Fear of God

Pastor Martin introduces a series on the fear of God by demonstrating its overwhelming prevalence throughout Scripture. He surveys thirteen Old Testament and nine New Testament passages to show that the fear of God is a dominant and pervasive theme from Genesis to Revelation, concluding that to be devoid of the fear of God is to be devoid of biblical religion, and that the measure of spiritual growth is the measure to which one increases in the fear of God.

Pastor Martin begins defining the fear of God by examining how the Hebrew and Greek words for fear are used in ordinary Scripture language. He identifies two aspects: the fear of dread and terror (illustrated by Adam hiding from God, and Jesus commanding fear of Him who can cast into hell), and the fear of reverence and awe (illustrated by the command to fear parents). He then expounds the first aspect at length, showing from both Testaments that a legitimate dread of God is commanded and commended, even for Christians, as a deterrent from sin.

Pastor Martin shifts focus from the fear of dread to the dominant biblical theme: the fear of reverential awe. He examines biblical examples of this awe in Jacob at Bethel, Moses at the burning bush, Isaiah in the temple, Peter at the miraculous catch of fish, and John before the glorified Christ. He then defines the fear of God as 'the controlling sense of the majesty and holiness of God and the profound reverence which this apprehension draws forth,' and introduces the first essential ingredient of the fear of God: correct concepts of the character of God, particularly His immensity, majesty, and holiness.

Pastor Martin expounds the second essential ingredient of the fear of God: a pervasive sense of the presence of God. He distinguishes mere intellectual knowledge of God's omnipresence from the experiential awareness that God is here, using the Grand Canyon analogy to show how facts become transforming only in the presence of their object. He traces this theme through Abraham's walk before God Almighty, Joseph's refusal of Potiphar's wife, and David's meditation in Psalm 139, applying it to the ethical and moral implications for daily Christian living.

Pastor Martin expounds the third essential ingredient of the fear of God: a constraining awareness of one's obligations to God. The essence of that obligation is threefold — to love God supremely, obey Him implicitly, and trust Him completely. He illustrates this powerfully through Abraham's offering of Isaac (where God singled out fear as the virtue tested) and through Christ in Gethsemane and at Calvary, showing how the fear of God operates in supreme love, implicit obedience, and complete trust even unto death.

Pastor Martin addresses the origin of the fear of God, demonstrating that it is a distinct blessing of the new covenant, not something that grows on natural Adamic soil. He expounds Jeremiah 32:38-40 to show that God pledges to put His fear into the hearts of His people, then traces how the three ingredients of the fear of God correspond to the three blessings promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34. He culminates with Psalm 130:4 — 'There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared' — showing that the discovery of forgiveness through the blood of Christ is the very thing that produces true, covenant-rooted fear of God.

Pastor Martin demonstrates from Scripture that the fear of God is the holy soil which produces a godly life. He examines seven Old Testament and two New Testament passages showing how practical godliness in every circumstance — from Abraham's dealings with Abimelech to Nehemiah's refusal of personal gain, from treatment of the deaf and blind to workplace conduct — is rooted in the fear of God. He applies this to the folly of seeking moral reform apart from true religion, the need for revival, and the responsibility of parents, schools, and churches to instill the fear of God.

Pastor Martin completes the study on the relationship between the fear of God and conduct by demonstrating the negative corollary: the absence of the fear of God is the unholy soil out of which an ungodly life grows. He expounds Romans 3:18 as the capstone of Paul's indictment of universal sinfulness, then examines Psalm 10, Psalm 36, and Malachi 3 to show how the wicked must push God out of their thoughts in order to sin freely. He applies this to religious hypocrisy (Matthew 6, Matthew 23) and closes with a cultural analysis of how the devil destroys a society by undermining its theological foundations rather than attacking individual virtues.

In this concluding sermon of the series, Pastor Martin addresses the practical question of how to maintain and increase the fear of God in the heart. He establishes the general principle that what God declares to be His own work in us must also be the concern of our conscious spiritual endeavors, then provides seven specific directives: be certain of an interest in the new covenant, feed on Scripture in general, meditate on forgiveness, feed on the majestic greatness of God, cultivate the awareness of God's presence, cultivate the consciousness of obligations to Him, and associate intimately with those who walk in His fear.