It is surely a blessing from the mighty hand of God to live in a nation such as our own. One that has spread the gospel to many distant lands and raised up numerous faithful ministers of the gospel. However, we must not rest on our nation’s Christian laurels while ignoring our shortcomings in western evangelicalism today. One such shortcoming is a lack of the fear of the Lord.

I hope to show what it truly means to fear the Lord, how this sin in the church manifests itself, what are some of the probable causes, and what are the biblical remedies. The goal is threefold: that the church may be strengthened, the enemies of the Lord would have no occasion for reproach, and that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

While fearing God typically has a connotation of awe and reverence (which are not bad definitions), it does not present the whole picture; the word denotes a more obvious and evident meaning—fear. As well-known pastor Paul Washer states, “It is the thing that makes your knees knock together.” Isaiah testifies and says, “It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy, and He shall be your fear and He shall be your dread.” (Is. 8:13, italics mine). Over and over, both in the Old and New Testament, we see the same reaction from believers and nonbelievers who come face to face with the Almighty: abject terror.

Jesus tells the crowds not to fear man, but to fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28). The angel in Revelation, who will one day fly over the face of the whole earth proclaiming an eternal gospel, will begin by saying, “Fear God.” (Rev. 14:7). Peter himself in the second chapter of his first epistle additionally adds, “Fear God.” (1Pet. 2:17).

Why are we to fear God? The primary answer (and one we have just observed in Scripture) is that God commands us to. But also, we are to fear God as we are confronted with His blazing glory and holiness in the pages of Scripture.

When we see Adam and Eve plunge all of humanity into sin and damnation because they ate a piece of fruit and offended God’s infinite glory and majesty—we learn to fear God. When we see Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron the priest, instantly consumed by God’s holy fire as they offer ‘strange fire’ on the altar that God did not command—we learn to fear God. When we see eschatological prophecies of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in glory to avenge Himself and the martyred saints in heaven under the altar, destroying all His enemies round about, judging them to eternal hell—we learn to fear God.

One cannot simply read the Word of God and come to a different conclusion.

It is with this in mind that a shocking disconnect exists—why do the "people of the book”, born-again believers, not reflect the Book’s view on the fear of God?

One of the elements of the New Covenant (namely, the covenant inaugurated with the precious blood of the Lamb of God) includes a radical heart-change; this internal renovation results in a fear of the Lord ingrained within those who belong to the New Covenant (see Jeremiah 32). What is especially alarming is that many in the church today—who are supposedly partakers of this blessed covenant—do not seem to possess what Jeremiah prophesied all true believers would have.

How does a lack of fearing God manifest itself in contemporary evangelicalism? Sadly, there are far too many examples: taking God’s name in vain (even in the church), using Jesus as a joke, not caring when actors in movies blaspheme God, not taking His Word seriously, and an abundance of other ways. If you set your heart and eyes to observe it, you would see it in an instant.

While numerous probable causes could be listed, let me provide a few that I think are the main culprits that hinder a fear of the Lord.

The first is a lack of solid, biblical preaching. Many professed “preachers” in our day, care more about events and smiling faces than Christ and His Word.

A second (and related) cause is apathy for knowing more about who God is. Though bookstores are full and personal bookshelves overflow with Bibles, commentaries, systematic theologies, and a plethora of other resources, the evangelical church as a whole is sadly and shockingly ignorant of foundational truths of Scripture. There is no excuse. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” we hear the Scripture proclaim (Hosea 4:6).

A third probable cause stems from an inaccurate view of the Lord Jesus. Many of those in the church think of Jesus only as He was for the few years He lived here on earth, excluding everything else written in Scripture. “Sure,” they think, “the Father is wrathful towards sin and sinners, but surely not Jesus.” Or, “God seeks His own glory but Jesus doesn’t seek His own glory.” But, we must remember that the Son was given authority to execute judgment on all mankind (John 5:27). It is the Son who “comes from Edom with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah” to execute His wrath by trampling His enemies under His feet (Isaiah 63). The book of Revelation refers to the wrath that will one day be poured out as belonging to God and to the Lamb (Rev. 6:16, 17). This last book of the Bible also demonstrates all of creation glorifying and worshipping God and the Lamb (Rev. 5). Because the Lord Jesus is One with the Father and is Himself eternal God (John 10:30), He is to be feared to the exact same degree that the Father is.

While I am sure that many other causes could be listed that contribute to the lack of fearing God (and I am sure many have already had ink spilled over them), I must now turn to biblical solutions.

The first is to take God’s Word seriously. God is near to those who are humble, contrite of heart, and who tremble at His Word (Is. 66:2). The most fundamental level of change comes from how you view God’s Word. Do you take God’s commands seriously? Are you like the man who “believed the Word which Jesus spoke and started off”, assuming His promise was as good as done? Do you understand that the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New? God does not change. Is your view of Jesus one-sided, only looking at His tenderness and not seeing His glory and majesty?

Second, we must remember to fear and tremble before the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the Lord Jesus who destroyed the world with a flood; it is the Lord Jesus who brought plagues on Egypt; it is the Lord Jesus who appeared in blazing fire on Mount Sinai and it is the Lord Jesus who will one day unleash destruction on the world and judge all mankind.

Finally, if you are attending a church where the pastor is not faithfully delving into the rich truths of God’s Word and aiming at teaching the whole counsel of God on a particular subject of importance—leave. Find an assembly of saints whose goal it is to exalt God and His Word, regardless of how “popular” our culture considers them.

Let us all commit to set our minds on God’s infinite glory that we may tremble before Him all our days. If the Lord sits upon His glorious throne with His holiest angels unable to look upon His infinite majesty, should we not tremble before Him all the more? Not only will fearing the Lord give believers a greater and more accurate view of God, but it will also instill in the redeemed an unfathomably deeper gratitude for the accomplishment of Christ on Calvary.