Godly Fear: Necessary to The Service of God
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Definition and Nature of Godly Fear

Godly fear, often referred to as the "fear of the Lord," is a profound reverence and awe for God, recognizing His holiness, majesty, and authority. It is not a fear that leads to terror or dread but rather a deep respect and acknowledgment of God's power and righteousness. This fear is foundational to a believer's relationship with God and is essential for true worship and service.

Biblical Basis for Godly Fear

The Bible consistently emphasizes the importance of godly fear in the life of a believer. Proverbs 9:10 states, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." This verse highlights that godly fear is the starting point for acquiring wisdom and understanding, essential qualities for serving God effectively.

In Ecclesiastes 12:13, the Preacher concludes, "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind." This underscores that fearing God is not only foundational but also a duty for all people, guiding them to live in obedience to His commandments.

Godly Fear in the Old Testament

The Old Testament provides numerous examples of individuals who demonstrated godly fear. Abraham, when tested by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, exhibited profound reverence and obedience, which God acknowledged in Genesis 22:12: "Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him," said the angel, "for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me."

The Israelites were also instructed to fear the Lord as part of their covenant relationship with Him. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 commands, "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD that I am giving you this day for your own good?"

Godly Fear in the New Testament

The New Testament continues to affirm the necessity of godly fear. In Acts 9:31, the early church is described as "walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit," which contributed to its growth and strength. This indicates that godly fear was integral to the life and expansion of the early Christian community.

The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 2:12, exhorts believers to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling." This call to action reflects a reverent acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and the seriousness of living a life that honors Him.

The Role of Godly Fear in Service to God

Godly fear is crucial for effective service to God, as it cultivates humility, obedience, and a desire to honor Him above all else. It motivates believers to live righteously and to serve God with sincerity and dedication. Hebrews 12:28-29 encourages believers, "Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire."

This reverence ensures that service to God is not performed out of mere obligation or ritual but from a heart that truly seeks to glorify Him. Godly fear aligns the believer's priorities with God's will, fostering a life of holiness and devotion.

Conclusion

While godly fear is a profound and complex concept, it remains a central tenet of the Christian faith, guiding believers in their worship, obedience, and service to God. Through godly fear, believers are drawn closer to God, equipped to serve Him faithfully and effectively.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Psalm 2:11
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hebrews 12:28
Why we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Fear which Terminates in the Second Death.
... But if we fear to enter the lists against our spiritual enemies ... Much culture is
necessary to man's attaining his proper rank in ... That he might seek a godly seed ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xx the fear which.htm

Reverence in Worship.
... dress, and the like"are considered as necessary for a ... "with reverence and godly fear,"
as St. ... to rouse or interest them." They think God's service dull and ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon i reverence in worship.htm

The Knowledge that God Is, Combined with the Knowledge that He is ...
... and command upon it, which is a necessary ingredient in ... I fear many cannot say it ...
in external church privileges, without a holy and godly conversation adorning ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture xi the knowledge that.htm

Parental Duties Considered and Urged.
... 3. Restraint is also necessary in the morning of life ... the ways in which parents should
seek a godly feed ... their children to God, nor teach them his fear, nor walk ...
/.../sermon xxii parental duties considered.htm

Article xv (viii): of Human Traditions in the Church.
... is the greatest most holy, most necessary, and highest ... as these: of repentance, of
the fear of God ... diligently maintain church-discipline and godly ceremonies and ...
/.../melanchthon/the apology of the augsburg confession/part 20 article xv viii .htm

Manner of Covenanting.
... becoming one watery waste, was any force necessary to shut ... It should be performed
with godly fear and reverence ... was taken, in vowing to the Lord, fear his holy ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter ii manner of covenanting.htm

A Treatise of the Fear of God;
... 11). Yea, the whole of our service to God, and every part thereof, ought to
be done by us with reverence and godly fear. And therefore ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a treatise of the fear.htm

Ananias and Sapphira.
... appear to be well founded, it is necessary to recollect ... the use of the poor, and
the service of the ... we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture vi ananias and sapphira.htm

The Contents.
... 130. And fear in the next ... Who affords us all necessary means to obtain it. ... Who, as
he grew in godly Wisdom when a Child, also us'd that Wisdom when grown up, and ...
/.../beveridge/private thoughts upon a christian life/the contents.htm

