The Fear of the Lord, and the True Love That Casts Out Fear

A young man named Joe just sort of shrugged his shoulders when asked about his views on eternity. “Who can know? It’s really scary” he said. As we talked further, he explained that he has no problem with the religion of others; “That’s fine for them” he said, but saw no reason for belief himself.

But as a Christian praying for the salvation of others like Joe, I saw one small reason for hope in what he said; “It’s really scary”.

So how could someone’s fear of the unknown when it comes to eternity give me hope? Because the Bible repeatedly tells us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. At least Joe still has a measure of humility when it comes to things beyond his knowledge or control. The beginning of wisdom is the realization that we don’t have it, that we didn’t bring ourselves into this world and can’t really determine what happens when we leave it.

I told Joe that he’s right, we can’t know much about God on our own, unless God reveals Himself to us. And the best revelation of God to man is the Bible, and particularly in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

We don’t have to live with the fear of the unknown. We can fear what we do know! In Mark 4, we read about how Jesus was sleeping in a boat while his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, when a furious storm came up and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

His disciples were no longer afraid of the storm, they were afraid of Jesus!

They recognized his power over nature, and, by extension, his power over their own lives and existence as well. In another incident on a boat, Jesus had given Peter the fisherman a miraculous catch of fish, and Peter responded by falling at Jesus’ knees and saying, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

The fear of the Lord rightfully comes when we see our own weakness, insignificance, and, yes, our sin.

It is the beginning of wisdom when we start to see that He is God and we are not; that He is the Creator and we just created beings; that He alone determines what is true or false, right or wrong, living or dead, temporary or eternal; and that He brought us into this world and has every right to take us out.

The disciples began their relationships with Jesus with a healthy dose of awe and fear. But it didn’t stop there. All except Judas ended up with a love for him so great they lay down their lives for him as martyrs.

Except for John, who lived long enough to pen these words: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4)

So Joe, if you read this, and others like you – humility and fear of the Lord is where we need to start, but it doesn’t have to end there. Keep reading, and you will find a loving God with arms wide open, ready to receive you when you turn to Him in repentance and faith.