John Bevere, The Awe of God: The Astounding Way a Healthy Fear of God Transforms Your Life (affiliate link). Nashville: W Publishing, 2023. 285 pages.
John Bevere is an author, an international speaker, and a founder of Messenger International. He focuses on discipleship and produced the MessengerX app, a discipleship tool that is being used globally. He’s based in Franklin, Tennessee. When I first saw this book, I was intrigued. This subject is both controversial and crucial, and I was interested in what he had to say.
He begins with a story of a time when he was speaking in a church and encouraged the congregation to fear God (9). The next evening, before he spoke again, the senior pastor took fifteen minutes to correct what Bevere had said the night before. The pastor informed his congregation that fear of God was an Old Testament concept. In the New Testament, he claimed, we are told that fear is not of God. Bevere spends the rest of the book refuting that pastor’s argument!
Bevere notes that there are 365 verses in the Bible telling people to “fear not” (xv). Yet there are also 200 verses instructing people to fear God (xv). He points out that there is a destructive form of fear, which Christians are commanded to avoid. There is also a healthy fear (or awe) of God that opens the door to all manner of positive features in the Christian life. He writes, “And here’s the unfortunate part: in our quest to eliminate any fear in our lives (including the virtue of fearing God), this area of our faith has been left unexamined, untried, and without benefit” (xv). Bevere unpacks the fear of God at length in this book. I’ll highlight some of his insights and several points on which I disagree.
Bevere argues that the fear of God is not the same as being “scared” of God (12). Such fear would cause us to distrust him, yet Scripture states that the Lord is a friend to those who fear him (13). Technically, the Bible says the secret counsel of God is shared with those who fear God, but Bevere argues that you only share such thoughts with friends. Bevere suggests that godly fear carries with it a profound sense of awe (17). To fear God is also to hate sin (17-18).
Bevere tells a powerful story of a time when he was speaking in Brazil in 1997. He claims that “the presence of God was missing from the atmosphere” in the auditorium that evening (22). He prayed for God to manifest himself. Suddenly, there was a loud sound of wind roaring through the building for 90 seconds. The attendees were deeply impacted (28). Such stories can be difficult to process. Some readers may assume that any mention of God acting in such a spectacular manner ought to be questioned, perhaps outright rejected. The story certainly raises a question many pastors have long pondered: What does a divine encounter look like in a large audience?
Bevere writes that he prayed for a divine encounter whenever he had his quiet time. He states, “Being in God’s presence is crucial to the spiritual hearts of every believer” (30). He cites the story of Thomas Aquinas, who experienced a divine encounter later in life. Henceforth, he stopped writing. When asked why, he responded, “All I have written appears to be straw after what has been revealed to me” (35). I appreciate Bevere’s point that relating to an all-powerful God ought to impact Christians far more than it often does.
That said, I disagree with several other statements Bevere makes. Most are inconsequential, but they distract from his better points. For example, he cites the truth from Psalm 139:17-18 that God’s thoughts toward us are greater in number than the sand. He calculates that there are five hundred million grains of sand in a cubic square foot of beach (48). Then he declares that “God cannot exaggerate . . . God cannot stray one iota from the truth” (49). He later repeats this statement (65). I find this argument cumbersome. Of course, God doesn’t lie. But biblical language is often poetic or metaphorical. The sand of the sea or the stars of the sky represent the largest number of objects known to man at that time. It was a means of saying “a lot!” I don’t think God intended for us to calculate the total number of grains of sand on earth to determine the precise number of thoughts God has for us. The fact that he thinks of us at all is humbling enough.
Bevere rightly looks to the cross as a means of determining how valuable we are to God. But then he states, “If we were not worth every penny less to God than the value of Jesus, then the exchange wouldn’t have been made, for God would not make an unprofitable deal” (50). I totally disagree with that statement. The combined value of all the sinners on earth isn’t equal to Jesus’s worth. When God the Father sent his Son to die on the cross, he wasn’t looking for a good deal. The fact that he paid an exorbitant price doesn’t mean he got equal value for his payment. Bevere goes on to claim, “He loves you as much as he loves Jesus!” (50). Statements like these, which I believe to be incorrect, distract from the book’s more valuable insights.
On the night in Brazil when he heard the strange sound, Bevere claims to have had this thought enter his mind: “John Bevere, you make one wrong move, you say one wrong word, and you are a dead man” (55). He recounts this event in the context of the story of Annanias and Saphira. I agree that we ought to take God and his word seriously, though I’m unsure whether he handles the story of the couple God struck dead particularly well. Great fear came upon the church after God struck down the lying couple, but it’s clear that they served as an example and a warning at the outset of the early church. God doesn’t kill every liar in the church or every church would be empty! We should have a powerful sense of accountability to God, but fearing he will strike us dead if we accidentally say the wrong thing in a sermon is pushing the envelope.
