Moses; He heard what Aaron and Miriam said, and He answered in Moses' place. How wonderful it is, and how much we need God to answer and act for us—when we practice the fear of God and, consequently, humility, for then God can use us.

The power of true fear of God

“But I will look on the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).

Towards the end of his ministry, Moses presented the people of Israel with the blessing and the curse: the blessing if they faithfully served God, the curse if they turned away from Him. The blessing depended on the extent to which they fulfilled God's commandments down to the smallest detail. Even though we live in a different time today, the same principle applies to us. Here, the fear of God helps us, protecting us from living recklessly and unstable lives because we love our Lord, do not want to grieve Him, and therefore do not want to deviate from His word—for we understand and believe that all Scripture is inspired by God and is fulfilled down to the smallest detail.

God first appeared to Moses in the burning bush and warned him not to approach it, because it was holy ground. Furthermore, God was present in the pillar of fire and cloud and also walked through the midst of the camp (see Deuteronomy 23:15). Today, we may not only encounter God at the burning bush, but we ourselves may be a temple of God, in which He dwells through the Holy Spirit. How much more, then, should we live in the fear of God, so as not to destroy His temple! If we practice this and remain in it, we receive God's blessing, and He can look down upon us with favor, so that ultimately we may hear the wonderful words: "You faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master."

Thomas Sonnenberg

Municipality of Winnenden