Why the Fear of God Matters in a World of Violence
The Fear of God Matters in a World of Violence
Why Reverence for the Creator Is Essential to Protecting Human Life
“Thou shalt not kill.” - Exodus 20:13
Every morning brings fresh headlines of violence, bloodshed, and murder. School shootings. Mass killings. Drive-by shootings. Domestic homicides. Terrorist attacks. Senseless brutality that leaves communities devastated and families destroyed. Children gunned down in their classrooms. Worshippers slaughtered in their sanctuaries. Innocent people murdered for insignificant offenses or no reason at all. The question haunts every thinking person: How did we arrive at this point? How has human life become so cheap? Why has violence become so commonplace?
The answer lies in a foundational truth our society has deliberately rejected—the fear of God. When people no longer fear God, they lose the sacred boundary that restrains them from the most heinous acts. The sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” is not merely an ancient rule for primitive societies—it is a divine barrier protecting human life because every person is created in God's image and likeness. This commandment rests on the foundational truth of Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” When we understand that every human bears God's image, murder becomes not merely a crime against humanity but an assault on God Himself.
The fear of God is the missing foundation in our violent world. Without it, moral restraints collapse, conscience becomes seared, and human life loses its sacred value. In this urgent message, we will explore why the fear of God matters, how its absence has led to moral chaos, and what it means to restore this essential foundation in our hearts and society.
The Sacred Value of Human Life
To understand why murder is such a heinous sin, we must first understand the unique value God places on human life. Humans are not merely evolved animals or biological accidents—we are created in the image and likeness of God Himself.
Created in God's Image
Genesis 1:26-27 records God's special creation of humanity: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Three times this passage emphasizes that humans are made in God's image—this is no accident or minor detail but the foundation of human dignity and worth. Unlike animals, plants, or any other created thing, humans alone bear the image of God. We are God's representatives on earth, His image-bearers, reflections of His character. Genesis 2:7 describes how “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” God personally formed humans and breathed His own life into us—an intimacy not shared with any other creature. Genesis 5:1 reiterates: “In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.” Genesis 9:6 establishes the death penalty for murder based on this foundation: “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” The reason murder deserves capital punishment is because humans bear God's image.
What does it mean to bear God's image? While theologians debate the details, it clearly includes rationality, morality, creativity, relationality, and spiritual capacity—qualities that distinguish humans from animals. We can think, reason, choose, create, love, worship, and commune with God. We have moral consciousness, aesthetic appreciation, and eternal souls. But beyond these attributes, bearing God's image means representing God on earth. When you look at another human being—any human being—you are looking at an image-bearer of God. The elderly person in the nursing home bears God's image. The unborn child in the womb bears God's image. The person of a different race bears God's image. The person you disagree with politically bears God's image. Your enemy bears God's image. Even the worst criminal bears God's image, though marred by sin.
The Sanctity of Life Principle
Because humans are created in God's image, human life is sacred—set apart, holy, inviolable. Psalm 139:13-16 celebrates God's intimate involvement in forming each person: “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” God forms each person in the womb with intimate care and purpose. Job 33:4 testifies: “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” God gives life to every person. Acts 17:25 declares that God “giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” Life belongs to God—He gives it, sustains it, and has authority over it. Deuteronomy 32:39 states: “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” God alone has the right to give and take life.
The Fear of God as Divine Restraint
The fear of God is not cowering terror before a cruel tyrant but reverent awe that recognizes God's absolute authority, perfect holiness, and righteous judgment. This fear serves as a divine restraint that keeps people from crossing moral boundaries.
What Is the Fear of God?
Proverbs 9:10 declares: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” The fear of God is the foundation of wisdom and understanding. Proverbs 1:7 adds: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Those who reject the fear of God are fools. Proverbs 8:13 explains: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” Fearing God means hating evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 concludes: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Fearing God involves keeping His commandments because He will judge every action. Psalm 111:10 states: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” Fear leads to obedience. The fear of God is not panic or dread but profound respect, awe, and submission to God's authority.
This fear provides a powerful restraint against sin, including murder. When a person truly fears God, they understand that every action is observed by an all-seeing God who will bring everything into judgment. Hebrews 4:13 warns: “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Nothing is hidden from God's sight—every murder, every violent act, every wicked thought is seen by Him. Proverbs 15:3 states: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” God sees all. Jeremiah 23:24 asks rhetorically: “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” No one can hide from God.
