A. W. Tozer said it well: “No religion has been greater than its idea of God.” That gem has a corollary: No church is greater than its reverent awe of holy God. He is holy and demands recognition as such. Although most believers know that intellectually, I’m afraid very few realize what that means practically. Clearly the fear of God is not optional: “Live in the fear of the LORD always” (Prov. 23:17); “fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28); “in all things obey … fearing the Lord” (Col. 3:22). Central to the book of Proverbs is the Hebrew word yare, which
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