“If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” (Psalm 130:3-4)

Pardon from sin is God’s greatest gift to man. Through this gracious transaction the punishment we so justly deserve is removed and our relationship with Him is restored. This incalculable gift is the result of God’s own initiative and unending love. However, as this text clearly states, forgiveness is not a blessing to be taken lightly.

Salvation is a serious and costly operation, which was only secured by God’s paying the highest possible price, the suffering and death of His own Son. Therefore, in order for us to properly understand the magnitude of this gift, we must first understand the enormity of our sin. Consequently, you and I will only grow in the fear God in direct proportion to our understanding of how much we’ve been forgiven.

"I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5)

Hell, wrath, and torment are all each of us deserves. These grave words, spoken by Jesus Christ Himself perfectly reflect the words with which King David challenged us in the opening text. The Lord’s point is that because God is the only One that can forgive our sins thereby keeping us from eternal damnation, He is to be feared above anyone, or anything. The word fear used in these texts means to be in awe, to terrify, to put to flight, and to show reverence, honor and respect. As the Lord so accurately defined, this is not solely a fear based on someone’s ability to do us harm, but rather a reverential fear of a person in an exalted position whereby one recognizes the power and position of the individual revered and renders him proper respect and obedience.

While you and I should certainly be terrified at the consequences of our sin, according to the Lord, this “fear” should cause us to make God-honoring decisions not as frightened slaves, but as loving and appreciative sons and daughters. Our obedience should be borne not just out of a fear that God can hurt us, but rather out of an understanding of how much we’ve been forgiven, thus producing a sincere desire to shrink back from anything that would offend Him.

For example, my daughter is a mature young woman and mother of three beautiful children. There is no doubt that she honors and respects me now, as an adult, much more than she ever did as a child. The reason is obvious; she has matured in her understanding and now has a greater appreciation for the standards and disciplines imposed by a godly father. My daughter certainly no longer believes that I will spank her if she misbehaves, her “fear” of me now is borne out of an ever deepening love and respect that keeps her from ever purposefully offending me. Jesus was emphatic about our growing in this understanding of the fear of God.

"A son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence?” (Malachi 1:6)

Having said that, when was the last time you heard a sermon on the fear of the Lord? When was the last time you attended a Christian conference or seminar on the need for us to grow not in our gifting or in our prosperity, but in our holiness, modesty, and self-control? Indeed, today it seems as though the fear of the Lord has been preached and taught right out of the church. This essential and life-producing characteristic that Jesus says should be the hallmark of every believer, has instead been supplanted by contemporary teachings of a god who is either unwilling or unable to bring terrifying judgments upon us? I’m concerned that the God, about whom Jesus and the Apostles taught, is not the same God that is currently being presented in many of our churches.

Instead of growing in the fear of God it seems as though we’re becoming more cavalier and disobedient toward Him. For instance, if we truly fear God, how is it possible that the divorce rate among so-called Christians can be exactly the same as that of unbelievers? How can ‘Christians’ be growing in their understanding of forgiveness and yet committing adultery, having abortions, and defrauding one another with the same regularity that the heathen do? How do we justify being forgiven of gossip, lying and watching pornography and then continuing to gossip, lie, and watch pornography? How is it that so many preachers are no longer afraid of the Lord and are presenting His Word like two-bit used car salesmen just trying to make a sale? How can leaders and laymen alike who say they have the Holy Spirit consistently make unholy decisions?

“As for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.” (Psalm 5:7)

David understood that it was solely because of God’s mercy that he could even approach the Lord’s temple. Yet, today, it seems that our charismatic church services have become nothing more than an extension of our worldliness in which we are the focus, seeking only to be entertained, flattered, and told how God wants the very best for us and that everything is going to be okay. Even a casual look at many of our Sunday meetings reveals an immodesty of dress among God’s people that belies their claims that the Holy Spirit lives in them. In addition, outward manifestations are being displayed in many of our gatherings that resemble sensual and demonic activities rather than the character and nature of God. These expressions mock and disrespect the Lord rather than revering and honoring Him. Manifestations such as uncontrollable laughter, men and women rolling around the floor making strange animal noises, heads and bodies shaking violently in uncontrollable fashions, and ‘ministers’ screaming at the top of their lungs that if anyone wants this supposed “power of God” all they need to do is “come and get some.”

I ask you; have we gone mad? When did this lack of respect and honor for the Person of God’s Spirit enter in? Have we failed to understand that we’ve been forgiven by a merciful yet powerful Master to whom both terrifying and awe-inspired fear is due? Or have we been sold a bill of goods that presents God as little more than our servant whose only real job is to give us comforting words and to make sure that we are happy? Where are the teachings on God’s majesty, His holiness and His hatred for sin? Please remind me; is it we that forgives God of His sin, or is it God that forgives us of our sin?

Our being “Born Again” does not negate nor diminish our responsibility to grow in the fear of the Lord. A God who has the right and the power to eternally condemn us has instead forgiven you and me. Our spiritual growth and deepening understanding of this marvelous truth ought to produce an ever-increasing dedication to the fear of God, always ready to flee from anything that might insult Him. Anything less than this is a counterfeit, an invention of Satan intended to circumvent and shortchange a deep and vibrant relationship with God by replacing it with cheap, fleeting ‘spiritual’ and carnal experiences that can never, ever, satisfy. Let us heed the following words of a fellow sinner who knew both the riches and responsibility of being forgiven.

“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)