Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 8/28/2009

Question
Pastor Petty, In the phrase "we must fear GOD" what is meant by fear, does it mean we must be afraid of GOD.  If so why or does fear mean something else?

Answer
Dear Armando,

Here are two definitions of “fear” Taken from Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. The first is from Revelation 14:7, and the second is from Deut 4:10.

Fear. Gr. phobeō, “to fear,” “to reverence.” Phobeō is used here not in the sense of being afraid of God, but in the sense of coming to Him with reverence and awe. It conveys the thought of absolute loyalty to God, of full surrender to His will (cf. on Deut. 4:10).
 
Fear me. To “fear” God is to regard Him with profound and reverent respect (Ex. 19:10–13; 20:20) and to have proper regard for His will (Deut. 8:6; Prov. 3:7; Eccl. 12:13; Isa. 11:2, 3; 33:6).
 

In the NIV, The "fear" of Deut 4:10 is translated “revere.”

Someone once said: “God spoke us into existence, and He could just as well speak us out of existence. That should give us a sense of awe toward God.” The fact that God out of His great love doesn’t destroy us, even though we’ve sinned—such as in spitting in His face—should bring us ‘awe’ as well. This would be the same as ‘fear.’

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
pettypress@gmail.com

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