Hebrews xii. 28, 29
... This is "with reverence and godly fear." ( c. xii.28.) For a soul in ... "I will not
fear what man ... If it be necessary to observe [them], we must guard ourselves. ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xxxiii hebrews xii 28.htm

Resources
Is it true that fear is a liar? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible mean when it tells us to fear not / do not fear? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about fear? | GotQuestions.org

Fear: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Fear

Fear and Anxiety

Fear of God: A Motive of Obedience

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: Abraham, Tested in the offering of his Son Isaac

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: Cornelius, Who Revered God With all his House

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: David

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: Hanani, Which Qualified Him to be Ruler Over Jerusalem

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: Job, According to the Testimony of Satan

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: Jonah, During the Storm

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: Levi, in Receiving the Covenant of Life and Peace

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: Nehemiah, in his Reform of the Public Administration

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: Noah, in Preparing the Ark

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: The Jews, in Obeying the Voice of the Lord

Fear of God: Conspicuous Instances of Those Who Feared: The Women at the Grave

Fear of God: Cultivated

Fear of God: Guilty

Fear of God: Guilty Fear: Adam and Eve

Fear of God: Guilty Fear: Demons

Fear of God: Guilty Fear: Judas

Fear of God: Guilty Fear: The Guards at Jesus' Tomb

Fear of God: Hezekiah, in his Treatment of the Prophet Micah, Who Prophesied Harm Against Jerusalem

Fear of God: Jacob, in the Vision of the Ladder, and the Covenant of God

Fear of God: Jehoshaphat

Fear of God: Obadiah, in Sheltering One-Hundred Prophets Against the Wrath of Jezebel

Fear of God: Phinehas, in Turning Away the Anger of God at the Time of the Plague

Fear of God: Reverence

Fear of God: The Egyptians, at the Time of the Plague of Thunder and Hail and Fire

Fear of God: The Midwives of Egypt, in Refusing to Take the Lives of the Hebrew Children

