Scripture uses the word “fear” in two distinct senses. One is the ordinary kind—dread, terror, the instinct to “cut and run.” The other is awe—but not the watered‑down modern version. Historically, “awe” meant “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.” It includes reverence, yes, but also a sense of trembling before something overwhelmingly great. Biblical awe is not casual admiration; it is reverence shaped by God’s holiness.
John helps us sort out these categories. He writes, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God… There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment” (1 John 4:15–19). John is not eliminating all fear. He is eliminating one kind of fear: the fear of punishment. Those who remain under judgment rightly dread God. But those who abide in His love no longer fear condemnation. Perfect love drives out that fear.
What remains for the believer is not dread but awe—reverential trembling before God’s majesty. This fear is not rooted in the expectation of punishment but in the recognition of who God is: holy, sovereign, glorious. It is the fear that produces wisdom, obedience, and joy. It is the fear that treasures God rather than hides from Him.
So Scripture calls us to fear God in two different ways depending on our standing with Him.
- Those outside His love fear punishment.
- Those inside His love fear Him with awe.
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