People often try to explain the sense of these verses away by saying that the “fear” called for is a devout sense of awe and reverence.
The Truth of Love Needs the Truth of Wrath
My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments.
Psalm 119:120
Scripture tells us repeatedly that fear of God is the very foundation of true wisdom (Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 9:10; 15:33).
People often try to explain the sense of these verses away by saying that the “fear” called for is a devout sense of awe and reverence.
Certainly the fear of God includes awe and reverence, but it does not exclude literal holy terror.
“It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread” (Isa. 8:13 NASB).
We must recapture some of the holy terror that comes with a right understanding of God’s righteous anger. We need to remember that God’s wrath does burn against impenitent sinners (Ps. 38:1–3).
That reality is the very thing that makes His love so amazing. We must therefore proclaim these truths with the same sense of conviction and fervency we employ when we declare the love of God.
It is only against the backdrop of divine wrath that the full significance of God’s love can be truly understood.
That is precisely the message of the cross of Jesus Christ. After all, it was on the cross that God’s love and wrath converged in all their majestic fullness.
Only those who see themselves as sinners in the hands of an angry God can fully appreciate the magnitude and wonder of His love.
How can you grow in your fear of God?