Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

  Psalm 33:8

Do all people on the earth fear the Lord? Of course not! Do all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him? No. But life is all about having a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. We might even say that this life is simply a dress rehearsal for eternity. And we can usually tell which eternal home a person is heading toward by looking at how they live their life (Matthew 7:17-20). Having eternal life in Jesus means that we are living transformed lives here on earth. As Christians, we stay in constant contact with the Lord (prayer), spend time with Him, listening to His voice (Bible study), and enjoy fellowship with Him through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. All of these lifestyle characteristics point to the reality that we have truly been born again (John 3:3) and have heaven as our eternal home. And because of this new life in Jesus, we “fear (reverence) the Lord” and “stand in awe of Him.” 

But not everyone on earth lives this way and, if we’re honest, before meeting Christ, neither did we. So if standing in awe of God should be our heart’s response to Him, yet the masses fail to grasp this important truth to life, we need to understand why. The short answer…our sin separates us from God.

We Inherited The Problem From Adam

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men (mankind)…                     Romans 5:18a

It is our depravity that separates us from God. Every one of us was born into this world with a sin nature, a natural bent to rebel against God. And unless someone intervenes, we are stuck in a cycle of sin and depravity, in which everyone and everything becomes more important to us than God. And this kind of idolatrous living results in death (physically and spiritually) and ultimately leads to condemnation from God, and rightfully so. In the passage above, the “one transgression” was not your sin nor mine. The “one transgression” in which Paul is referring was that of Adam, the first man (Genesis 3). God created mankind to have a relationship with Him, unhindered and pure. But disobedience brought sin into the world and it is that sin that infects us all. But just as the one transgression of Adam brought about sin and death, the one act of righteousness that Jesus performed on the cross, is sufficient to reverse the curse that came through our disobedience. Consider the following:

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men (mankind), even so through one act of righteousness there resulted in justification of life to all men (mankind).               Romans 5:18

It is Jesus Christ that brings us back into right relationship with God. His going to the cross on our behalf is satisfactory to God for the redemption of our souls. But “justification of life to all men” doesn’t mean that salvation is automatic. Just like we are born into this world with a sin nature, we must be reborn spiritually in order to become the “children of God” and “the righteousness of God in Christ” (John 1:12, 1 John 3:1, 2 Corinthians 5:21). When we are saved, instead of being at enmity with God, we are now the redeemed, brought back into right relationship with Him. And it is this new life in Christ that opens the door for us to enjoy fellowship with God once again. And because of the presence of God living within our hearts, we can now live out the declaration of the Psalmist when he says, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” 

Only Two Kinds Of People

For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

    John 3:17-18

When it comes to being born again, being saved, we either are or we are not. While the world inappropriately promotes many different belief systems, philosophies, and “ways” to find God, the truth is that there are only two paths in this life. One, surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ, begin transformed into new life in Him, receiving the Holy Spirit, and walking in the strength and guidance that comes from a daily relationship with God, or, we are still lost, under the wrath of God, spiritually dead, and void of the Holy Spirit. These are the only two options in this life. And it is this binary choice that separates the godly, the saved, the redeemed, from the rest of the unbelieving world, still caught in their trespasses and sin, having never responded to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). Jesus tells us this, in the above passage, when He identifies only two groups of people…those who believe in Christ (having surrendered their lives to Him) and those who remain “unbelievers,” having never been born again. Jesus tells us succinctly that all of us are either “not judged,” “not condemned” by God or we remain under His wrath (Romans 1:18-32). And the difference isn’t that one group is superior to the other or that somehow the “saved” have lived better lives than others around them. No. Nothing could be further from the truth. The difference in the two groups is that one group has surrendered their lives to Jesus, having been saved and filled with the Spirit of God, while the other group has yet to make that decision. It’s not that the unbelieving can’t come to Christ for salvation, it simply is that they won’t (John 3:19-21). Jesus reminds us of this when He says, “He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” That’s it! This is what separates those who are heaven bound from those who, in their denial of their own sin and refusal to come to Christ, remain spiritually dead. The lost have never received the life-giving transformation that is found only in Jesus (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). So, Christians are enjoying life as it should be, praising God, enjoying fellowship with Him, and standing in amazement of all that He continues to do in our lives, while the rest of the unbelieving world acts in futility as they continue to chase after every trinket and trapping that this world throws our way. The great lie of the enemy…”surrendering your life to Christ causes you to be confined and trapped in some sort of religious existence.” But nothing could be further from the truth. Surrendering our lives to Jesus is freedom, life (abundant and eternal), and brings us to a place of ultimate purpose, fulfillment, and satisfaction (Galatians 5:1, John 10:10, John 11:25-26, Psalm 16:11). But to be sure, we are either living this way or we are not.

