Scripture Reading: Psa. 25:12, 14; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Tim. 3:16; 4:7-9; Titus 2:12
There are two words in the Bible which are quite familiar to us. One is fear, and the other is godliness. What do fearing and being godly mean? By the grace of God, we would like to share a little of what we have learned concerning these matters.
God demands that His children be holy. In 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul said, "Therefore since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and of spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." This verse shows us that our holiness is very much related to our fear of God. God is holy, and the more we draw near to Him, the more we feel our uncleanness. The more we serve God, the more we fear ourselves. When we first learn to fear the Lord, it is natural that we fear the self-element in everything we do. For example, your son may come and ask what he should do. If you fear God, you will be afraid of the self-element in your answer. This is the meaning of fear. Suppose a brother asks you for help. If you fear God, you will be afraid of yourself in rendering help to your brother. But at the same time, you will also be afraid of yourself in refusing to help your brother. You are constantly in fear of yourself. This is the meaning of fear. In your acquaintance with the brothers and sisters, you may constantly be afraid of any mixture of the self. This attitude is called fear. To fear is to be afraid of the self in everything that you do. In criticizing or praising others, a person may have the fear that this criticism or praise comes from the self. Having a fearful heart is being afraid of the mixture of self-element.
Let me give a few more examples. Some brothers and sisters like to write letters. Under normal circumstances, writing letters is not wrong. But some brothers and sisters have a natural fondness for writing letters. They waste a considerable amount of valuable time in this matter. If we fear God, we will be afraid of our self even in writing letters. Any time we do something for ourselves, by ourselves, with our own goals in mind, for our own interest, and with the self in full view, we are not being fearful. Being fearful is being afraid of the self in everything and being concerned that we do not offend God in anything. This applies even to the way we deal with our children and with clothing and other necessities. We should be afraid that we have a self-element in the way we deal with our children and with clothing and other necessities, and we should be afraid of offending God in these matters. This apprehension concerning the self is proper fear. We may discover some fault in a brother and may want to rebuke him. But if we live before the Lord, the minute we set our mind on the matter, we will pray, "Lord, I am afraid of self-activity in rebuking my brother." This is the meaning of fear. However, if we are afraid of rebuking our brother just because we do not want to offend his feelings, this is not fear. To fear does not mean to be afraid of difficulties; it does not mean to be sensitive to human feelings. To fear means to be afraid of the activity of the self. The only thing we have to be afraid of is the self. Some people are worried about many things. They are worried about this and that. As a consequence, inexperienced ones say that they are very spiritual. But those who genuinely fear the Lord are not afraid of this and that. They are only afraid of one thing — the self; they are afraid of anything that may not be of God, through God, for God, or unto God. They are afraid of their self-element. This is the proper meaning of fear. Brothers and sisters, as we grow in life, we will not be afraid of many things. We will only be afraid of the self; we will be afraid of offending God. When some brothers and sisters find out something wrong with other brothers and sisters, their mind may try to come up with some clever ways to deal with the situation. Is this spiritual? We cannot say that this is spiritual. This is being political. Even if one succeeds, there will be no spiritual content or result to it. It is self when we deal with others in anger, and it is also self when we deal with others with smiles and subtlety. Brothers and sisters, our temper is not an expression of the fear of God, and our gentle tactics are not expressions of the fear of God. Being political is exercising the self. Anyone who is political is not being fearful of God. Those who fear God are afraid of the self not only when they lose their temper, but also when they deal with others in a gentle way. Our temper is often an expression of the self, and our gentle treatment of others is a greater expression of the self. In our gentleness we have not feared God. To fear is to maintain an attitude of apprehension about our self before God. The most precious attitude a man can have before the Lord is a fearful heart. This means that he is afraid of the presence of self within. This is being fearful.
Then what is being godly? First Timothy 3:16 says, "And confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh..." Godliness is God being manifested in the flesh. This means that God is expressed through man. God's life was manifested in the Lord Jesus (the Head of the church). In the same way, His life is manifested in those who believe in Him (the church). Hence, godliness is simply God's life in us being manifested through our flesh. If we are saved to the extent that our thoughts, words, actions, and attitudes no longer reflect our self but become the living of Christ, we are living a life of godliness. This is what God requires from us. He wants to extend the manifestation of God in the flesh through us.
Second Timothy 3:12 mentions "to live godly..." This means that we should be godly in our living, so that others will see God. The way we speak should make others feel the presence of God. The way we walk and act should make others feel the presence of God. Even our attire, the furniture in our house, the decor of our dwelling, and our whole living should give others the impression of God. When we contact others, they should sense God in us. This is being godly.
Unfortunately, it is hard to find even a few among a hundred Christians who live in a godly way. We often find many brothers and sisters who are ungirded in their loins and undisciplined in their mouths. They joke with each other and jest without having any feeling at all. They privately indulge in drinking and gambling without any sense of remorse within. This is because many so-called Christians do not know the meaning of godliness. Consequently, they do not have a godly living. Having the form of godliness, while denying its power, is vain. But one who has the power of godliness will surely not be void of the form of godliness. Godliness originates from God's life. The essence of God's life is godliness. When this life is manifested in us, the result is surely godliness. The trouble with man is that he is full of the self; he is still fleshly. As a result, the life of godliness is frustrated from expressing itself freely. If a Christian does not have any sense of godliness, he is either void of life or living in darkness. As long as a Christian is living in the light, he will always have consciousness within, although the degree of consciousness may vary. If he thinks, speaks, and acts according to an inward consciousness of godliness, he will become a godly man. This is why one has to exercise himself unto godliness.
First Timothy 4:7 says, "But the profane and old-womanish myths refuse, and exercise yourself unto godliness." This shows that the exercise of godliness is very related to the bridling of our words. Careless words are a sure sign of ungodliness. We should be living and fresh, but we must allow God to express Himself through our speaking. Titus 2:12 says, "Training us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts..." Godliness is not a question of the heart; it is a way of life. Godliness is God being manifested in us.
Let me repeat again. What is fear? It is a condition of the heart; it is being afraid of the presence of the self in everything and constantly being in fear of offending God. What is godliness? Godliness is a way of living; it is expressing God in our daily living. The principle of God's work is always from the inside to the outside. If a man only pays attention to the form of godliness without caring for the life of godliness, his conduct is just a performance without the power and reality of godliness. There is genuine godliness when a person, in a fearful way, becomes apprehensive of his self-activity and constantly refuses, opposes, and condemns all ungodly thoughts, words, acts, moves, and attitudes to the extent that he becomes restricted in his outward behavior. When he moves away from this restriction, he becomes uneasy within; he is condemned and no longer at peace within. We must learn to fear and exercise ourselves unto godliness. May the Lord have a way among us.
