2. ONE OF THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Roman Catholics consider the Fear of the LORD to be one of
the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (taken from Isaiah 11: 2,
3) along with:
Wisdom
Understanding
Counsel
Strength (courage)
Knowledge
Piety (Reverence)

3. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS NOT:
The fear that God will act capriciously and out-ofcharacter with His nature or His covenant (that
God will randomly “turn on us”).
It is NOT the slavish dread of an ugly deity.

4. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS:
A reverent and respectful awe of a holy and beautiful God
A sign of healthy spirituality, healthy theology, and healthy church
life (Acts 9:31)
A by-product of a proper understanding of how God has made
Himself known.
A lack of it is considered a spiritual deficit and a fatal flaw of the
wicked (see Psalm 36:1-3, quoted by Paul in Romans)
In other words: where God is rightly known and truly loved He is
reverently esteemed and properly feared.

5. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IN PROVERBS:
In Proverbs, the fear of the Lord is portrayed as:
the beginning of knowledge and of wisdom, especially
the knowledge of God.
It leads us to shun evil and, therefore, promotes wellbeing. It adds length to life and leads to “upright” living. It
gives a person a “secure fortress” in life which also
benefits their children and it is a life-generating force. It
produces the contentment of a well-lived life untroubled
by evil. And it is a praise-worthy characteristic of a godly
and highly-esteemed woman.