Fear of God

As a pastor and now as an elder\pastor there have been times that I was part of a church discipline situation.

Church discipline situations are meant to be redemptive. When redemptive, they are an occasion for great joy as a person is fully restored to the fellowship.

When a church discipline situation turns out not to be redemptive, it is because the person under discipline refuses to repent. Those are occasions for great sadness and grieving because the unrepentant risks their soul. (There is such a thing as a false conversion. See 1 Jn. 2:18-19.)

In a recent case the person under discipline showed unrepentance by word, attitude, and deed. The teaching pastor asked the individual, have you no fear of God?

There was no response besides more of the same attitudes. The person did not even ask what was meant by fear of God, so perhaps they thought they knew.

As I thought and meditated on the situation, I was grieved, for we all cared for this person but obviously could not get through to them no matter what was said. I wondered what their thought process was since they claimed Christ. 

Psalm 103:10-13 is interesting and applicable to the above situation since the person in question claimed Christ even though they rejected corrective discipline.

¹⁰  He does not deal with us according to our sins, 

nor repay us according to our iniquities. 

¹¹  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, 

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 

¹²  as far as the east is from the west, 

so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 

¹³  As a father shows compassion to his children, 

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. (Ps 103:10–13, ESV)

The passage is one of hope and one of security. A person in Christ can rest securely due to his steadfast love toward repentant sinners.

God’s mercies and compassion restrain punishment (v10) because we have been forgiven in Christ, and our sin debt is canceled. (Col. 2:13-14) Once the Lord forgives sin, it is as if it no longer exists (Is.43:25)

These facts point to just how wonderful salvation we have.

Verse 13 illustrates the great compassion of God despite our weaknesses, just as a human father might to his children who need forgiveness and loving discipline.

Twice in four verses, we are told of qualifiers that have application to the person. First, the steadfast love is applied to those who fear him (v11). Second, the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him (v13).

What are we to make of these qualifiers?

Let’s get a definition of what it means to fear the Lord.

The word “fear” in the context of fearing God is derived from the Hebrew word “yirah,” which translates to “awe” or “reverence.” This implies that “God-fearing” means having a deep respect and honor for God rather than being scared of Him. It’s about acknowledging His greatness, power, and authority and living a life that reflects that acknowledgment. (christianpure.com)

In the situation I brought up, the person in question showed no “awe,” no ”reverence, and, therefore, no respect or concern for the honor of God. God’s word did not have authority in their life, and it came through loud and clear when confronted. The situation turned out to be non-redemptive.

On the other hand, a person who recognizes God’s authority will repent, and  christianpure.com gives us a picture of what that looks like.

The fear of the Lord is not about living in constant terror or anxiety. Instead, it is an attitude of humility and submission, recognizing that you utterly depend on God for everything, including guidance, provision, and salvation. It is about being aware of God’s presence in your life and allowing that awareness to shape your thoughts, actions, and decisions.

Understanding the link between God’s authority as revealed in His Word and what genuine fear of the Lord is crucial.

The person who understands the link will order their lives accordingly to give God reverence, respect, and honor. Those attributes are not payback but the outcome of God’s steadfast love poured out on the redeemed, who are the same as those who fear him.

We continue to pray for the unrepentant person that they would turn from their sin and seek to submit to God’s word for his glory’s sake.

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