What Does It Mean to Fear the Lord? A Biblical Explanation

The question, “What does it mean to fear the Lord?” came to me twice in a short amount of time. The first time was a negative reply to one of my Bible verses that I share daily. I don’t remember which particular verse it was…but it was something concerning fearing the Lord. In my mini devotional which I write to accompany the verse, I tried to simply and quickly explain about the correct fear of God meaning.

One of my readers saw the verse with my explanation and wrote to me saying they thought I was scaring all of my readers. Honestly, I didn’t know I wielded such power! This woman identified herself as a pastor’s wife, and, according to her husband, to fear the Lord meant to have reverence toward God, not to be “afraid” of Him.

Then just a few days after that instance, a friend of mine was visiting, and she said, “We hear so much about loving God, but not about fearing God. Would you write an article about what it means to fear God?”

In answer to both of these inquiries, here are some thoughts to answer the question, what does fear of the Lord mean in the Bible.

Obviously, this will not be an exhaustive study, but what I will share I hope will help you in your Christian life.

And if you too would like to sign up to get my free daily Bible verses with my mini devotionals in your inbox every morning, click here.

God Commands Us To Fear Him

While doing a quick search in the Bible, I found the phrase “fear the LORD” in 32 verses, and the related phrase “fear God” 10 times in the Bible. The phrase “fear the Lord” and the related phrase “fear God” are both commands of God. If God commands us to do something, He expects us to obey Him. But, in order to fully obey this command, we first need to understand the biblical meaning of fearing God.

Like my friend so aptly observed, many times the love of God for us and our love back to Him is emphasized, even while the same God of love also tells us to fear Him. However, even among believers, the fear of God is largely ignored. This dichotomy may be because love has a positive connotation, but fear, a negative one.

We would rather think about, and practice, love rather than fear. This is normal. The Bible itself tells us “Fear hath torment.” -1 John 4:18-(KJV)

Yet, the same loving God Who had holy men write the Bible, and told us about the torment of fear, commands His children to fear Him. This love versus fear in our relationship with God seems to be a contradiction.

Can We Fear God and Love Him at the Same Time?

Our relationship with God is similar to our human relationships with those we love. In all of our relationships that we value, nourish, and enjoy, there is a mix of both fear and love. A wife who loves her husband, is careful to honor him, and not to allow herself to develop affections for another man. Because she loves her husband, she has a healthy fear of hurting and angering him.

In good, solid, and time-tested friendships, or even among family members, there may be mutually agreed upon topics that both parties have strong, but opposing, views. Everything related to these potentially explosive topics are carefully avoided for fear of damaging the relationship.

A child loves his father. Yet, when the father tells the child to do something, and the child is disobedient, they will be punished. They fear the promised retribution, and to avoid it the child obeys his father’s order.

In all of the above examples, the “fear factor” is a type of boundary in the relationship. Both parties know their boundaries, and as long as the boundaries are respected there is love. At the same time, there is a fear that “not playing by the rules” of the relationship will result in jeopardizing the harmony of the connection.

Realizing we fear damaging our valued human relationships, we learn to both establish, maintain, and respect boundaries. It is not a great stretch to understand that God has conditions, too. He wants His children to love Him as He loves them. Yet, as a Heavenly Father, God also has boundaries. Since God is so much greater than we, we are like the child who loves, but also fears, the righteous anger and just retribution from a disrespected parental figure.

God Has Boundaries — and Expects Us to Respect Them

This concept of God having boundaries, and thus, humans respecting those boundaries, has largely been swallowed up in words such as “love” and “grace.”

Since God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and we are flesh, it is difficult to fully understand our relationship, including our boundaries, with God. Further complicating our relationship is the fact that God, although He is just and righteous, is also longsuffering.

That is, He patiently endures our disobedience for a very long time. This does not mean He is not grieved by our actions, our sins, and it does not mean there will not be consequences to our disobedience.

Just as a loving parent gives a child chores to accomplish and expects those chores to be done correctly and in a timely manner, so, too, does God expect His children to do what He has told them to accomplish. God gave us commands, far more than just the Ten Commandments.

The New Testament is full of God’s instructions to His people. Bible scholars have counted over 1,000 commands in the New Testament alone. God expects His children to fear to disobey those things that He has expressly told them to do.

God says that it is wise to fear Him. If you are looking for a specific fear the Lord Bible verse, here are three choices:

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (KJV)
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (KJV)
Proverbs 15:33 “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.” (KJV)

To summarize, fearing the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, of wisdom and this act of fearing Him is also the instruction of wisdom!

How to Fear God and Grow Closer to Him

Jesus Himself in John 15:14 said His followers were His friends, if — and here is the caveat — they do all those things that He commands them! Friends of God have a responsibility to contribute to that special relationship.

What Jesus was referring to in that Scripture verse was not the Ten Commandments, but rather, all the instruction He has given us in the future that is contained in the New Testament.

Some of the examples of these commands of Jesus Christ are:

• Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” KJV
• 1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” KJV
• Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness…” KJV
• Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without murmurings and disputings:” KJV

Many times, Christians look for spiritual loopholes, or we blatantly disregard a direct command in Scripture, even trying to convince ourselves “God doesn’t really mean THAT!” or invoke the Christian words of “grace” and/or “forgiveness” as an excuse not to obey a direct command of Scripture. Doing such things is not fearing God.

Just like in our human relationships, especially the ones we value, we would not dream of purposely offending our friends, thinking that they would immediately forgive and forget our misdeeds. God is so much greater than our companions. He has done far more for us than those who love us could ever do, and He is far more powerful. Considering both the character and power of God, we need to be truly afraid of offending Him.

Study/Review Questions on The Fear of the Lord

1. How many times does the phrase “fear God” appear in the Bible? 10 times
2. What is the “fear factor” in human relationships? It is a boundary in healthy relationships.
3. What verse says that fearing the Lord is the beginning of wisdom? This verse is Proverbs 9:10.
4. According to Jesus, how do you become a friend of God? You keep all of His commandments, you obey Him.

Related Articles About Fearing God

Here are some other articles to help you grow in your Christian faith and grow closer to God:

1. No Forgiveness Without Repentance
2. Bible Verses About Anxiety
3. Number 7-God’s Perfection

People Also Ask About the Fear of the Lord

Here are some questions with answer about fearing God.

What does it mean to fear the Lord?

To have a deep reverence and respect for God, combined with a genuine awareness of His holiness and power. To be afraid of offending Him.

Is fearing God the same as being afraid of God?

Not exactly — biblical fear of God includes reverence and awe, but also a healthy awareness that God is just and will hold us accountable.

Does the Bible command us to fear God?

Yes — the phrase “fear the Lord” appears 32 times and “fear God” 10 times in Scripture

Can you love God and fear Him at the same time?

Yes — just as in healthy human relationships, love and a respectful fear can and should coexist.

What is the difference between fear and reverence?

Reverence is one component of the biblical fear of God, but the full biblical concept also includes a recognition of God’s justice and a motivation to obey Him

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The wonderful fact of God is that, when we strive to please Him, and we ask Him to help us do just that, He delights to do so. Don’t be afraid to fear God. Rather, ask Him to help you to do just that and watch how your relationship with Him will become deeper and more fulfilling as you walk in harmony with your holy, heavenly Friend.

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