Fear of God: The Nine and One-Half Tribes of Israel West of the Jordan River

Fear of the Lord

Godly Fear: A Characteristic of Saints

Godly Fear: A Fountain of Life

Godly Fear: A Treasure to Saints

Godly Fear: Abraham

Godly Fear: Advantages of

Godly Fear: Christians

Godly Fear: Commanded

Godly Fear: Cornelius

Godly Fear: Filial and Reverential

Godly Fear: God is the Author of

Godly Fear: God is the Object of

Godly Fear: Hatred of Evil

Godly Fear: Job

Godly Fear: Joseph

Godly Fear: Motives to Judgments of God

Godly Fear: Motives to The Forgiveness of God

Godly Fear: Motives to The Goodness of God

Godly Fear: Motives to The Greatness of God

Godly Fear: Motives to The Holiness of God

Godly Fear: Motives to Wondrous Works of God

Godly Fear: Necessary to Avoiding of Sin

Godly Fear: Necessary to Impartial Administration of Justice

Godly Fear: Necessary to Perfecting Holiness

Godly Fear: Necessary to Righteous Government

Godly Fear: Necessary to The Service of God

Godly Fear: Necessary to The Worship of God

Godly Fear: Nehemiah

Godly Fear: Noah

Godly Fear: Obadiah

Godly Fear: Sanctifying

Godly Fear: Searching the Scriptures Gives the Understanding of

Godly Fear: should Accompany the Joy of Saints

Godly Fear: should be Constantly Maintained

Godly Fear: should be Exhibited in Giving a Reason for Our Hope

Godly Fear: should be Exhibited in Our Callings

Godly Fear: should be Prayed For

Godly Fear: should be Taught to Others

Godly Fear: The Wicked Destitute of

Godly Fear: Those Who Have are Accepted of God

Godly Fear: Those Who Have are Blessed

Godly Fear: Those Who Have are Pitied by God

Godly Fear: Those Who Have: Afford Pleasure to God

Godly Fear: Those Who Have: Confide in God

Godly Fear: Those Who Have: Converse Together of Holy Things

Godly Fear: Those Who Have: Days of, Prolonged

Godly Fear: Those Who Have: Depart from Evil

Godly Fear: Those Who Have: Desires of, Fulfilled by God

Godly Fear: Those Who Have: Receive Mercy from God

Godly Fear: Those Who Have: should not Fear Man

Godly Fear: Wisdom

Unholy Fear is Described as a Fear of Future Punishment

Unholy Fear is Described as a Fear of Idols

Unholy Fear is Described as a Fear of Judgments

Unholy Fear is Described as a Fear of Man

Unholy Fear is Described as Consuming

Unholy Fear is Described as Overwhelming

Unholy Fear: A Characteristic of the Wicked

Unholy Fear: A Guilty Conscience Leads To

Unholy Fear: Adam

Unholy Fear: Adonijah's Guests

Unholy Fear: Ahaz

Unholy Fear: Belshazzar

Unholy Fear: Cain

Unholy Fear: Exhortations Against

Unholy Fear: Felix

Unholy Fear: God Mocks

Unholy Fear: Haman

Unholy Fear: Midianites

Unholy Fear: Philistines

Unholy Fear: Pilate

Unholy Fear: Saints Delivered From

Unholy Fear: Saints Sometimes Tempted To

Unholy Fear: Saul

Unholy Fear: Seizes the Wicked

Unholy Fear: Shall be Realised

Unholy Fear: Surprises the Hypocrite

Unholy Fear: The Wicked Judicially Filled With

Unholy Fear: Trust in God, a Preservative From

Related Terms

Godliness (16 Occurrences)

Sort (143 Occurrences)

Nephthar

Nephthai

Poor (276 Occurrences)

Sorry (27 Occurrences)

Sorrowed (3 Occurrences)

Simplicity (12 Occurrences)

Fear (970 Occurrences)

Sorrow (277 Occurrences)

Jealousy (54 Occurrences)

Repentance (28 Occurrences)

Grief (252 Occurrences)

Malachi (2 Occurrences)

Moved (316 Occurrences)

Point (106 Occurrences)

Yea (867 Occurrences)

Jehovah (20094 Occurrences)

Yahweh (6653 Occurrences)

Servant (738 Occurrences)

You-ward (9 Occurrences)

Vengeance (63 Occurrences)

Vehement (10 Occurrences)

Vindication (14 Occurrences)

Vanished (13 Occurrences)

Zeal (45 Occurrences)

Unjust (44 Occurrences)

Ungodly (41 Occurrences)

Ungodliness (9 Occurrences)

Unrighteous (32 Occurrences)

Overflow (43 Occurrences)

Jealous (43 Occurrences)

Leads (64 Occurrences)

Lyre (32 Occurrences)

Longing (40 Occurrences)

Leaves (55 Occurrences)

Liberty (32 Occurrences)

Lusts (28 Occurrences)

Guiltless (29 Occurrences)

Guarding (16 Occurrences)

Wiped (25 Occurrences)

Whereby (46 Occurrences)

Worketh (49 Occurrences)

Watchful (17 Occurrences)

Worked (145 Occurrences)

Intent (37 Occurrences)

Indignation (56 Occurrences)

Intended (38 Occurrences)

Instructing (14 Occurrences)

Irreligion (1 Occurrence)

Injury (21 Occurrences)

Floods (37 Occurrences)

Fables (5 Occurrences)

Famine (99 Occurrences)

Follower (8 Occurrences)

Finally (29 Occurrences)

Favored (19 Occurrences)

Trials (11 Occurrences)

Teaching (372 Occurrences)

Temptations (9 Occurrences)

Trusts (35 Occurrences)

Thankful (15 Occurrences)

Teacher (103 Occurrences)

Thankfulness (7 Occurrences)

Rejoicing (90 Occurrences)

Righteously (22 Occurrences)

Reproach (124 Occurrences)

Reserve (15 Occurrences)

Repented (49 Occurrences)

Regretted (5 Occurrences)

Religious (13 Occurrences)

Regret (17 Occurrences)

Readiness (17 Occurrences)

Reverent (8 Occurrences)

Rescue (92 Occurrences)

Repenting (6 Occurrences)

Espoused (7 Occurrences)

Exuberance (1 Occurrence)

Edifying (9 Occurrences)

Godly Fear: Necessary to Righteous Government
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