Maintaining a Holy Fear in Personal Life and Devotion

Maintaining a holy fear in personal life and devotion is a concept deeply rooted in biblical teachings and Christian tradition. The biblical anchor for this concept can be found in various passages, including 1 Peter 3:15, which exhorts believers to "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" ^[1]. This fear is not a servile dread but a reverential awe that motivates believers to live a life pleasing to God.

The fear of the Lord is described in the Old Testament as a designation of true piety, characterized by love and hope rather than slavish dread ^[4]. It is a fundamental aspect of the Christian life, encouraging watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance. As Matthew Henry notes on Proverbs 15:16, "A little, if we manage it and enjoy it in the fear of the Lord, if we keep a good conscience and go on in the way of duty, and serve God faithfully with the little we have, is better than a great deal with anxiety and vexation of spirit" ^[5]. This holy fear produces a holy security and serenity of mind, enabling believers to hold fast to their purity and peace despite challenges ^[6].

In the New Testament, this fear is presented as a preventive against carelessness in religion and as an incentive to penitence. Passages such as Matthew 10:28 and 2 Corinthians 5:11 underscore the importance of fearing God in a way that is conjoined with love. John Chrysostom emphasizes that fear is necessary for spiritual growth, arguing that even in the absence of external hindrances, fear is required to overcome natural indolence, and even more so in the face of spiritual warfare ^[7].

The practice of maintaining a holy fear involves several key elements. Firstly, it requires a deep awareness of God's presence and omniscience. As John Chrysostom notes, considering that "God is everywhere present, heareth all things, seeth all things" can instill the necessary fear ^[7]. Secondly, it involves a commitment to prayer and watchfulness. Believers are encouraged to "keep watch with prayer, so that you may not be put to the test" ^[2]. The apostle Paul's exhortation to pray "at all times and on every occasion" with persistence and alertness further underscores this point ^[9].

The theological underpinnings of maintaining a holy fear are closely tied to the concepts of sanctification and the work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification, as described by Easton, involves the Holy Spirit's work in bringing the whole nature of the believer under the influence of gracious principles implanted in regeneration, carrying on the work begun in regeneration ^[3]. This process is gradual and requires the believer's cooperation through watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance.

Different Christian traditions emphasize the importance of holy fear in personal devotion. The Nonconformist/Puritan tradition, as represented by Matthew Henry, highlights the role of holy fear as a guard against sin and a motivator for holy living ^[8]. The Eastern Orthodox tradition, through the writings of John Chrysostom, stresses the necessity of fear in overcoming spiritual indolence and in the face of spiritual adversaries ^[7].

Sources

King James Version “[KJV] 1 Peter 3:15 — But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”
Matthew “Matthew 26:41 (BBE) — Keep watch with prayer, so that you may not be put to the test: the spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is feeble.”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Sanctification — Involves more than a mere moral reformation of character, brought about by the power of the truth: it is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing the whole nature more and more under the influences of the new gracious principles implanted in the soul in regeneration. In other words, sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration, and it extends to the whole man (Rom. 6:13; 2 Cor. 4:6; Col. 3:10; 1 John 4:7; 1 Cor. 6:19). It is the special office of the Holy Spirit in the plan of redemption to carry on this work (1 Cor. 6:1”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Fear of the Lord the — Is in the Old Testament used as a designation of true piety (Prov. 1:7; Job 28:28; Ps. 19:9). It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial reverence. (Comp. Deut. 32:6; Hos. 11:1; Isa. 1:2; 63:16; 64:8.) God is called "the Fear of Isaac" (Gen. 31:42, 53), i.e., the God whom Isaac feared. A holy fear is enjoined also in the New Testament as a preventive of carelessness in religion, and as an incentive to penitence (Matt. 10:28; 2 Cor. 5:11; 7:1; Phil. 2:12; Eph. 5:21; Heb. 12:28, 29).”
Proverbs (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Proverbs 15:16: Solomon had said in the foregoing verse that he who has not a large estate, or a great income, but a cheerful spirit, has a continual feast; Christian contentment, and joy in God, make the life easy and pleasant; now here he tells us what is necessary to that cheerfulness of spirit which will furnish a man with a continual feast, though he has but little in the world - holiness and love. I. Holiness. A little, if we manage it and enjoy it in the fear of the Lord, if we keep a good conscience and go on in the way of duty, and serve God faithfully with the little”
Proverbs (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Proverbs 14:26: In these two verses we are invited and encouraged to live in the fear of God by the advantages which attend a religious life. The fear of the Lord is here put for all gracious principles, producing gracious practices. 1. Where this reigns it produces a holy security and serenity of mind. There is in it a strong confidence; it enables a man still to hold fast both his purity and his peace, whatever happens, and gives him boldness before God and the world. I know that I shall be justified - None of these things move me; such is the language of this confidence. 2.”
CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians–Colossians–Thessalonians: has become a proficient in any art, without fear? But if, when the devil does not lie in the way, where indolence is the only obstacle, so much of fear is necessary merely in order that we may master that indolence which is natural to us; where there is so fierce a war, so great hindrances, how can we by any possibility be saved without fear? And how may this fear be produced? If we but consider that God is everywhere present, heareth all things, seeth all things, not only whatsoever is done and said, but also all that is in the ”
Proverbs (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Proverbs 14:16: Note, 1. Holy fear is an excellent guard upon every holy thing, and against every thing that is unholy. It is wisdom to depart from evil, from the evil of sin, and thereby from all other evil; and therefore it is wisdom to fear, that is, to be jealous over ourselves with a godly jealousy, to keep up a dread of God's wrath, to be afraid of coming near the borders of sin or dallying with the beginnings of it. A wise man, for fear of harm, keeps out of harm's way, and starts back in a fright when he finds himself entering into temptation. 2. Presumption is folly. ”
Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 6:18: 6:18 Paul contrasts purely mental prayer with prayer in the Spirit, prayer that arises from the Spirit of God within (see 1 Cor 14:15; Jude 1:20; cp. Rom 8:26-27). • at all times and on every occasion: Believers are to make prayer a way of life and turn the whole of life into prayer (see Phil 4:6-7; 1 Thes 5:17)—not simply for themselves, but for all believers everywhere. • Stay alert and be persistent: Because the danger of the devil is constant.”

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