I believe Bevere goes too far on another point too. He correctly argues that heaven is often envisioned in unbiblical ways. But then he states that when we go to heaven, “there will be communities to plan, cities to build, nations to oversee, galaxies to explore and develop, and infinitely more that aligns with how we were created to live” (83). I have no qualms with the idea that people will have tasks to complete in heaven, as work was created in paradise. But suggesting that people will be planning and administering cities or exploring galaxies goes beyond what Scripture explicitly teaches, an error Bevere accuses others of committing. He states, “. . . our eternal reward will determine our eternal position in his kingdom” (85). I agree that our rewards will not be equal. But to state that our eternal assignments in heaven will be forever determined by how we lived on earth is perhaps going beyond what Scripture actually says.
Next, Bevere states that “retirement” is “retreating” from an assignment, and therefore evil (86). I agree that retirement, as society views it, is unbiblical. But a blanket statement that retirement as a whole is “evil” goes too far. Some people, as they age, need to retire from a job they can no longer do effectively. Sometimes we must “retire” from one assignment so we are free to embrace the next one. Deriding retirement as evil is another example of a thrown-in statement that detracts from Bevere’s better-developed points.
Bevere comments that he appreciates the difference between our soul and spirit (110). He links our mind with our soul and our heart with our spirit. I’m not sure I understand his reasoning. He claims that “. . . holiness is brought to maturity through the fear of the Lord, not the love of God” (115). Again, I would push back on that argument. The fear of God is an important aspect of spiritual maturity. But God can work in a believer’s life through love, just as he can through fear. In fact, love may be the most powerful tool in God’s arsenal.
I appreciated Bevere’s distinction between positional and behavioral holiness (117). When we are justified, God puts us in the position of being saved and made his child. There is nothing we can do to bring about our salvation other than to embrace God’s work on our behalf. Behavioral holiness leads to sanctification. Bevere rightly claims that people are incorrect when they lament that there is nothing they can do to behave in a holy manner. Of course there is! We play a role in our sanctification.
Bevere cautions that many people have fabricated their own fictional version of Jesus, and they are unaware that such a deity doesn’t exist (123). He asks readers if they have ever tried to live a holy life and failed (127). He offers encouragement to those who have, noting that the Mosaic Law revealed that no one can live a holy life in their own strength, which is why the Holy Spirit has been made available.
Bevere has an interesting perspective on the importance of obeying God, even when we don’t understand why. He cites the man who wanted to follow Jesus after he buried his father. Cultural norms dictated that the firstborn child was responsible for the father’s funeral. With that responsibility came a double portion of the inheritance. If the firstborn failed to oversee the funeral, the second son would do it and receive a double portion of the inheritance. It made no sense for the firstborn to walk away from his responsibility and his inheritance to obey God (144). Yet the fear of God drives us to obey, even when we don’t understand the reasons for the command.
Another discussion I questioned was Bevere’s commentary on Jeremiah 17:9, which declares that the heart is desperately wicked and deceitful. Bevere claims that statement pertains only to the Old Testament, as we are given a new heart when we are born again (172). I’m not sure I agree. We are given a new nature, but our flesh has been trained and immersed in the ways of the world. Following our heart, even as Christians, can be a hazardous quest!
Bevere also points out that “Angels are assigned to protect those who fear God” (264). He tells the marvelous story of John Hagee, who was shot at point blank range half a dozen times, yet all six bullets missed their mark. Clearly, his story is an example of marvelous protection. But it might be a stretch to declare that if you fear God, angels will protect you from all harm. They may. But plenty of God-fearing people have suffered much harm.
This book is interesting. It addresses an important and neglected issue. People often shy away from the idea of fearing their loving heavenly Father. The Jesus of the Gospels is portrayed as full of grace, not someone who evokes fear. Nonetheless, the Bible is filled with commands to fear God. Clearly, doing so results in much good.
I suspect that anyone who addresses this topic will inevitably share some questionable insights. That’s certainly the case here. At times, Bevere strays beyond what the Bible teaches. He makes a few statements I understand to be false. Some of his dramatic experiences, such as when wind howled through an auditorium or when a voice warned him his life could be in danger, may give some readers pause. I try to learn from people from different denominational and theological backgrounds. I don’t have to agree with everything he writes in order to learn from him. I found several nuggets of wisdom in these pages, and it brought the concept of the fear of God to the forefront of my mind.
I recommend this book if you want to be challenged to consider the fear of God. God may use it to stretch you and make you think. Just know that you may not agree with everything he writes.
Rating: 2
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