Romans 3:9-18 (New International Version)
No One is Righteous
What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."
"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
These sins above are committed repeatedly without repentence and remorse towards God today. God is the highest and most reliable authority, but yet they show no fear of the Lord. People simply do not fear the Lord these days.
If they do not fear the highest authority on earth,in heaven and underneath the earth, how will they ever fear any authority.People do not respect any authority today. This is the current state of affairs everywhere. Submission to authority cannot be forced upon like what we see worlwide today. It must come out of love for God and fear of hurting Him. Why is the fear of the Lord necessary for mankind?
Job said, he found the answer to that question.
Job 28:28 (New International Version)
And he said to man,
'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.' "
Fear of the Lord is Wisdom
Job had found out that true Wisdom in man is fear of the Lord. When you fear the Lord you have true Wisdom in you. Men who do not fear God, do not have true Wisdom in them. That verse goes further to say that those who shun evil have true understanding.Understanding of what? It's understanding of God and mankind. You can't be of service to anyone if you do not have these in you. You will be responsible for bringing more damage to mankind in the end, if you tried to do service unto them without true wisdom and understanding.
You can fill your life with this fear of the Lord only when Christ is formed in you with the help of the Holy Spirit. You can pretend that you have it but it will not remain in you for long.The absence of true wisdom will show.
The Fear of the Lord leads to Life.
The fear of the Lord leads to life in Christ and not death. Today ,many of the sins listed above if committed brings eternal death to us.
Proverbs 19:23 (New International Version)
The fear of the LORD leads to life:
Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
Troubles come because of the lack of the fear of the LORD.But, when there is that fear of the Lord, one can rest content, untouched by trouble.If fear of the LORD is wisdom and it brings life and not death with it,then, we now know where this fear of the Lord comes from. It comes from the Lord Jesus Christ himself.If He is filled in us by our willing obedience to the Holy Spirit, then the fear of the Lord will be in us.
Fear of the Lord in you will make you God's delight
Malachi 3:16 (New International Version)
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.
When there is fear of the Lord in you ,God hears your prayer. ' A scroll of rememberence' was written meaning the names of those who truly had the fear of the Lord in them were remembered forever in the presence of the Lord.The fear of the Lord will make the difference. King David had this to say about the fear of the Lord:
2 Samuel 23:2-4 (New International Version)
2 "The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock of Israel said to me:
'When one rules over men in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God,
4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings the grass from the earth.'
Today, we see so-called leaders exercise overlording and ruling men through unrighteousness.They do not have this fear of the Lord.They cheat,lie,manipulate,
oppress the poor,steal,kill and destroy everything that God has created.They do not have the fear of the Lord.Deceiving and misleading people as though they 'feared' God are greater sins in the eyes of the Lord who is Holy and Righteous.
King David, with all the experience he had; walking with God, agreed with God, the Rock of Israel, that when one rule or lead men with the fear of the Lord there is the blessing of the Lord attached to it or else trouble will be found there.
Revelation 14:6-7 (New International Version)
The Three Angels
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."
This message from the angel seems to be the final warning for mankind, after which, will come the judgment of God upon all, if unheeded.
