Why Fear God?

Why Fear God? The first condition for getting the good God has for us is for us to “fear God.” So the question is How Can I Fear God?

How do we balance perfect love driving out all fear (1 John 4:18) with worshipping God acceptably with all reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29)? How can God not give us the spirit of fear, and yet still tell us to fear Him?

What is fearing the Lord? Does it mean we’re afraid to face Him on the Day of Judgement?  Is it simply we give Him reverence as God?

The Bible shows us more.

I know I can’t fear God is angry with me, because He’s promised to never be angry with my past sin again (Isaiah 54:9-10).

I know I can fear Him because the glimpses of Him I’ve had leave me wrecked, undone, and unable to do anything but worship Him in awe.

But it’s not that I need supernatural experiences with God before I have a revelation that I need to fear Him. Don’t get me wrong, it is one of the ways. When we encounter God, as it were, “face-to-face” and we have no argument, no excuses, nothing to give Him but our awe…we can start to know both the fear and a new level of the love of God.

But the “fear of the Lord” can start before and without such an experience. The Scripture – both in the Old and New Testament that tell us the benefit of fearing the Lord and How to Fear the Lord.

It’s not just for those living under the law. Those of us who live under grace need to know how we can fear the Lord.

We’ll be looking at bother the benefits of fearing the Lord and the ways we can fear the Lord in the next couple of posts on this topic. Love to have your thoughts now.