Fear of the Lord I: Servile and Filial
This week Chuck Baggett, co-pastor at Christ Church New Albany, joins us on the podcast. We’ll be looking at the fear of God over the next few weeks.
We read in Exodus 20:18-20:
“All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.’”
There are two kinds of fear:
1. Servile
Servile fear is the fear a servant has of a malicious master.
R.C. Sproul writes,
“The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer, or the executioner. It’s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person. Or it’s the kind of fear that a slave would have at the hands of a malicious master who would come with the whip and torment the slave.”
In Genesis 3:8, we read, “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”
Servile fear should be felt by those who live in rebellion to God. To know the God in Scripture, to know that your sins have not been atoned for, and to feel no fear is irrational.
2. Filial
Filial fear is the proper response of the believer. He sees God as the high and holy One. Although servile fear causes a person to draw back, filial fear causes him to want to draw near. We recognize that He is God, but we long to be near to and know Him.
God is majestic and transcendent, but He is also a God who has stooped very low in order to redeem us. He is both infinitely transcendent and infinitely good.
Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” And in Psalm 111:10, we read, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.”
If we cultivate knowledge of Scripture and theology, but we do not cultivate a healthy fear of God, then we may have great theology but will no longer be in the grip of God. Keep yourself from an impressive theology, but a very un-Christlike life.
O God the Father, our Great Creator, our Gracious Preserver, who is ever loading us with loving-kindness and tender mercies, we bless You, we praise You.
O God the Son, who by the shedding of Your most precious blood, have made us Your purchased possession, and have redeemed us from all iniquity, we bless You, we praise You.
O God the Holy Spirit, who has taught us our need as sinners, and has revealed the finished salvation to us, and has enriched us with spiritual consolations in heavenly places, we bless You, we praise You.
O glorious Trinity, three Persons, one God, what more could have been done for our souls and for our salvation, which You have not freely and mightily accomplished! Amen.
— Henry Law
A Guide to Family Worship
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