Question
What does it mean to fear God? Are we supposed to be afraid of him?
Analysis
At a glance
| Sense | Where | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reverent awe that shapes life | The dominant wisdom sense | Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10; Ecclesiastes 12:13 |
| Reverence in worship | Approaching God as he is | Hebrews 12:28; Hebrews 12:29; Psalms 2:11 |
| Right seriousness about judgment | Warnings | Matthew 10:28; 2 Corinthians 5:11 |
| Terror or dread | Sometimes described, often addressed | Exodus 20:18; Exodus 20:19 |
| The fear to be freed from | Anxious, punishing fear | 1 John 4:18; Romans 8:15; 2 Timothy 1:7 |
The wisdom sense: fear as the beginning of wisdom
The wisdom books make the fear of the LORD the starting point of knowing anything rightly (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10; Job 28:28; Psalms 111:10). It is not presented as a feeling to work up but as a posture: taking God seriously as God, which then orders everything else. Proverbs defines it partly by what it does, "the fear of the LORD is to hate evil" (Proverbs 8:13), and Ecclesiastes ends the whole book on it: fear God and keep his commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
It is repeatedly tied to safety, not dread
This is the pattern that most often surprises readers. The same Scriptures that command the fear of God attach comfort to it:
- Those who fear him lack no good thing (Psalms 34:9; Psalms 34:10).
- His mercy is on those who fear him, from generation to generation (Luke 1:50).
- The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him (Psalms 147:11).
- His steadfast love is toward those who fear him (Psalms 103:11; Psalms 103:13), and the same passage compares him to a father showing compassion.
The picture is closer to a child's regard for a good and powerful parent than to a subject cowering before a tyrant.
The scene that shows both senses at once
At Sinai the people are terrified by the thunder and smoke and beg Moses to speak with them instead of God (Exodus 20:18; Exodus 20:19). Moses answers with what looks like a contradiction: do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you (Exodus 20:20). The same passage tells them not to be afraid and to hold the fear of God, which is exactly the distinction the wider Bible keeps making: not cringing dread, but a settled reverence.
The fear Scripture removes
Several passages treat a certain kind of fear as something to be relieved of, not cultivated:
- Perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment (1 John 4:18).
- Believers did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but of adoption (Romans 8:15).
- God did not give a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).
- "Do not be afraid" is among the most frequent things said by God and his messengers in Scripture (Isaiah 41:10; Luke 2:10).
Where the emphasis differs
Christians agree that the phrase does not mean being scared of God, and that it does not mean mere politeness either. Where the weight falls varies:
| Emphasis | Position |
|---|---|
| Reverence and awe | The fear of God is wonder and submission before his holiness; dread belongs to those who reject him, not to his children. Leans on Romans 8:15; 1 John 4:18. |
| Reverence including a real seriousness | Awe, and also a right sobriety about judgment that Scripture does not withdraw from believers. Leans on Hebrews 12:28; Hebrews 12:29; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Philippians 2:12. |
| Covenant loyalty | The phrase functions in the Old Testament largely as a way of saying faithful obedience to the covenant, so the accent is practical rather than emotional. Leans on Deuteronomy 10:12; Ecclesiastes 12:13. |
These are differences of emphasis within a shared understanding rather than rival doctrines, and the passages each leans on are all in the same Bible.