A Glaring Lack of the Fear of God!

A Glaring Lack of the Fear of God!

This is a fact in most believers’ lives. However, they are so far from the truth that they do not realize the bad state they are in. They don’t even know what the fear of God is, what it consists of, and how it functions.

Open up the Bible concordance under “fear” (noun) and “fear,” (verb) and you will discover that there are two widely different kinds of fear. The one kind of fear is to fear God; this is godly fear (Heb. 11:7), fear of displeasing God. The other fear is fear of all kinds of other things. This is an ungodly and extremely harmful fear. Many exhortations like the following are written about this fear, such as: “Fear not,” that is, fear nothing outside of displeasing God, going against His will, and transgressing His laws and commandments and exhortations.

However, about the godly, good, fruitful fear of God it is written: “Fear the Lord!” “Fear God!” “Let us now fear the Lord . . . .” Jer. 5:24. “Yes, I say to you, ‘Fear Him!’” “Do not be haughty, but fear.” Rom. 11:20. “Serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Heb. 12:28. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling . . . .” Phil. 2:12. “The fear of the Lord leads to life . . . .” Prov. 19:23. “The fear of the Lord prolongs days . . . .” Prov. 10:27. “Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear . . . .” 1 Pet. 1:17. “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life . . . .” Prov. 14:27. “Fear God and give glory to Him . . . .” Rev. 14:7.

“Fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Prov. 3:7. “Job . . . feared God and turned away from evil.” Job 1:1. The fear of God is to depart from evil, from everything that displeases God, from all possible transgressions. It affects us in such a way that we depart far from evil. Not that we agree we ought to do it, and neither that we attempt (in vain) to do it, but that we quite simply and resolutely do it!

In other words, it is done; it happens; it becomes an accomplished fact! If not, I have not feared God and departed from evil. It is either / or! Otherwise I have only pretended to be God-fearing; in other words, I have only an appearance of godliness. 2 Tim. 3:5. True fear of God entails the power to act!

When the Scriptures exhort over and over again, “Put off! Put off! Put off!” and I really fear to displease God and to be disobedient to His Word, then all this sin is put off; it disappears; it loses its power over me. It is separated from me and I become separate from it. Hallelujah! Then the words in 1 John 3:8 are fulfilled: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

Then committing conscious sin has ceased. The love of God—of pleasing Him instead of displeasing Him—causes me to keep His commandments with a joyful and glad heart and thankfulness! Glory to His name!

Why do the majority of believers not have victory over sin? Why do they continue to sin? Because they lack the fear of acting against God’s will, and therefore they are not very careful with what they think, say, and do. Therefore God does not give them grace and strength to overcome. They are not worthy of it. God is not very interested in such unconcerned and indifferent people!

If a person really feared to displease God, what effect would Jesus’ word “Judge not!” have had? Then the person would have departed far from judging, staying away from anything resembling it for the rest of his life! However, instead of doing that, most people continue to judge and criticize each other as long as they live! They are very far from fearing and loving God. They do what people usually do instead of doing what Jesus said. This is very disgraceful.

People don’t say they don’t care what Jesus said. However, they do say it clearly and plainly by their actions and by their habitual criticism and judging.

What about the words of the Scripture about empty talk and every idle word and about taming your tongue? How many people have been mortally afraid to sin in this regard so that vain talk and empty words have ceased? The truth is, they have been superficial and have slept very soundly, resulting in ignorance of their crying lack of the fear of God.

And what shall we say of the effects of Jesus’ glorious words in John 17:21-23??? It hasn’t been any more effective on the vast majority of believers than water penetrating to a goose’s skin. They don’t believe any more in these glorious words than a cat does! You can both hear and see it from far off!

Even among those who are better, among the comparatively quite God-fearing, there can be a fair amount of a lack of living faith in something that is as divine and exalted as the subject matter of John 17:21-23. Read these true words meditatively over and over again, with the noble intention of believing them with all of your heart, being afraid to doubt. For without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb. 11:6.