WHAT IS THE FEAR OF GOD?
Photo from Unsplash.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…Psalm 111:10
We live in a time seemingly fraught with peril. A previously unknown virus has swept through our world, leaving a path of illness and death in its wake. Responses to the pandemic have exacerbated our collective anxiety and deepened our cultural and political divides. This has created a palpable sense of fear that many are not sure how to address.
This situation may be due in some part to the fact that fear is often misunderstood. Many see fear as negative, as something which holds people back and prevents them from living life to the fullest. In religious people, this negative view makes fear seem incompatible with living a faithful life. One such response to the pandemic has been a surge in the “faith over fear mentality,” often used in a way that downplays the seriousness of the current situation.
It is easy to understand why some would view fear as incompatible with faith. Many high-profile biblical passages seem to suggest this idea. “Do not fear” or “do not be afraid” are words that are spoken often. In Luke 1, Gabriel greets the Blessed Virgin by telling her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (1) Psalm 27 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” In Mark 4, when the disciples were caught in a rainstorm that was battering their boat and threatening their life, Jesus seemed frustrated with the fear of the disciples, asking them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
These passages, combined with many others that convey the same message, appear to cast fear in a strictly negative light. Fear can indeed be negative. When fear is inordinate, when it prevents one from living or doing things that are good and positive, when it stifles and oppresses, then it is something to be overcome. The scriptures challenge this fear that prevents people from moving boldly forward in their faith and lives.
The Bible also speaks of a different kind of fear: fear of God. The fear of God (or, fear of the Lord) is extolled as an essential good, a positive posture and emotion to be held by people of faith. It is a common theme in scripture. Psalm 111:10 says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” a sentiment echoed in various passages in Proverbs (for instance 1:7 and 9:10). Ecclesiastes 12:13 says that humans are to “fear God and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone.” Far from being an idea limited to the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament also speaks of this fear. I Peter 2:17 says that we are to “honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” Jesus himself even broaches the subject in Matthew 10:28 while encouraging his followers to be bold in their profession: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Biblical ideas of “fear of God” cast fear in a positive light. It is useful, beneficial, and even necessary. But what does it mean to fear God?
It is important first to establish what fear of God is not. Fear of God is not “being scared of God,” though this is certainly a stance that many have embraced. I grew up in a form of fundamentalist Christianity that took the “scared straight” approach to faith. Sermons were filled with hellfire and brimstone. God was righteous, angry, and bent on retribution. If one did not do exactly as God desired at all times, eternal suffering was the result. I can tell you from personal experience that this led to a faith that was devoid of any real depth or meaning, one that resulted in a life lived in constant fear. It was a faith that lacked grace. Fear of God is something other than this distortion. It is something bigger.
Fear of God is not the same as being scared of God. It is a sense of reverential awe. It is a fear that allows us to see our place in the order of creation. In many ways, it is a reminder of our smallness. It is a fear that moves us to love God for God’s sake and to avoid anything that will separate us from that love.
Pope Francis spoke of the fear of God as a gift that is given to Christians through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
This is what the Holy Spirit does through the gift of fear of the Lord: he opens hearts. The heart opens so that forgiveness, mercy, goodness and the caress of the Father may come to us, for as children we are infinitely loved…It is a gift that makes of us Christians who are convinced, enthusiastic, who aren’t submissive to the Lord out of fear but because we are moved and conquered by his love! To be conquered by the love of God! This is a beautiful thing. (ii)
Fear of God is something greater than fear of retribution. Yes, God desires us to live lives that are rooted in the Gospel, marked with humility, devotion, piety, and a thirst for justice. While it is true that scripture teaches that God corrects and chastens as any parent would when we go astray, (3) what loving parent wants their child to live life in a constant state of fear? Fear of God is different. It entails awe and wonder of God’s greatness, rooted in the love that God has first shown to us.
This seems to be precisely what the Psalmist is suggesting in Psalm 111. The Psalm does not start by speaking of “fear of the Lord,” but rather ends with it. The opening verses of the Psalm form a litany (a series of repeated requests) that extols the virtues and great works of God. We are told that God is great and just; God is the delight of those who see God’s hand at work; God is wonderful, gracious, and merciful; God is powerful and faithful; God’s name is holy and awesome.
This world is filled with reminders of the greatness of God. In December 2020, I was excited to witness the phenomenon of the “Christmas Star.” It was not an actual star, of course, it was what is known as “The Great Conjunction,” when the planets Jupiter and Saturn come exceedingly close to one another. The planets had not been that close together since 1623 and not visible since 1226. On that chilly December 21st evening, my family and I headed outside to wait for sundown. At first, our view was not that great. My daughter and I walked out of our yard and started walking in the small field behind our house. Before I knew it, we had walked several hundred yards from our home. Gazing heavenward, I saw it: two bright balls of light, so close that they were hard to distinguish from one another without optics. As I stood there with my daughter looking up at this occurrence, I realized that what we were witnessing had not been observed in 800 years. I was moved by just how blessed we were to witness this rare formation. It was this moment of intense clarity about the vastness of the universe, the greatness of God, and my place in it all. I was humbled as I recalled the words of the Psalmist, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” (4) It was a moment of pure awe.
Sadly, it was but a moment. The night grew colder, and we had to walk home, go inside, and carry on with the mundane tasks that make up daily life. Yet, I am reminded that it is precisely in the midst of this seemingly mundane daily life that we learn to fear God.
Perhaps this is why the Psalmist did not simply write “that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The author knew that emotions like awe and wonder can be fleeting. This Psalm continues, “all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.” Fear, awe, wonder, love—these are things we are to actively embrace, to practice, to cultivate. In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther answers the question, “what does this mean?” by saying, “we are to fear and love God.” (5) We fear and love God by seeking where and how God is working in our world; by embracing God’s loving purpose for all of creation; by extending that love to others. We fear and love God by having an active faith that trusts that the same God who created the heavens and earth, and all that it contains, is the same God that loves us, knows us by name, and calls us to a new life in Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, to fear God is not to be scared about what God might do to us if we mess up. It is about embracing the reality of what God has already done for us. It is a reminder to live our lives with awe, wonder, and humility.
All scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University, 1996.
Pope Francis, “General Audience of 11 June 2014,” retrieved 12 March 2021 from http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140611_udienza-generale.html
Hebrews 12:5-11
Psalm 8:3-4
This question-and-answer format was used by Luther as he explained the role of the Ten Commandments in the life of the Christian. See https://bookofconcord.org/small-catechism/, or Timothy Wengert, ed. Luther’s Small Catechism: 500 Years of Reformation, Study Edition (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2016), pp. 14-24.
