Godly Fear

Godly Fear

“Exercise yourself rather to godly fear.” 1 Tim. 4:7. In order to exercise myself in godly fear I need to know what it is, for it is something in which I need to exercise myself.

As natural human beings we have the visible things in mind, which means that we walk before the face of man. We seek to please people and appear great in their eyes in order to be admired by them. This is something that is important to us.

When we are converted we begin to live for God. Godly fear is to love God, wanting to please Him. Nevertheless, it is extremely difficult to have just Him before us to the exclusion of people and the world around us. After we have made up our mind to live for God, we have to exercise ourselves in it. By doing this our human nature is put to death. Even a man of God like Timothy needed this exhortation.

In Colossians 3 we have many examples of godly fear. Even though they were raised with Christ, Paul says to them: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above . . . .” “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” By the fear of God we put off all manifest sins, but we also have help in doing it by wanting to have a reputation among people for living a good life. In the beginning it is evident that having a reputation among people is more important to us than the honor of God. Paul says further, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

By walking before the face of man, we can suppress all this so that we appear righteous before men and can have a reputation of being a moral person, but we will never come to the point of putting “to death” the members that are on the earth. To do that, we have to have a life that “is hidden with Christ in God.” We have to stand before God’s face—without thinking about people. Only then will there be a death, for without a death there is no rest.

In connection with entering into rest, it is written that we have to give account to Him before whose eyes all things are naked and open. In the deepest sense of the word we don’t have to give account to anyone else. That is godly fear. Then the Word can also pierce and judge the thoughts and intents of the heart. We are to be diligent to enter that rest. Heb. 4:11-13.

We read further in Colossians 3: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Then the wife has to ask herself before whom she stands; is it her husband or is it the Lord? The husband has not given this commandment, but the Lord. This is when she has to exercise herself in godly fear, so that she comes to this hidden life with Christ in God. Then she can enter into rest by serving the Lord and not standing before her husband. This also applies to the husband not being bitter toward his wife; it also applies to servants when they are required to obey their employers “not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.” It is impossible for such a servant to enter into rest without true, godly fear. If you want to please men, then you, too, will become a “mere man,” even if you have a testimony that is ever so good from others. Only by doing what we do from the heart, as unto the Lord and not before men, can the death of Christ work in our members that are on the earth, and then we enter into true rest.

We must exercise ourselves in this hidden life with Christ in God, so that it is true, through and through, that we serve the Lord Christ. Then we will also receive an inheritance as a reward from Him.