After preaching a sermon on the necessity of the fear of God in public worship, a friend reminded me, “If you want a nail driven in, you have to hit it more than once.” With that in mind, I set about a survey of the Bible’s teaching and found forty truths about fearing God to help hammer in the nail. Brief expositions of some of these verses can be found in Pastor Al Martin’s The Forgotten Fear: Where have all the God-Fearers Gone? (RHB) and Arnold Frank’s  The Fear Of God: A Forgotten Doctrine (RHB).

Old Testament

Fearing God is the right reaction to sin, guilt, and shame (Gen. 3:10).

Fearing God will flow from being in the presence of God (Gen. 28:16-17: Ex. 3:6).

Fearing God is an appropriate response to God’s character (Gen. 31:42).

Fearing God is an essential characteristic of Christian leaders (Ex.18:21).

Fearing God is the ultimate purpose of divine revelation (Deut. 4:10).

Fearing God should flow from the administration of justice (Deut. 17:13; 21:19-21).

Fearing God is the mark of an exceptional believer (Neh. 7:2).

Fearing God is approved by God and noted by Satan (Job 1:1, 9).

Fearing God is the right response to the exalted Christ (Ps.2:10-11).

Fearing God is to be mixed with joy (Ps. 2:10-11).

Fearing God will happen where mission is successful (Ps. 67:7).

Fearing God assures us of God’s mercy and love (Ps. 103:11, 13).

Fearing God is the result of forgiveness (Ps. 130:4).

Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7).

Fearing God is the end of wisdom (Eccl. 12:13-14).

Fearing God turns us away from evil (Prov. 3:7).

Fearing God will extend your life (Prov. 10:27) and improve the quality of your life (Prov. 14:27).

Fearing God will make you happier than millions of dollars (Prov. 15:16).

Fearing God neutralizes envy and is to be present throughout our lives (Prov. 23:17).

Fearing God is more important than looks in choosing a wife (Prov. 31:30).

Fearing God is a dominant trait in the Messiah and will always accompany the work of the Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:2-3).

Fearing God is the promised gift of God to new covenant believers (Jer. 32:40).

Fearing God helps them persevere in the faith (Jer. 32:40).

New Testament

Fearing God is commanded by Jesus (Matt. 10:28).

Fearing God is still expected of God’s people in the New Testament (Luke 1:49-50).

Fearing God grows in response to miracles (Luke 5:8).

Fearing God was one of the fruits of Pentecost (Acts 2:43).

Fearing God is a spiritually healthy reaction to his judgments in the church (Acts 5:5,11).

Fearing God is a mark of the New Testament church and is consistent with the comforting work of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31).

Fearing God is deepened by sovereign election (Rom. 11:20-21).

Fearing God is a motive for evangelism (2 Cor. 5:10-11).

Fearing God motivates sanctification (2 Cor. 7:1).

Fearing God is the framework for a biblical marriage (Eph. 5:21).

Fearing God makes us better employees (Col. 3:22).

Fearing God is the context for working out our salvation (Phil. 2:12-13).

Fearing God assists perseverance in faith (Heb. 4:1).

Fearing God is intensified by redemption and continues throughout our whole lives (1 Peter 1:17-19).

Fearing God is an essential part of successful witnessing (1 Peter 3:15).

Fearing God is God’s last sermon to the world (Rev. 14:6-7).

Fearing God continues into eternity (Rev. 15:3-4; 19:4-5).

David Murray is Professor of Old Testament & Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. This article first appeared on his blog and is used with permission.