The Fear of God in christian life

[David Andonesei]

"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let
us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming
fire."
Hebrews 12:28-29​

I've been wondering about some aspects of worship, more precisely the attitude with which we offer it and the motivation of the heart. Just as a clarification, in no way am I trying to defend a cavalier attitude during worship. I'm just trying to understand some concepts taking into account the following:
- God demands and deserves perfect, spotless worship;
- this is made possible to the believers through Christ, the book of Hebrews emphasizes a lot His ongoing ministry as a high priest and as a mediator for us.
I feel a large focus on the "loving" aspect of worship, and not so much on the fear of the Lord, the "reverence" which we should experience towards a Holy God. This may lead sometimes towards carelessness, negligence, maybe even moments of worship done just for the sake of being done. But we see that even when addressing believers, in Hebrews 12:29, the fact that "God is a consuming fire" is still reminded to them, and "acceptable worship, with reverence and awe" is demanded.

My questions would be:
1. Does Christ perfect even the worship done with the wrong attitude, reasoning of the heart/done with superficiality? Or is that rejected?
2. Why should we emphasize the reverence and awe towards God, this "new fear" available only to the believers?

 

[MW]

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1. Does Christ perfect even the worship done with the wrong attitude, reasoning of the heart/done with superficiality? Or is that rejected?
2. Why should we emphasize the reverence and awe towards God, this "new fear" available only to the believers?

1. A true believer has perpetual lustings of the flesh against the spirit. Wrong attitudes and superficiality will enter into acts of worship to one degree or another as a believer is hindered in all his spiritual services. Such acts are only acceptable through Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 2:5. They are accepted on the basis of His merits. The fact a believer worships at all is a testimony to the grace of God working in his life. We can all look forward to a perfect worship in heaven.

2. If we go back to the beginning of Hebrews 12 we will see that God deals with us as sons. Likewise, sons owe their fathers reverence. If we are subject to the Father of spirits we shall live. Worship is giving God what He is worth. As the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity he deserves to be feared and loved, and praised, and adored, and served, and trusted, and glorified by us. Grace does not remove our natural obligation to Him but enables us to fulfil it in some measure.