The Crucial Nature of this Dread and Terror
As you ponder this subject of the fear of God, do you do so as a stranger to vital union with Christ and to the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit? Do you bear no marks of a saving union with Christ and of true discipleship? Have you no dread of God’s awful judgment?
Do you believe that God is the God He has revealed Himself to be in Scripture? If He is that God, then His judgments are bearing down upon you just like the train bearing down upon that man on the track. Can you contemplate that reality without any inward trembling? Can you consider the onrushing judgment of God and remain a stranger to grace and to the cleansing of the blood of Christ, which alone can save you from that judgment? Will you close this book ignorant? . . . or spiritually insane?
Do you resent the thought that someone would attempt to scare you into becoming a Christian? Suppose someone were to yell to that man on the tracks, “Man, a train is coming, get off the tracks!” Would he not be trying to scare him out of the way? Indeed, he would be! But he would not be scaring him with a phantom terror. He would be scaring him with naked realities, the reality of hardened steel that will crush his throbbing flesh.
So, when you hear the warning, “Flee from the wrath to come!”, you ought to repent! Give yourself no rest until you know that you are joined to Christ. The time between now and the day of judgment will be but a few short seconds as God reckons time. Should you die an untimely death, that day will come even more swiftly for you. May God grant that you will fear with a fear that will cause you to flee from your sin and from His wrath and judgment.
And for the people of God, let us not be caught up in the notion that the essence of spirituality is the measure to which we can carelessly disregard the judgments of the Almighty God and the terror of the Lord. As one has said, humility, contrition and lowliness of mind are the essence of biblical godliness. The dispositional complex which is characterized by these fruits of the Spirit is one that must embrace the fear and trembling that reflect our consciousness of our sin and frailty. The piety of the New Testament is totally alien to the presumption of the person who is a stranger to a contrite heart. And it is alien to the confidence of the person who never takes account of the holy and just judgments of God. A wholesome, holy dread is no small part of our motivation to persevere in the faith. When sin becomes so seductive and attractive in its overtures, and it seems as though the reality of a dying Savior and all the other motives of grace have suddenly been cut off in our minds and hearts, this is one motive that God often uses to awaken his children. The familiar warning, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), was written to believers—the saints in the church at Rome.
Finally, this fear should motivate us not only with reference to ourselves. The apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:10-11, “For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ…. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” If you see the train bearing down on another man, you don’t stand there and whistle and say, “Well, at least it’s not going to hit me.” Just the thought of what the train will do to him will make you tremble. Likewise, the child of God who has been rescued from the tracks and knows from what he has been delivered cannot help but tremble as he beholds the train of God’s fury and wrath bearing down upon others. Thus, the terror of the Lord becomes part of the motivation to persuade men to flee the wrath to come.
May God grant that this aspect of His fear will become an increasing part of our heart and our thinking. And may it have its commensurate effect in our lives. The presence of this dread and terror is no evidence of grace. You may, like Felix, tremble and still be impenitent (Acts 24:25). But it is doubtful there is any grace where this fear is not present, for grace has introduced you to the knowledge of God, the God who is terrible in His judgment.
The Fear of Veneration and Awe
Without negating or diluting that first facet of the fear of God—the fear of terror and dread—nevertheless, it is the second aspect of fear—the fear of veneration and reverential awe—which is the dominant theme of Holy Scripture. When Scripture says, “The fear of the Lord is the chief part of knowledge,” it is not so much the fear of terror and of dread that is in view, but the fear of veneration, of awe and of reverence. It is this fear which God says He will put into the hearts of men in the blessings of the New Covenant and which will cause them to adhere to His ways and to keep His statutes.
Old Testament Examples
Genesis 28
What must there be in a man if he is to have this fear of God—the fear of dread and of terror, but primarily the fear of awe and of reverence? We may think through this second aspect of the fear of God by considering some biblical examples of it. We begin with Jacob. In Genesis 28:12-22, we have the familiar account of Jacob’s dream. In his dream he sees a ladder and angels ascending and descending upon the ladder. In the midst of this very strange vision, he hears the voice of Jehovah, the God of the covenant, who comes to renew that covenant with Jacob. When he awakes from his dream and begins to reflect upon it, he comes to certain conclusions.
His first conclusion is stated very clearly in verse 16: “Surely Jehovah is in this place; and I knew it not.” He said, “I came out and camped under the open skies, and I had no thought of the immediate presence of God—but I was mistaken.” He said, “The Lord Himself is in this place, and I was unaware of it.” Then his consciousness reflects upon the fact that the Lord Jehovah, the great God of Creation, the great God of covenant-making and covenant-keeping promise, has indeed been there and that he has actually been in His presence. Then the reflex action of his whole being is this: “And he was afraid, and said, ‘How dreadful is this place!’” (verse 17). That is, “If God is here, and if He is the God He declared Himself to be in my vision—the God of Abraham and of Isaac, the God of creation, the great God of my fathers—and if I am what I know myself to be—Jacob, a fallen son of Adam, a weak creature of the dust—that I should be in the presence of this great God . . . how dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven.”
Is this fear that Jacob exhibits a fear of terror and of anguish that makes him want to run? No; for the subsequent paragraph indicates that it was a fear that was coupled with the tenderest characteristics of trust in the faithfulness of God and of confidence in the love and mercy of God. It is a fear that is perfectly consistent with trust and love. For he then raises a pillar, and he says it will be a monument to the faithfulness of this same God whose presence is dreadful, but who will nonetheless care for him, fulfill His promise and bring him again to this place. And out of gratitude to Him, Jacob vows to give Him the tenth of all that he possesses.
This is a beautiful and clear example of this second aspect of the fear of God. Though it says that he was afraid, and though Jacob even uses the term “dreadful,” his was not that dread and terror that makes a man want to run from the object, like a little boy runs from a bully. It is a dread and a fear that is perfectly consistent with a desire to be in the presence of the object of it and to render to that object honor and worship, love and obedience.
Exodus 3
Another illustration is in Exodus chapter 3. It is a familiar story:
Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb. And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” And when Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, “Moses, Moses.” And he said, “Here am I.” And he said, “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Moreover he said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:1-6).
Here is Moses, out tending sheep. Suddenly, he notices a bush that has burst into flames. He wants to figure out why the bush is burning but not being consumed. That is the only reason Scripture gives as to why he turns aside. A natural phenomenon caught his eye, and he is curious. But God says, “Moses, don’t even think of coming near just to do a little scientific investigation. I, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, have a word to say to you.” And when Moses recognized that God was there, we are told that, instead of going over and analyzing the bush, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God (verse 6).
Here is a clear statement that Moses was filled with a fear and a dread of God. But was it a fear that made him want to run from God? No. For that same God then reveals His compassion for His people and His purpose to deliver them (verses 7-8). And rather than run from Him, as Adam did, Moses drew near with true reverence to commune with God and talk with Him face to face. So the dread of God that caused Moses to hide his face is not the least bit inconsistent with the most intimate dealings with God. Moses hides his face, yet Moses talks with God. It is a fear of reverential awe, of veneration and of honor.
Isaiah 6
The last example for us to consider in the Old Testament is in Isaiah, chapter 6, another familiar passage:
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, “Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts” (Isaiah 6:1-5).
Both the prophet and the celestial hosts looked upon the same object. What is the reaction of the seraphim as they behold this sight of God? They are filled with a holy restlessness. They cannot, as it were, pause and fix their position before the throne, but it says they fly about the throne. Further, they cover their feet and their faces. They are some form of angelic manifestation who have never known sin, yet in the presence of that great God, they veil their faces. As Moses hid his face and said, “I am afraid to look upon God,” so they hide their faces and cover their feet, overcome, filled with awe at the holiness of God. And they cry one to another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts. The whole earth is filled with His glory.”
Of course, there is no indication of any sense of grief or self-effacing shame because of sin on the part of the seraphim. But that is not the case when the prophet looks upon this same God. For when he beholds the same object the seraphim saw, he is not only overcome by the immensity and the transcendent majesty of God in His holiness, but there is an added dimension. There is this reflex action of grief, self-effacing shame, conviction and contrition. For this is not just a creature like the seraphim, looking upon the exalted Creator; this is a sinful creature looking upon the Holy God. Therefore, the only fitting reaction is a fear of reverential awe that is mingled with the sense of uncleanness, which in turn produces conviction and contrition.
This is the only disposition fitting for a sinful creature who gazes upon a Holy God. Seraphim may veil their faces and cry, “Holy, holy, holy” with no shame of sin. But you and I can’t. And if it is incongruous and out of place for sinless beings like seraphim to be in the presence of God without this reverential awe, how much more is it out of place for sinful men and women, laden with iniquity, to draw near to His presence without that reverence and godly fear coupled with a deep sense of self-effacing shame because of our sin.
New Testament Example
Someone may object once again, “But that’s the climate of the Old Testament. In the Lord Jesus there has come an overshadowing revelation of the softer lines of God’s character.” Is that true? One account in the gospels will forever abolish such a thought. In the Gospel according to Luke, we have an incident in the life of our Lord Jesus, who came for the express purpose of revealing the Father. (As He said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” [John 14:9]. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” [John 1:18].) It is a familiar incident, in which Peter and his friends have been fishing all night and have caught nothing.
And Simon answered and said, “Master, we toiled all night, and took nothing: but at thy word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes; and their nets were breaking; and they beckoned unto their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was amazed, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken; and so were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left all, and followed him (Luke 5:5-11).
How can we bring these two apparently contradictory reactions together? “‘Depart from me, Lord, I’m a sinful man’” and “they left all and followed Him.” What had happened to Peter? Peter got the message of this act of our Lord. He saw behind the fact that the net was put down and a great multitude of fishes were enclosed. He recognized—to what degree at this point we do not know—that the One who did this, can be none other than the Son of God, the Messiah. When that recognition dawned upon him, his reaction was to fall at His feet, overcome with the sense of reverential awe and dread that made him blurt out, “Depart from me, Lord. It is not fit that I should be in such close proximity to you!” Yet that very reaction was coupled with the most intense longing to be with Him—so much so that he leaves his business, his home, his friends and follows Him.
There is no clashing of concepts here. Without these two concepts being present in the heart of a man, it is doubtful if there is any true attachment to the Christ of the Scriptures. It is a faulty notion that we can just snuggle up to Jesus and feel so much at home with Him, without any sense of our sinfulness making us want to cry out, “Depart from me, Lord; it is not fit that you and I should enter into an intimate relationship.” And yet, wonder of wonders, He so revealed to us the heart of God in its love and forgiveness that we cling to Him. And like these disciples we are, by His grace, willing to forsake all to follow Him.
It is a repetition, in a sense, of Isaiah chapter 6. Here is not only a creature in the presence of Deity but also a sinful creature who senses that something is wrong that he should be so close to the holy God. “Depart from me, Lord.” And yet at the same time, when the commission comes, there is the glad response, even as there was with Isaiah. There is a fear unlike that fear of dread and of terror that makes the person want to run from its object. This dread, this fear, this awe, this reverential veneration is perfectly consistent with attachment and with love.
Summary
In summarizing, I believe it is accurate to say that the fear of God, which is the soul of godliness, is a fear that consists in awe, reverence, honor and worship, and all of these things in the highest level of their exercise. It is the reaction of our minds and spirits to a sight of God in His majesty and His holiness. As John Murray has so accurately said in seeking to define the fear of God, “The controlling sense of the majesty and holiness of God and the profound reverence which this apprehension draws forth constitute the essence of the fear of God.” John Brown gives this definition in his exposition of II Peter: “The fear of God consists in cherishing an awesome sense of the infinite grandeur and excellence corresponding to the revelation God has made of these things in His Word and in His works, inducing in us a conviction that the favor of that God is the greatest of all blessings, and His disfavor is the greatest of all evils.”
The practical effect of all of this is clearly seen when the Apostle Paul, describing the state of all men by nature, gives a pivotal and capstone description of the state of unconverted men in Romans 3:18: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Do you live a life of utter indifference to the claims of God’s holy law and to the overtures of the Gospel of His dear Son? Do you know why you live that way? It is because you do not live life with the fear of God before your eyes. You do not have a sight and sense of His infinite glory and majesty, eliciting from your heart that longing to walk so as to please Him and never to walk in a way that would displease Him. That’s why you live the way you do. There is no fear of God before your eyes. You look out at life and at what you want; you set yourself in a way to obtain it. What your lusts dictate, you do. What your desires and appetites crave, you pursue. The fear of God—that controlling sense of His majesty and holiness and the profound reverence that it draws forth—is nothing to you. No part of it dwells in you. If that is the case with you, my friend, may God by His Spirit teach you the fear of the Lord before it is too late (Psalm 34:11; Proverbs 2:1-5).
This is only a small part of a series of sermons on the fear of God, preached by Pastor Albert N. Martin. The sermons were transcribed, and will soon be available online in this form.