We’re now going through a series of posts in the epistle of 1 Peter. He’s been talking about the importance of walking in holiness. In my last post, we left off talking about the fear of the Lord.

Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

1 Peter 1:17 NIV

In looking at this verse we took note of the word “since”. Peter is addressing a people who are calling on the Lord. If that’s the case, then we must get an accurate picture of God as the final Judge.

We saw that He judges our works impartially. He’s not impressed by what we do as much as the motivations for doing them. So, I want to take some time to go into the fear of the Lord a little deeper.

In my last post I talked about the fact that many times we water down the fear of the Lord. Many teach that it’s simply a healthy respect. We need to see that it really is a fear.

It’s not being afraid of God. But being afraid of harming the relationship that Christ paid such a high price for.

Too often we only zero in on what we can get from our relationship with the Lord.

“God wants you happy, healthy, rich, full, entertained, satisfied.”

We have to understand that our eternal rewards or lack thereof are based upon His decisions. Unfortunately, there are times when we become too familiar with worshiping the Lord.

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

2 Corinthians 7:1 NIV

Again, the word reverence in this verse is the Greek word phobo – the literal word for fear. It should be clear from this and other Scriptures that the fear of God produces holiness.

Paul talked about the day of judgment that we will face as believers. It’s not about heaven or hell, but the quality of our rewards. We’ll be judged on how we built upon the spiritual foundation Christ laid down for us.

If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.

1 Corinthians 3:12-13 NIV

The fire is the final exam. But we’re clearly told that it’s not our works that will be tested. When you talk about building, anything listed in this verse can be used to build with. I’ve seen these structures around the world.

Even in the USA there are some pretty impressive houses made of wood. But that’s not what’s being judged. It’s the quality of the worked based upon how fire-resistant it is. God is looking for quality, not appearance.

When we look around the body of Christ these days, a question arises. Why don’t we live as we should for God the way they did in the early church? In many circles worship seems to be optional. We shy away from Bible study and prayer. I believe it all comes down to a lack of the fear of the Lord.

This is an important topic. So, I’m going to take one more post to talk about it.

Question: How much of the fear of the Lord do you see in your life?

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi