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The Fear of God Has a Purifying Influence
Romans 3:9-18 describes a very dark picture of the sinfulness of man: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (v. 10). The conclusion for man being this way is because “there is no fear of God before their eyes” (v. 18). This clearly points to a definite relationship between the fear of God and how we live.
In the life of Cornelius, you can witness how the fear of God affects one’s own life. His fear of God was evident by alms which he gave and the prayers he made to God (Acts 10:1,2). With such a fear of God, Cornelius is extremely interested in knowing what has been commanded by God. By the actions of Cornelius, Peter testifies of the purifying influence the fear of God has on one’s life. “But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to Him” (v. 35). Paul even witnessed the fear of God among those to whom he preached on his first preaching journey in Antioch of Pisidia. He addresed the audience in the synagogue as “Men of Israel, and ye that fear God” (Acts 13:16). He appealed to them again in verse 26 saying, “Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of salvation sent forth.”
The term “God-fearing” is a very revealing term. It describes the character and what is practiced in one’s life - godliness. The word often used in the scripture is “devout.” The word “devout” in the New Testament has three interesting meanings: (1) EULABES - It is found in Luke 2:25, Acts 2:5, and 8:2 and means “taking hold well; cautious”; (2) EUSEBES - It is found in Acts 10:2,7 and 22:12. This signifies sacred awe or reverence exhibited especially in actions; and (3) SEBOUMAI - It is used in Acts 13:43,50 and 17:4,17. This literally means to feel awe or fear; to stand in awe. With this term, we can understand a devout person to be one who is careful to do what is right and pleasing to God. We could say that a devout person conducts his life in the same manner Noah did - “move with godly fear” (Hebrews 11:7). Of a certainty we can say, the fear of God has a profound and purifying influence upon our lives.
The purifying effect the fear of God has on our lives is manifested in several places. In the early days of the church in Jerusalem, God brought instant judgment upon Ananias and Sapphira for their lies by striking them dead (Acts 5:1-14). The immediate response was “great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all that had heard these things” (v. 11). Such an attitude of heart brought about the desired purifying effect as “believers were the mroe added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (v. 14). Would God have to curse someone with a disease or strike someone dead for us to purify our lives and fear Him?
There is no better motive not to sin than the fear of God. It was the principle of Job’s life: “That man was...one that feareth God, and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1,8). Does it have a purifying effect on yours?