The Fear Of The Lord

The Psalmist says, “Let all of the earth fear the Lord.” So let’s talk about what “the fear of the Lord” is, the benefits that it brings, and what it means to our lives. Grab a good study Bible and it won’t take you long to find out that “the fear of the Lord” means “reverence and respect” for Him. It implies not just reverence and respect but also submission to God. It is a contradiction to suggest that we can be respectful and reverent toward God and yet not be submissive to Him. After all, He spoke the world into existence and everyone and everything in this world, ultimately, belongs to Him. So a refusal to submit to God in obedience is just another way of saying that we lack reverence and respect for Him. 

But in addition to reverence, respect, and obedience to God, “the fear of the Lord” brings about a deep, awe-filled respect for His holiness and His design for the universe. This is why the Psalmist can say, “Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” It is spiritually impossible for us to be in right relationship to God and yet practice and promote the very things in which He rejects. God has a design for life and when we choose, by our own sinful thinking and rationale, to do life against the very design that He has established, we bring into our lives destructive, harmful, and, if left unchecked, damning consequences. And rightfully so. God is the One who has spoken the world into existence and He is the One who is over it all. Consider the reminder that we get in John:   

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

      John 1:1-3

The “Word” in this passage is referring to Jesus Christ. That is why denying the Lordship of Christ is to deny the very One who created it all, the very opposite of “standing in awe of Him.” We wouldn’t even exist if it were not for Christ (Colossians 1:15-17). When we truly let these profound truths sink into our hearts and minds, it is not difficult to see why all other religions and philosophies, who deny the Lordship of Christ, fall short of bringing salvation to our souls. Only the Living Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can do that! 

So the fear of the Lord brings about a reverence and respect for God, HIs design for this life, and a willingness to order our lives around Him, being obedient to His prompting and leading. But it is also a respect for His holiness. If we were to ever truly comprehend God’s holiness and righteousness and the ugliness of our own depravity, sin, and helplessness, we would completely understand the need for the cross and would run there as fast as we could. But this is the effect of Adam’s disobedience. In our own filthiness, blindness, and rejection of God, we place ourselves at enmity with Him. We chase after everything but Christ. We exercise our own lordship over our lives, refusing to stand in awe or respect of the holiness of God. And sometimes, in our modern thinking, we can even be foolish enough to think that we can live like the unbelieving world and still enjoy salvation and fellowship with God. 

But finally, the “fear of the Lord” is the beginning or starting point to true wisdom and understanding in this life. Consider the Proverbs: 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

      Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

    Proverbs 1:7

A deep reverence, respect, and submission to God is the starting point for true understanding and a well-lived life. Anything else is just living in a state of idolatry, where the things of the world become more important to us than the things of eternity (Matthew 6:19-21, Colossians 3:2-3). When we are saved, we reach, not the conclusion, but the beginning of a lifetime of walking with God. And the longer we walk with Christ, the more we are to become like Him, in our thinking, motives, and actions. We could say that “the fear of the Lord” leads us to salvation which, in turn, leads us to life. Being void of “the fear of the Lord” means that we are still doing life “our way” and living in the futility of our own minds and depravity. This is why Paul reminds us to live in such a way that could be considered, by God, as wise:

Therefore be careful how you walk (live), not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

        Ephesians 5:15-17

When we live in a state of awe-filled respect and admiration for God, giving our lives to Christ, we can then begin to live according to His design and truly claim that we are living, not as unwise people, but as wise. “The fear of the Lord” doesn’t mean that we are terrified of God rather, by having a deep, awe-filled respect for His holiness and His design for life, we can make the most of our lives, living to please Him in all respects (Colossians 1:10).

