The Fear of God in 2 Corinthians 7:1 : Its Meaning, Function, and Eschatological Context

Euichang Kim focuses upon the phrase “the fear of God”, drawn from 2 Corinthians’ exhortation to reconcile with God. As opposed to these words appearing from no particular source, Kim points to the wider contexts of Old Testament passages quoted by Paul, and demonstrates that God’s eschatological promises – in particular his coming judgment, his promise to redeem his people, and the prospect of a new covenant – are intertwined with this motif of “fear”. Beginning with an analysis of the meaning of fear in both the Old Testament and the New, Kim proceeds to the context of fear within 2 Corinthians, Scripture, the writings of Second Temple Judaism and the very eschatology of Paul, suggesting that it stems from an awareness of God’s judgment to come and serves to motivate righteous behavior. Kim finally argues that, in the context of 2 Corinthians, the “fear of God” functions as the proper response to God’s saving acts in Christ, and provides motivation for believers to pursue a holy life in anticipation of the eschatological judgment to come.