There is a spirit of “political correctness” today that argues that we should not “fear” the Lord. Better to translate that word in the Bible as “respect” or “revere” they claim. But the Bible tells us to fear the Lord. The Bible does not need is to tone it down so it is more palatable to modern people. God means what He says!
Why is it important to fear God? It is because only then will we take Him as seriously as He intends for us to. Today we are told that God loves us “just the way we are.” The problem is that we do not dread sinning against someone who loves us just as we are. When we neglect our time with Him in the morning, we comfort ourselves in the knowledge that, whether we ignore Him, disobey Him, or even profane His name by our actions, He will love us anyway. Such an attitude leads to some extremely foolish and God-dishonoring living!
But when we fear God, we take Him and His word extremely seriously. We are like the apostle Paul who said, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men . . ” (2 Corinthians 5:11). When we have a proper view of God, we will have an accurate perspective of ourselves, which will lead us to heed God’s commands. In Scripture, whenever people encountered an angel, they had to be reassured not to be terrified. Whenever someone encountered the risen Christ, they would prostrate themselves in worship. The apostle John, who knew Jesus when He walked on earth, fell to the ground as a dead man when he saw Him in His risen form (Revelation 1:17). Those who have accomplished the most for their Lord have been those who had a healthy dose of fear for Him.