Recognizing God As The Ultimate Source Of Truth

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, too all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

  Psalm 145:18-19

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

      Jeremiah 29:13

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

            James 4:8

What do all three of the above passages have in common? They all declare that calling on God, seeking Him, and drawing near to Him are the very ways in which we come to know God personally. “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him…He will also hear their cry and will save them.” The Psalmist is saying the same thing echoed in the New Testament: “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). But “calling on the name of the Lord” requires two things: humility and coming to the end of ourselves. 

One of the greatest obstacles to human salvation is pride (the very antithesis of humility). In order for us to come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, we first have to come to the end of ourselves and our own efforts and present, to God, a heart of humility. This goes against everything that our sin nature tells us. “Strive,” “compete,” “don’t allow anyone to get the best of you,” and “look out for number one,” are just some of the ideas that fuel human pride. And we don’t usually compare ourselves to the holiness and perfection of God, for that would be too revealing, rather we compare ourselves to ourselves, essentially comparing the imperfect to the imperfect (2 Corinthians 10:12). And why do we prefer this? It’s an attempt to make ourselves feel better about our own failings. If we can find others who, in our own eyes, have done worse than ourselves, then we can bolster our opinion of ourselves. But this is counterproductive and works against the very salvation and spiritual transformation that God desires to work in our lives. Humility is the key! Consider the following:

“God is opposed to the proud by gives grace to the humble.”

    James 4:6b

We can be opposed by God, in our pride, apathy, and spiritual blindness, or we can receive the grace of God through humility. Jesus reminds us that it is the “poor in spirit” and those “who mourn” (over their sin) who will be comforted and have eternal life in heaven (Matthew 5:3-4). “Poor in spirit” and “mourning” are examples of exercising humility in front of a loving and just God. And what do we get in return for humbling ourselves before the One True God? Grace! But this only comes to those who are humble in heart and come to the end of themselves. As long as we believe that we somehow deserve God’s approval or have worked toward God’s best on our own, we deceive ourselves and salvation eludes us. Consider the words of Jesus:

And Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

    Matthew 18:3

But when we, in humility, call on the Lord and ask Him to save us on the basis of what Christ has already done for us on the cross, salvation and a new life in Christ are ours to enjoy (2 Corinthians 5:17). Humility of heart demonstrates that we have a true understand of who God is, who we are, and what is at stake eternally. Humility acknowledges that human understanding is limited but true wisdom begins by recognizing God as the ultimate source of truth. This is exactly what Jesus is telling us when He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Spend some time with Matthew 18:3 and John 14:6. Let those words get into your mind, your heart, and your soul. Recognizing God as the ultimate source of truth will lead you to the threshold of a brand new life in Christ. And along with this new life comes spiritual freedom, salvation, restoration, redemption, and forgiveness. 

Aligned With God’s Principles

Finally, when we are born again, the spiritual transformation that comes into our lives works itself out in actionable living. Salvation guides people to make choices that align with God’s principles. We are more than a moral and ethical people, although those should be hallmarks of a Christian life, rather we are a transformed people, full of the Holy Spirit of God. And it is the presence of God that drives our choices, decisions, motives, and overall behavior. In other words, if we have been saved, our lifestyles will indicate such a change. Consider the words of Paul: 

…in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

          Ephesians 4:22-24

When we align ourselves with God principles rather than following the world and its ways, we prove to be the saved, the redeemed in Christ (James 1:22). And as those who truly walk with Christ everyday, we can join the Psalmist in proclaiming:

“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him”(Psalm 33:8). This is life…as it should be!