What does it mean for Christians to fear the Lord? In this video, Dr. Michael Reeves offers a biblical definition of the fear of the Lord.
In Isaiah 11, we see an extraordinary passage where the Spirit of the Lord anoints the Messiah. And we’re told that the Spirit of the fear of the Lord will be on Him and His delight will be in the fear of the Lord (Isa. 11:2–3). And that shows us what it means for believers to fear the Lord. Because we are shown there that Christ Himself has a delight in fearing the Lord.
So, the fear of the Lord that Christians ought to have is a sharing in Christ’s own fear of the Lord. And you see in the fact that it’s Christ’s fear of the Lord, that the fear of the Lord does not mean we are afraid, that we want to run away from God. Quite the opposite. The fear of the Lord that Christ has, that He shares with believers is a trembling wonder that falls down, facing toward God. Not running from but drawn to Him in adoration and wonder and trembling.
So, in Psalm 2 we read, “rejoice,” and “tremble” (Ps. 2:11). The right reaction to knowing the living God is a rejoicing, trembling. The fear of the Lord is how we love God, our great and merciful God as God.