If you respect God, then you will obey Him. My friend, this is absolutely good advice for life; give respect to God!

Summary – Respect God

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Now, what should we learn from everything that is written in this book? The most important thing a person can do is to respect God and obey his commands because he knows about everything people do—even the secret things. He knows about all the good and all the bad, and he will judge people for everything they do. (ERV)

Think about this—do you respect God?

Have you ever thought about this question “do you respect God“? To be clear, do you think God is worthy of worship and obedience? To give respect to God means you admire Him with praise and love, mixed with awe and/or fear.

When you respect God, you worship Him. In fact, you honor Him by doing what He says.

Jesus warned the people in Luke 12:4-5 My friends, don’t be afraid of people. They can kill you, but after that, there is nothing else they can do. 5 God is the one you must fear. Not only can he take your life, but he can throw you into hell. God is certainly the one you should fear! (CEV)

For this reason, we should give attention to and respect/fear of what God can and will do. So, I advise you to give proper respect to God.

Key Points:

1. Wisdom

   Those who want wisdom respect God. Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord, and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One [Proverbs 9:10 (NCV)] ♦ If you really want to become wise, you must begin by having respect for the Lord. All those who follow his rules have good understanding. People should praise him forever [Psalms 111:10 (NIRV)].

2. Fear, respect, and reverence

   Show that you fear and revere the Lord by the way you live. The Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) says “walking in the respect and reverential fear of the Lord“. And so it came about that the Church, throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, enjoyed peace and became firmly established; and, ordering its life by reverence for the Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers [Acts 9:31 (TCNT)].

3. Obey

   Your respectful obedience to the word of God pleases God. So then, my dear ones, just as you people were always obedient [to my teaching] when I was there with you, so now, in my absence [also], be [obedient] all the more. [Continue to] complete your own salvation [i.e., by living faithfully to the end] with fear and trembling [i.e., with a reverent and submissive spirit],
   13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to motivate the desire and to carry out what pleases Him [Philippians 2:12-13 (AUV)].

Many people want respect but fail to give it. – Tim

Skip to the end.

Fear, Respect, and Reverence

Fear (of God)

Before grace fear was a key element between people and God. So, people (sinners) were to fear God (the creator) and the punishment for sin.

“Have you no fear of me? says the Lord; will you not be shaking with fear before me,” … “Am I not to give punishment for these things? says the Lord” [Jeremiah 5:22a and 29a (BBE)].

H3372 fear is from the Hebrew word יָרֵא yare’ (yaw-ray’) v. 1. to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared.

Love of God

However, under grace, through Jesus, the focus is the love of God. Thus, love gives the power to control (self) and avoid sin. As a result, only those who continue in sin need to fear the Lord.

1 John 4:18

There is no [reason for] fear if one [really] loves, but a complete love removes fear [from us] because fear produces punishment [i.e., mental anxiety], and the person who is [always] afraid does not have a complete love. (AUV)

How to Respect God

When we respect God, we pay attention to him and give him special consideration. In other words, we honor him and treat him with admiration (worship). As a result, the child of God reveres God by obeying His rules. That is the proper way to give respect to God or respect him.

2 Corinthians 7:1

Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes body or soul unclean. We should try to become perfect in the way we live, because we respect God. (ICB)

G5401 respect in this verse is from the Greek word φόβος phobos (fo’-ɓos) n. reverence, respect (for authority, rank, dignity); KJV=fear.

Reverence/revere

To reverence is to regard with fear mingled with respect and affection/esteem. It is a deep respect and high regard mixed with fear and love. In fact, it is spiritual and not tied to our feelings, it comes from the soul. However, when it is linked to awe, then it is a deep emotion or feeling.

The only use of reverence as it relates to God

Let us be thankful, because we will receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be grateful and worship (serve) (intensely adore) God in a way that will please him, with reverence (respect) and awe (KJV—godly fear). 29 Our God is a destroying (consuming) fire. Hebrews 12:28-29 (NSB)

G127 reverence is from the Greek word αἰδώς aidos (ai-d̮ōs’) n. 1. (towards God) awe. 2. respect. Thayer’s definition for reverence in Hebrews 12:28 is modesty; i.e., compared to God, we are powerless and worthless.

Skip to the end.

Honor/Obey God

Honor, when used of the Lord, is first of all, to reverence i.e., to have deep respect for God. B) to adore i.e., to honor as God or as divine. C) to worship i.e., to perform acts of praise or respect. That is how we give honor to God.

Matthew 15:1-9

Some of the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers from Jerusalem came to Jesus. They asked, 2 “Why do Your followers not obey the teaching that was given to them by our fathers? They do not wash their hands before they eat.” 3 Jesus said to them, “Why do you break the Law of God by trying to keep their teaching?

