The Believers’ Filial (Godly) Fear

Filial fear is a holy inclination of the heart, generated by God in the hearts of His children, whereby they, out of reverence for God, take careful pains not to displease God, and earnestly endeavor to please Him in all things. It is a motion of the heart. The noble soul is gifted with emotions, and dependent upon what the objects are, is moved to either joy or sorrow, love or hatred, fear or fearlessness. As far as the fear of God is concerned, man is insensitive, hard, and without emotion. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18). In regeneration, however, the heart of stone is removed and a heart of flesh is received, which is soft and pliable, and is very readily moved upon beholding God, dependent upon the measure in which God reveals Himself to the soul. If God is perceived as being majestic, a motion immediately arises within their soul—a motion which is befitting to the creature, in respect to God.

It is a holy motion. Since an unconverted person is in essence nothing but sin, also all that proceeds from him is distorted. The ability to fear is directed toward an erroneous object and is exercised in a disorderly fashion. Believers, however, having been sanctified in principle, are also sanctified as far as their inner motions are concerned. Their fear has a proper object and consequently functions in a holy manner, that is, in faith and love. They are devout and fear God (Act 10:2).

“Filial fear is a holy inclination of the heart, generated by God in the hearts of His children, whereby they, out of reverence for God, take careful pains not to displease God, and earnestly endeavor to please Him in all things. It is a motion of the heart.”

~ Wilhelmus A’Brakel (1635-1711)

God generates this holy motion. By nature man is totally unfit for any good work. He finds no delight in God and has no desire to fear the Lord. He may be terrified of God, but he cannot fear Him rightly. However, God enables His own people to fear Him. “I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me” (Jer. 32:40).

The Holy Spirit is therefore called “the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2).

This filial fear is found in the hearts of God’s children. The heart is the seat of all motions—evil as well as good. God has enclosed this precious gift in the hearts of His children, and all the motions relative to fear proceed from the heart. Their fear neither consists in talk, refraining from evil and doing good, nor in the appearance of fear—but rather in truth. The heart, intellect, will, and affections are involved here, and the heart brings forth various deeds which manifest the fear of God. Only God’s children truly fear the Lord, and therefore those who have this virtue are called God-fearing people. “…the same man was just and devout” (Luke 2:25); “…devout men” (Acts 2:5); “And devout men carried Stephen to his burial” (Act 8:2).

Filial fear is engendered by reverence for God. God is the object of this fear. “O fear the Lord, you His saints” (Psalm 34:9). God is eminent, glorious, and majestic within Himself—even if there were no creatures. “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty” (1 Chr. 29:11). Hereby God is awe-inspiring in and of Himself. With the advent of intelligent creatures who observe the brilliance of His glory, it cannot but be that they have reverence for Him, who is both infinite and majestic.

A natural man does not know God. Therefore he may be fearful of His judgments, for calamities, and sometimes may acknowledge God to be solemn (although he generally does not progress this far), but he cannot have reverence for Him. That is the privilege and blessedness of believers. A sinful person cannot tolerate God’s majesty. He would flee in terror from God, for He is to him a consuming fire. However, in Christ—God is a reconciled Father to His children, and therefore they simultaneously love and revere Him. “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:11).

To God be the glory!

Source: https://www.apuritansmind.com/the-christian-walk/the-fear-of-god-by-wilhelmus-abrakel/