“Poor Christian man, thou hast scarcely been able to do anything for God all thy days, but only to fear the Lord. Thou art no preacher, and so canst not do him service that way; thou art no rich man, and so canst not do him service with outward substance; thou art no wise man, and so canst not do anything that way: but here is thy mercy, thou fearest God.” ~John Bunyan

Look Inside the Book

Christians today do not talk about the fear of God. We are so anxious to make God approachable that we have watered down the requirement to fear God. In this short but truly eloquent book John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, explains what true fear of God is, how it is different from craven, unbelieving fear, and how we can grow in a trusting fear of the Lord. To fear God rightly is the essence of the Christian life.

“A raw fear of punishment is a far cry from the spirit of adoption that we have been given in Christ. Nevertheless, the Bible uses the word fear, in a positive sense, in multiple places. We are to work out our salvation with fear, and notice also that it is with trembling (Phil. 2:12). The fear of the Lord does not stroll into the throne room of the Ancient of Days, hands in pockets, whistling carelessly.” ~From Douglas Wilson’s Introduction