4 For God said, ‘Show respect to your father and mother.’ And, ‘He who curses his father or mother will be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if a man says to his parents that anything he has, that might have been of help to them, is already given to God,

6 he does not have to show respect by helping his father and mother. You are putting aside the Word of God to keep their teaching. 7 You who pretend to be someone you are not, Isaiah told about you. He said,

8 ’These people show respect to Me with their mouth, but their heart is far from Me. 9 Their worship of Me is worth nothing. They teach what men have made up.’” (NLV)

How do we honor God?

Open your hearts and let the word of God minister to you as you read and study. God is to be held in the highest esteem but we must be mindful that God will still be God regardless of our praise and respect or lack of. We honor God with worship and serving Him. No other being is worthy. Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (NKJV)

The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day [Isaiah 2:11 (KJV)].

Be holy

The Lord chose YOU to be set apart for Him (i.e., be holy). So I urge you to honor God. Live so that He will receive praise through you (Ephesians 1:12). That is another way to give respect to God.

Ephesians 1:3-4

Let us honor and thank the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has already given us a taste of what heaven is like. 4 Even before the world was made, God chose us for Himself because of His love. He planned that we should be holy and without blame as He sees us. (NLV)

Obey

One of the best ways to show that you appreciate God is to obey Him. When you obey God, you submit to His authority. You meet the requirements given in the Scriptures. Above all, it is to freely agree to fair limits and control.

James 1:22

Obey God’s message! Don’t fool yourselves by just listening to it. (CEV)

So be obedient as a faithful servant. Now you are free from sin and are servants to God. You have your fruit in holiness, and the end everlasting (eternal) life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift from God is everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord [Romans 6:22-23 (NSB)].

Skip to the end.

Respect God wrap-up

Psalm 33:8-9

Worship the Lord, all the earth! Honor him, all peoples of the world! 9 When he spoke, the world was created; at his command everything appeared (GNT).

If you believe the Lord is supreme and our creator. Then you have many reasons to respect God. He is to be feared and revered/respected; do you agree?

1 Peter 4:17-18

For the time has come for judgment, which must begin with the household of God: and if it begins with us, what shall the end be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (RKJNT) 18 “If good people barely escape, what will happen to sinners and to others who don’t respect God?” (CEV)

I cannot stress the importance of the fear of and respect for God; it is absolutely good advice for life. Learn to fear, honor, worship, obey, and give respect to God our Lord.

I pray that you have enjoyed and will make the most of this Bible lesson. Blessings to you and your loved ones—♥ Tim. ☺

Scriptures to read and study:

Note: parenthesis (#) enclose the key verses.

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 (13-14) [references: 2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1 [6:14-7:1; (6:16-18 and 7:1)]. Luke 12:4-7 ( 4-5); Proverbs 9:10-12 (10); Psalms 111:10; Acts 9:31; Philippians 2:12-18 (12-13).

Jeremiah 5:18-31 (22 and 29); 1 John 4:17-19 (18); 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:25-29 (28-29). 1 Peter 2:13-17 (17); Matthew 15:1-20 [(8-9) compare Mark 7:1-23 (6-7)]; Revelation 4:1-11 (11).

Isaiah 2:1-22 (10-11);  Hebrews 12:3-11 (7-11); Romans 6:15-23 (22-23); James 1:21-27 (22). 1 Peter 4:12-19 (17-18); Psalms 33:1-15 (8-9); Ephesians 1:3-14 (3-4).

Related studies/lessons/snacks for further Spiritual growth:

Worship God In Spirit And Truth; That Pleases Him! – an estimated 5-minute read.

We Found 15 Special Gifts; Spiritual Gifts From God – an estimated 29-minute read.

True Worship Is Not Tradition, But What Pleases God! – an estimated 19-minute read.

Obey God – an estimated 19-minute read.

Godly Wisdom; 5 Really Simple Steps To This Ability – an estimated 19-minute read.

Choose Friends Carefully, A Warning To All Godly People – an estimated 9-minute read.

♥ Question for ‘respect God’: Do you fear, honor, worship, obey, and respect GOD with love?

See what is available on the Sound Truth Ministry website.

Copyright information:

C-I

Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission. ♦||♦ (ERV) Taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center, Inc. and used by permission. ♦||♦ (GNT) and (TEV) Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. ♦||♦ (ICB) Scripture taken from the International Children’s Bible®. Copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

N-W

(NCV) Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ♦||♦ (NIRV) Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com The “NIrV” and “New International Reader’s Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ ♦||♦ (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ♦||♦ (WE) Taken from THE JESUS BOOK – The Bible in Worldwide English. Copyright SOON Educational Publications, Derby DE65 6BN, UK. Used by permission.

Resources

H3372 studylight.org Hebrew lex ♦||♦ G5401 Greek lexicon biblehub.com ♦||♦ G127 lexiconcordance.com