The idea of “fearing God” is often misunderstood in modern theology as either a cowering terror or a mere “respect.” However, from a healthy perspective, the fear of the Lord is the soul’s necessary response to the reality of God’s holiness, sovereignty, and justice.

It is the “beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7) because it grounds the believer in the correct Creator-creature relationship.

1. The Nature of Biblical Fear

Biblical fear is a “filial fear”—the dread of offending a holy and loving Father. It is not the fear of a slave for a tyrant, but the awe of a subject for a righteous King.

• Holiness: Isaiah’s vision (Isaiah 6) shows that even the sinless seraphim cover their faces. To fear God is to recognize that He is “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). To fear God is to recognize He is the supreme authority in all things (Colossians 1:18; 1 Samuel 2:2).
• Accountability: It involves a sober recognition of the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). While the believer’s soul is secure in Christ, our works and our stewardship of His commands will be evaluated (John 5:28-29; Ecclesiastes 12:14).

2. Shaping Worship: The Regulative Principle

When the fear of God is lost, worship often becomes man-centered, focused on “relevance” or emotional preference. However, a proper fear of God emphasizes the Regulative Principle of Worship: the idea that God alone determines how He is to be worshiped (John 4:23-24). I first encountered the language, “regulative principle” from a book entitled, “Old Light on New Worship,” authored by John Price. John is a Baptist preacher who studied the Bible and Church history and drew the conclusion that there is no authority for musical instruments in New Testament worship, and he used the terminology denoting authority, “regulative principle.” I would like to ask John if the same “regulative principle” exists in church government and all other spiritual areas…

• Submission over Innovation: In Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu offered “strange fire” which God had not commanded.Their death is a sobering reminder that we do not have the “freedom” to invent new ways to approach God. The Biblical text is littered with a myriad of examples of God giving specific instructions and man’s benefiting from their obedience to those instructions (Genesis 6 and 22; Numbers 21; Joshua 6; 2 Kings 5; John 9).
• The Commandment: True fear leads us to ask, “What has God commanded in His Word?” rather than “What do I find most engaging?” This limits worship to “thus saith the Lord.”

3. Freedom vs. License in Church Government

The New Testament speaks clearly of our “freedom in Christ,” but this freedom is frequently abused to dismantle the biblical order of church government.

• The Abuse of Freedom: Some argue that because we are “free,” we can ignore the biblical qualifications for elders or the structure of the local church. This “freedom” doesn’t exist!
• Biblical Order: A healthy fear of God recognizes that the offices of Elder (Overseer) and Deacon are not human traditions but divine institutions (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1). To disregard these qualifications or the authority of godly leadership is to disregard the Spirit who established them, the Christ who bought them (Acts 20:28) and the Father who contrived it all (Ephesians 3:9-11).
• Freedom to Obey: Scriptural freedom is not the right to do as we please, but the power to do as we ought. We are freed from the bondage of sin specifically so we can become “slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:18).Thus, we sing, “I am mine no more, I am mine no more…”

4. Shaping Daily Life: The Sentinel of the Soul

In daily life, the fear of God acts as a guard and guide. It provides the “why” behind our “what.”

Area of Life	The Impact of Fearing God
Private Sin	We realize that even if no one sees us, the Holy One does.
Speech	We remember that we will give an account for every “idle word” (Matthew 12:36).
Decision Making	Our primary filter becomes “Will this bring glory to God?” rather than “Will this benefit me?”

“The fear of God is the death of every other fear; like a mighty river, it drowns all the little streams of worldly anxiety.” — C.H. Spurgeon

The Harmony between Freedom and Command

The tension is resolved when we realize that God’s commands are the guardrails of our freedom (Psalm 119:104-105; Proverbs 3:5-6).Just as a train is “free” only when it stays on the tracks, the believer is truly free only when operating within the boundaries of God’s revealed will. Using “Christian liberty” as a pretext to ignore specific commands regarding worship or church order is not an exercise of freedom; it is a lack of the fear of God.

“The Lord is in His Holy temple, let all the earth keep silent before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20). Where God has spoken- keep silent, and trust Him. Jesus truly put it best when He said, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

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