Fear God

Honouring the awesome holiness of our Lord

Fear God How do we regard God?

It is useful to analyse the image you have of him when you pray.

We know He is very loving, compassionate and forgiving. Because we have trusted in Jesus who died for us, we know we have eternal life, and do not fear condemnation on the Day of Judgment. We can ask God for help when we need it, repent when we’ve failed Him, knowing He will forgive us.

Fear and trembling

But clearly, that is not the whole story. Paul writes: "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12). Surely, he can’t mean that we are to live in fear and trembling. Where is the assurance of salvation? Where is the joy of anticipating heaven and the fulness of eternal life?

Here are some short quotes from Bible commentaries on Philippians 2:12: The RSB says it refers to “awe and reverence.” Another says it is referring to “profound reverence and wakeful conscience.” A third says “It is not the fear and trembling which drives us to hide from God, but rather the fear and trembling which drives us to seek God, in the certainty that without his help we cannot effectively face life. It comes, second, from a horror of grieving God. When we really love a person, we are not afraid of what he may do to us; we are afraid of what we may do to him.” Do we have such profound reverence, awe and horror of grieving God?

Fundamental to our faith, worship, prayer and discipleship is our image of God. Therefore, we need to look carefully at what Scripture says about the awesome nature of God, including three aspects of the revelation of God: Jesus the incarnation of God; the occasional appearance of the likeness of the glory of God; the ultimate invisible reality of God.

Jesus: the incarnation of God

The New Testament makes some wonderful references to the awesomeness of Jesus.

“In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form …. He is the head over every power and authority” (Col 2:9-10). Paul says elsewhere that Jesus “ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe” (Eph 4:10). Just think of that. Astronomers tell us that the universe is 540 thousand, million, million, million miles across. Yet Jesus fills it. “Through him all things were made” (Jn 1:3). He is the agent of the creation of the universe. God says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands” (Heb 1:10). He will return one day “like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other” (Lk 17:24).

We often think of Jesus in his incarnate form, but his divine nature is truly awesome. We should worship him accordingly.

We often think of Jesus in his incarnate form, but his divine nature is truly awesome. We should worship him accordingly. We need to remember that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor 5:10). Our judge will be the one who created the universe and fills it.

The second aspect of the revelation of God is:

The appearance of the likeness of God

There are some wonderful descriptions of God’s awesome nature throughout Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament. There are, of course, important developments from the Old Testament to the New Testament, but God Himself is the same. So, the descriptions of awesomeness of God in the Old Testament are still fully relevant in the New.

Moses’ experience of God’s Presence

Our God is still the same God who revealed himself on Mt Sinai. There are awesome descriptions:
“Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently” (Ex 19:16-19). “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear” (Ex 20:18-21).

The writer to the Hebrews writes that Moses came to a mountain … “burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast … The sight was so terrifying that he said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’” (Heb 12:18, 21). Then he adds, “Worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Heb 12:28-29). So, God is seen as a consuming fire by New Testament writers.

Descriptions of the glory of God are inspired by the Holy Spirit, not necessarily seen by the writer.

The Lord said to Moses, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen” (Ex 33:19-23).
Paul writes similarly of God “who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Tim 6:16). Descriptions of the glory of God are inspired by the Holy Spirit, not necessarily seen by the writer.

Descriptions in the Psalms

The psalmists made similarly awesome descriptions:

“The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?” (Ps 113:4-6). “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Ps 8:1). “The heavens declare your glory, O God; the skies proclaim the work of your hands” (Ps 19:1). “The Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, …. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; …. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare” (Ps 29:3-9).

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. … Splendour and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary” (Ps 96:4, 6). “The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name – he is holy” (Ps 99:1-3). “Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendour and majesty. The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent” (Ps 104:1-2).

We clearly need to approach God with deep reverence and profound awe – godly fear.

Prophetic portrayals

The prophets write similarly:

Isaiah writes: “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke” (Isa 6:1-4). “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth” (Isa 40:22). “Look down from heaven and see, from your lofty throne, holy and glorious” (Isa 63:15).

Nahum writes: “The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it” (Na 1:5).

These passages are inspiring descriptions or visions of the awesome majesty of the Lord. We need to bear them in mind because we are approaching the same God. We clearly need to approach God with deep reverence and profound awe – godly fear. We need to see Him as enthroned above the earth, clothed in brilliant light; revealing Himself in fire, lightning and thunder and shaking the earth with His voice. We need to remember that the heavenly council of holy ones greatly fear Him.

An even greater reality

However, these descriptions and visions are not the ultimate descriptions of God. Ezekiel refers to a vision he had as “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God.” Ezekiel writes about a vision of God: “Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking” (Ezek 1:28).

The ultimate reality of God is invisible to us and beyond our comprehension.

These biblical descriptions and visions are very toned down, so that we can comprehend them. They are only “the appearance of the likeness” of God. The reality is far greater and we can only begin to comprehend it

The ultimate Reality of God

The ultimate reality of God is invisible to us and beyond our comprehension. God is Trinity: three Persons yet one God. Each possesses all of the divine Being and has a common mind, will and power. They indwell one another. This is beyond our understanding.

Unlimited by time and space

God is also unlimited by time and space. He is infinite. So, he doesn’t just fill the universe with its 540 thousand, million, million, million mile diameter. He fills infinity. Just think of that. When we pray, we are communicating with an infinite Being. God is everywhere and fills eternity – right now.

Also, when we pray, we are communicating with an eternal being who is unlimited by time. He lives throughout eternity, right now. He lives throughout the past and the future, right now. He lives billions of years ago, right now and billions of years in the future, right now. He lives throughout eternity past and eternity future right now. God is always everywhere right now!

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of captivity and they asked what God’s name was, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.’” (Ex 3:14). Jesus said to the Pharisees “before Abraham was born, I am!” (Jn 8:58). (Abraham was born in 2,166BC). There has been much discussion about these verses, but it seems clear to me that they are speaking of the eternity and infinity of God.

Speaking with the Eternal Holy God

God is saying to us: before time began, I Am; in eternity future, I Am; throughout the vast universe, I Am; throughout infinity, I Am. When we pray, we are not speaking with some grandfather figure in the sky. Nor are we ultimately speaking to the glorious, majestic and awesome figure described by the Prophets. That is the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God, not the ultimate reality which we can’t comprehend. We are speaking with I am – the Infinite Eternal One who hears our prayers throughout infinity and eternity.

If we are praying and preparing for revival, we need God to reveal His awesome holiness to us first.

We infinitesimal creatures are speaking with the eternal, infinite One who dwells throughout time and eternity, space and infinity right now – everywhere, always right now. How we should honour His awesome holiness and bow in godly fear before Him. We should most definitely “continue to work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). We rejoice in the infinite love of God, but we must not let that undermine our profound appreciation of His awesome holiness. Both these aspects of God’s nature are equally true. The more we appreciate His awesome holiness, the more we will appreciate His infinite love.

As we look at the present state of the Church, society and the world, it is obvious that we desperately need Revival, and we need to pray and prepare for it. True revival will reveal the awesome holiness of God. If we are praying and preparing for revival, we need God to reveal His awesome holiness to us first. We need to pray for such a revelation through His Word and through the intervention of the Holy Spirit.

Tony Higton

(If you want to know more about my Network for Revival and teaching about Revival, go to Network for Revival)

Rev Tony Higton, 21/04/2025