If by "Christians," you mean followers of Christ and His teachings as God and Creator then fearing God is a command that means reverence and living in a state of understanding our position relative to His. God is a loving, patient, merciful and meek God who loves and cares for those who accept His Son Jesus and what He did on the Cross. We understand what we deserve (hell) and that God paid our sin debt through Jesus' sacrifice. In this understanding we fear God, knowing He had the only power to send us to hell, but in His love, He provided a way for us to be brought back into His fold. Praise God!
However, God is also a Consuming Fire, Holy, Righteous and His judgements are perfect. For those who do not accept His Son Jesus, the future should be one of fear and terror knowing that only God has the power to control your destiny and based on His Holy Judgements and what Jesus said in His Word (Matthew 10:28 "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Those who do not accept God's provision for Salvation will reap the just reward for their choice...If one chooses not to accept their Creator's provision and come into His presence based on the method He chooses as a Holy God, then one is, by default choosing to come into His presence based on their own good works and will therefore be judged by a Holy God based on that basis that THEY CHOSE. If one has transgressed the known will of God at even one small point, then based on the Holiness of God, you cannot stand before Him. The separation from God is the result and this is indeed hell...separation from God.
So yes...if one does NOT have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the belief therein, then fearing God means just that...feeling terror in your soul at the thought of coming under the just judgement of God Almighty.
If by "Christians," you mean followers of Christ and His teachings as God and Creator then fearing God is a command that means reverence and living in a state of understanding our position relative to His. God is a loving, patient, merciful and meek God who loves and cares for those who accept His Son Jesus and what He did on the Cross. We understand what we deserve (hell) and that God paid our sin debt through Jesus' sacrifice. In this understanding we fear God, knowing He had the only power to send us to hell, but in His love, He provided a way for us to be brought back into His fold. Praise God!
However, God is also a Consuming Fire, Holy, Righteous and His judgements are perfect. For those who do not accept His Son Jesus, the future should be one of fear and terror knowing that only God has the power to control your destiny and based on His Holy Judgements and what Jesus said in His Word (Matthew 10:28 "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Those who do not accept God's provision for Salvation will reap the just reward for their choice...If one chooses not to accept their Creator's provision and come into His presence based on the method He chooses as a Holy God, then one is, by default choosing to come into His presence based on their own good works and will therefore be judged by a Holy God based on that basis that THEY CHOSE. If one has transgressed the known will of God at even one small point, then based on the Holiness of God, you cannot stand before Him. The separation from God is the result and this is indeed hell...separation from God.
So yes...if one does NOT have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the belief therein, then fearing God means just that...feeling terror in your soul at the thought of coming under the just judgement of God Almighty.