“Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we seek to persuade people. We are completely open before God, and I hope we are completely open to your consciences as well.
We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in the outward appearance rather than in the heart” (2 Corinthians 5:11-12 HCSB).
There is a seemingly inconsequential word within this passage that is more important than it may appear. That word is “therefore.”
You see, this transitional word alerts us to the fact that the author is about to summarize and apply the concepts he established within the preceding verses. In this instance, the knowledge that he would be held to account for his choices and decisions prompted the following response from Paul the Apostle: “We know what it means to fear the Lord, and so we try to persuade others” (GNB).
Today, the word “fear” is often associated with a feeling of apprehension or the state of being afraid. But lets consider Jesus’ use of this word within the New Testament Scriptures and see how it might influence our thinking regarding this verse…
“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5).
We should note how Jesus separated the words “afraid” and “fear” within these verses: “…do not be afraid of those who kill the body…” but “…Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell…” This tells us that the word “fear” should be understood to refer to an attitude of reverence, honor, and respect when used in this context.
In light of this, we can say that “the fear of the Lord” signifies our responsibility to revere and honor God above all else. One source ties these two concepts together in the following manner…
“Therefore indicates that this verse is a conclusion drawn from the previous one. The terror of the Lord is the fear of standing before the Lord and having one’s life exposed and evaluated. The reality of giving an account to the Lord motivated Paul to persuade people, in this context meaning to convince the Corinthians of his sincerity and integrity.” (1)
(1) Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1500). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.