For generations some Christian Churches have kept their parishioners on the edge of their seats as they thundered threatenings from heaven upon all the sinners sitting across from their pulpits.

That was a fear driven gospel, discouraging and driving people away from God. Not recommended as an edifying form of preaching.
BUT

Now it seems we have swung to the opposite side, as week after week the Love of God is preached. No more thundering, no more urgent calls to repent, it's all good, God loves us.
Now don't get this wrong, indeed God's love is higher than the heavens, deeper than the deepest sea, broader and wider than we can fathom. It is a wonderful part of the gospel.

Yet, the question arises,
What does it mean to "fear the LORD". If love casts out fear, why would the Bible tell us to "fear the Lord"?

We tend to bend over backwards to redefine that word. Saying it means "worship" "honor" anything but fear. But if that were true, why would the Bible tells us to fear God? Not just once but many times? It does mean "fear".

Lev.19:14 fear thy God: I am the LORD.
Lev. 25:17 thou shalt fear thy God: for I [am] the LORD your God.
Duet 6:2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee,
Duet 6:13-14 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods,
Deut 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
Deut 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
Deut 17:18-19 this book of the law.... read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deut. 31:11-12 gather men, women, children and strangers...they they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:

Ps. 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Ps 9:20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
Ps. 19:9 The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
Ps. 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
Ps. 25:14 The secret of the LORD [is] with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.
Ps. 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
Ps. 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.
Ps. 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
Ps. 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Ps. 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name

Pr. 1:7 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge:
Pr. 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pr. 8:13 The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,
Pr, 14:26 In the fear of the LORD [is] strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Pr. 14:27 The fear of the LORD [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
Pr. 15:33 The fear of the LORD [is] the instruction of wisdom;
Pr. 16:6 by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.
Pr. 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD come riches, and honour, and life.

Acts 9:41 and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, they multiplied.
Rev. 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for [thou] only [art] holy:
1 Cor. 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Eph. 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Heb 11:7 Noah.. moved with fear, prepared an ark
Heb 12:28 we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Rev. 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Matt. 10:28 Do not fear them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

That's just a small sample.
It's an oft repeated phrase -- fear the LORD.
There are other uses where angels tell the trembling human who has just seen a heavenly being to "fear not". Also, fear not concerning enemies and adverse situations.
Deut. 20:3-4 let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is the One Who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
Isaiah 35:4 Tell those who have a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
Isaiah 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you.
Luke 12:7 Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Rev. 1:17-18 Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

But I'm not sure we should be sweeping all these quotes under the rug, as meaning anything else except our understanding of fear. Why would the Holy Spirit use that word so often?
What role does fear play in the Christian's life?
What role doe fear not play in a Christians life?
There is an important element to "fear" or the word won't be used so often.

Knowing our God is the God of love, is foundational truth. God is Love! It is the truth that gives us purpose, hope, strength.
The danger, as I see it, comes when we take this wonderful fact, and try to reason away His justice, a justice holy angels proclaim as just and true (see Rev. 16:5-6), The danger comes when the demands of His law, His atonement and sacrifice that we may be forgiven and given eternal life are pushed aside because human reason thinks it needs to be pushed aside to define perfect love.

Iowa-Missouri Camp Meeting 2025 - Friday Night
About the 5 world views

Amazing Grace...
T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear
And Grace my fear relieved.

The author of that song, John Newton, was once a seaman. He was engaged in the slave trade, transporting slaves from Sierra Leone to the West Indies. A dark part of his life -- spiritually lost.

During a life threatening storm he prayed to a God he had pushed aside most of his life, but now he was promising to reform and to serve God if he lived through this storm. He survived the storm, and kept his promise.

The song talks about grace teaching the heart to fear.
Facing death at sea brought Newton face to face with his mortality and guilt as he realized the horrors and atrocities in which he had been involved. He feared not just drowning, but also the terror of the spiritually lost.
He attributed his great fear to GRACE! " T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear"

However people want to explain it, the Bible makes it clear the lost experience great fear and terror when they are brought before the righteous throne of God. They realize that by their choices they have lost everything.

Yet GRACE, the forgiving, pardoning, transforming grace of Christ will relieve that fear, for those who come to Jesus while probation lingers. Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation"?
Yes, God's matchless love has offered, to a world of rebels, salvation. A salvation totally undeserved and unearned. A salvation that cost God dearly. A salvation offered because He is love and greatly desires for us to choose salvation, yes, to respond to His love, and choose life in Him. But the warning is loudly given in the third angel's message, that to turn away and follow the rebel leader means torment and total destruction.

Don't confuse the strong warning with threatening.
It's grace that teaches our hearts to fear, so that fear will lead us to Christ, Who is full of love and grace that alone can relieve that fear.

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them Psalms 119:165
But the wicked [are] like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Isaiah 57:20-21

2 Peter 3:9-10 God is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. ...Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.