The Fear of God

Are we to love God or fear God? Are these positions contradictory or complimentary? We see injunctions in the scripture to love the Lord with all our heart and then again we are admonished that the fear of the Lord is wisdom. Which is it? The fear of God is an active awareness of God’s holiness, commandments and judgments in how we conduct our affairs. The scripture prescribes this for all men because this is how we abide in the will of God and honour His covenant. To love God is to keep in step with His precepts. It is the vigilance to live in obedience knowing that everything God requires leads to our ultimate good. This is why the Psalmists wrote extensively on delighting in the laws of God and testified to the treasure of His precepts.