You’ve probably come across the phrase “Fear of the Lord” many times when reading your bible. Have you wondered what it means?
C. Sproul, in a blog for Ligonier Ministries, says some important distinctions about the biblical meaning of “fearing” God need to be made.
He writes that when Luther struggled with the topic he distinguished between what he called a servile fear and a filial fear.
The servile fear is the kind that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor.
And then there is the filial fear, drawing from the Latin concept from which we get the idea of family. It refers to the fear that a child has for his father. In refers to a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who dearly wants to please them. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is the source of security and love.
Sproul writes that believers should have the kind of fear that is mentioned in Deuteronomy where we’re told “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The focus here is on a sense of awe and respect for the majesty of God.
But he laments that kind of fear is often lacking in contemporary evangelical Christianity. We get very flippant and cavalier with God rather than always maintaining a healthy respect and adoration for Him.