To "fear the Lord" in reference to Jesus means to worship Him as being YHWH

Fred

Well-known member
The boldface below is mine.

Psalm 34:11
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Watson's Biblical and Theological Dictionary: Fear is put for the whole worship of God: "I will teach you the fear of the Lord" Psalms 34:11; I will teach you the true way of worshipping and serving God.
https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/wtd/f/fear.html


When the fear of the Lord is removed, so too is the proper worship of God.
"The fear of Me is not in you." (Jeremiah 2:19)
"I will not serve." (Jeremiah 2:20)

To fear false gods involves worshiping false gods.
Judges 6:10
and I said to you, I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me.
Judges 3:5-6
(5) The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites;
(6) and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.


To fear the Lord in reference to Jesus means to worship Him as being YHWH.
Acts 9:31
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
Proverbs 23:17
Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in the fear of the LORD always.

That they were going on in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31) means to "live in the fear of the Lord" (BDAG, 3rd Edition, poreuō, page 853) which corresponds to how one is to always live in reference to the "Lord" (YHWH) in Proverbs 23:17.
David Peterson: Since 'the Lord' is most obviously the risen Lord Jesus in 9:5, 10, 17, 27, 35, 42 the reference is arguably the same as in 9:31. Thus the fear of the Lord, which is such an important aspect of OT piety in relation to the God of Israel, is here applied to the relationship between the glorified Jesus and his disciples. (The Acts of the Apostles, Pillar New Testament Commentary, page 318, footnote 80).



Matthew 10:28
Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 25:31, 41
But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne...Then He will say to those on His left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.

2 Corinthians 5:10-11
(10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
(11) Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.


The fear of the Lord (YWHWH) = The fear of Christ
Job 28:28
And to man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is evil understanding.
Ephesians 5:11-21
(11) Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, --> "depart from evil"
but instead even expose them;
(12) for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.
(13) But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
(14) For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”
(15) Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, --> "wisdom"
(16) making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
(17) So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. --> "understanding"
(18) And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
(19) speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
(20) always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
(21) and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. --> "the fear of the Lord"


Colossians 3:22-24
(22) Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service,
as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
(23) Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
(24) knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
Joshua 22:25-27
(25) For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in the LORD.
So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the LORD.
(26) Therefore we said, Let us build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;
(27) rather it shall be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to perform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, "You have no portion in the LORD.”’

Douglass Moo: The "fear of the Lord" is, of course, a prominent them in the Old Testament, combing a sense of appropriate awe in the presence of God in submission to his will. But the theme is by no means absent from the New Testament (e.g., 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Pet. 2:17; Rev. 11:18; 14:7; 15:4; 19:5), where, in a move typical of the "Christological monotheism" of the early church, the Lord is sometimes defined as Christ (Acts 9:31; 2 Cor. 5:11; Eph. 5:21). This is certainly the case here, as the high Christology of the letter to the Colossians as a whole is again brought to bear on the ordinary situation of the Christian household (The Letters to the Colossians and Philemon, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, page 311).
 
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Fred is on a roll keep up the good work brother!!!


Turning to the Lord Jesus means to worship Him as being YHWH (Acts 9:35)

Acts 9:35
And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.


Rather than starting a new thread in which the title of it appears, above I figured it was better to put the information here since Acts 9 (which appears in the OP) will be mostly the focus. The "Lord" in Acts 9:31 ("the fear of the Lord") and the "Lord" in Acts 9:35 ("turned to the Lord") refers to the Lord Jesus.


In the Old Testament when one turned to the Lord it involved rendering worship unto Him. This is in sharp distinction from turning to idols which would also involve rendering worship unto them.
Psalm 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
Leviticus 19:4
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods;
I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 31:18-20
(18) But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.
(19) Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel.
(20) For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant.

When one turns to YHWH in the New Testament it involves rendering worship unto Him. This too, is in sharp distinction from turning to idols which would involve worshiping them.
1 Thessalonians 1:9
For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.

Jesus is the "Lord" (YHWH) throughout this section of Acts 9.
Acts 9:27-42
(
27) But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly the name of Jesus.
(28) And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.
(29) And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.
(30) But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
(31) So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
(32) Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions , he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.
(33) There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed.
(34) Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.” Immediately he got up.
(35) And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
(36) Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.
(37) And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.
(38) Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”
(39) So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.
(40) But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
(41) And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
(42) It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.


For Acts 9:34 and how this relates to praying to the Lord Jesus see "James 5:16" here:
https://berean-apologetics.community.forum/threads/doxology-and-invocation.113/#post-25828


The "Lord" in Acts 9:42 refers to Jesus.
Acts 9:42
It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
Acts 16:31
They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Acts 19:17-18
(17) This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.
(18) Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.



Finally, both fearing and turning to the Lord (YHWH) in what this Old Testament passage has to say in relation to what the New Covenant affirms about the Lord Jesus.
Jeremiah 32:40
I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.
Acts 9:31, 35
(31) So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
(35) And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
 
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Turning to the Lord Jesus means to worship Him as being YHWH (Acts 9:35)

Acts 9:35
And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.


Rather than starting a new thread in which the title of it appears, above I figured it was better to put the information here since Acts 9 (which appears in the OP) will be mostly the focus. The "Lord" in Acts 9:31 ("the fear of the Lord") and the "Lord" in Acts 9:35 ("turned to the Lord") refers to the Lord Jesus.


In the Old Testament when one turned to the Lord it involved rendering worship unto Him. This is in sharp distinction from turning to idols which would also involve rendering worship unto them.
Psalm 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
Leviticus 19:4
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods;
I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 31:18-20
(18) But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.
(19) Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel.
(20) For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant.

When one turns to YHWH in the New Testament it involves rendering worship unto Him. This too, is in sharp distinction from turning to idols which would involve worshiping them.
1 Thessalonians 1:9
For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.

Jesus is the "Lord" (YHWH) throughout this section of Acts 9.
Acts 9:27-42
(
27) But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly the name of Jesus.
(28) And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.
(29) And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.
(30) But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
(31) So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
(32) Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions , he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.
(33) There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed.
(34) Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.” Immediately he got up.
(35) And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
(36) Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.
(37) And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.
(38) Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”
(39) So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.
(40) But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
(41) And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
(42) It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.


For Acts 9:34 and how this relates to praying to the Lord Jesus see "James 5:16" here:
https://berean-apologetics.community.forum/threads/doxology-and-invocation.113/#post-25828


The "Lord" in Acts 9:42 refers to Jesus.
Acts 9:42
It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
Acts 16:31
They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Acts 19:17-18
(17) This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.
(18) Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.



Finally, both fearing and turning to the Lord (YHWH) in what this Old Testament passage has to say in relation to what the New Covenant affirms about the Lord Jesus.
Jeremiah 32:40
I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.
Acts 9:31, 35
(31) So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
(35) And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
Amen and the word of the Lord, the word of God are synonyms. The Lord is God no doubt in so many different ways throughout the book of Acts.
 
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