The Reality of Divine Judgment
The person who truly fears God understands that every act of violence will be judged. Romans 14:12 declares: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” We will all give account to God. Hebrews 9:27 states: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Death is followed by judgment. 2 Corinthians 5:10 explains: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” Everyone will stand before Christ's judgment seat. Revelation 20:12 describes the final judgment: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Every person will be judged according to their works. Galatians 6:7 warns: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” We will reap what we sow—including murderers who will face justice. Numbers 32:23 cautions: “Be sure your sin will find you out.” No sin escapes God's notice or judgment.
The Absence of Fear and Moral Collapse
When society removes God from its consciousness, it inevitably removes the fear of God. And when the fear of God is gone, moral restraints collapse and violence increases.
What Happens Without Fear of God
Psalm 14:1 declares: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” Denying God leads to corruption and evil works. Romans 3:18 describes the wicked: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Lack of God-fear characterizes the ungodly. Psalm 36:1 explains: “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.” The wicked lack fear of God. Judges 21:25 summarizes Israel's moral chaos: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” When God's authority is rejected, moral relativism reigns and everyone does what seems right to them. Proverbs 29:18 warns: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Without divine revelation and law, people perish morally. Isaiah 5:20 describes moral confusion: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” When God is removed, moral categories become confused.
Our society demonstrates this pattern perfectly. As we have removed God from schools, courts, public life, and ultimately from our collective consciousness, we have witnessed an explosion of violence. When there is no fear of divine judgment, human conscience becomes the only restraint, and as Romans 1:28 describes, when people reject God, “God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” A reprobate (debased, unapproved) mind cannot function as a reliable moral compass. Titus 1:15 explains: “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” Without God, even conscience becomes corrupted. 1 Timothy 4:2 describes some who have “their conscience seared with a hot iron”—rendered insensitive to moral truth.
The Cheapening of Human Life
When the fear of God disappears, human life loses its sacred value and becomes cheapened. If humans are merely evolved animals with no eternal significance, what makes human life more valuable than animal life? If there is no Creator in whose image we are made, what gives humans inherent dignity? If there is no final judgment, what ultimate restraint exists against taking life? The logical outcome of godless philosophy is the devaluation of human life—which we see manifested in abortion (killing the unborn), euthanasia (killing the elderly and infirm), genocide (killing people groups), and the general violence that plagues our streets. When God is removed from the equation, humans become merely biological machines—complex but ultimately disposable. Proverbs 14:12 warns: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Human wisdom apart from God leads to death. Jeremiah 17:9 exposes human depravity: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” The human heart is desperately wicked and cannot be trusted as the ultimate moral authority. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness requires acknowledging God's moral law as the absolute standard.
Restoring the Fear of God
The solution to our violent culture is not more laws, more security measures, or more government programs—it is the restoration of the fear of God in human hearts. When people truly understand who God is and what He requires, violence loses its appeal.
Teaching the Knowledge of God
Hosea 4:6 laments: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” Lack of knowledge of God destroys people. Proverbs 9:10 reminds us: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Knowing God produces fear of God which leads to wisdom. Jeremiah 9:23-24 declares: “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” Knowing God—His character, His holiness, His justice, His lovingkindness—is the most important knowledge. John 17:3 states: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Eternal life involves knowing God. We must teach people—especially children—who God is, what He requires, and that He will judge every action.
Proclaiming God's Righteousness and Judgment
Psalm 96:13 declares: “Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” God will judge the world in righteousness. Acts 17:30-31 warns: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” God commands all people everywhere to repent because judgment is coming. Romans 2:5-6 cautions: “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds.” Those who refuse to repent store up wrath for judgment day. Hebrews 10:31 solemnly warns: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Facing God's judgment should produce holy fear. We must proclaim these truths clearly—not to terrorize but to warn, not to condemn but to rescue those heading toward judgment.
The Good News: Forgiveness Is Available
Even for those who have committed murder or harbored hatred in their hearts, there is hope in Jesus Christ. The same God who commands “Thou shalt not kill” is also the God who offers forgiveness to all who truly repent and trust in Christ. Isaiah 1:18 invites: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Even scarlet sins can be washed white as snow through Christ's blood. 1 John 1:9 promises: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession brings forgiveness and cleansing. But remember—God's forgiveness doesn't eliminate earthly consequences. Murderers must still face human justice while seeking divine mercy. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. May we all cultivate this holy fear, recognizing that every human life is sacred because every person bears the image of God, and that we will all give account to God for every action. Let the fear of God restrain violence, protect the innocent, and lead people to repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ!