What is the difference between Reverence and Respect?
Reverence: feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe
Respect: to show regard or consideration for
Reverence is involved with worship, while respect is showing common courtesy to other people.
“Holy and reverend is His name.” Psalm 111:9. This word “Reverend” in this verse is from the Hebrew word “Nora”. It literally means “to be feared,” or “to be reverenced.” Although this word appears 44 times in the Bible it is never applied to human beings.
“If Christ were on earth today, surrounded by those who bear the title of ‘Reverend’ or ‘Right Reverend,’ would He not repeat His saying, ‘Neither be ye called masters: for One is your Master, even Christ’? The Scripture declares of God, ‘Holy and reverend is His name.’ Psalm 111:9. To what human being is such a title befitting? How little does man reveal of the wisdom and righteousness it indicates! How many of those who assume this title are misrepresenting the name and character of God! Alas, how often have worldly ambition, despotism, and the basest sins been hidden under the broidered garments of a high and holy office!” –The Desire of Ages, p. 613
“According to the teaching of the Scriptures, it dishonors God to address ministers as ‘reverend.’ No mortal has any right to attach this to His own name, or to the name of any other human being. It belongs only to God, to distinguish Him from every other being. Those who lay claim to this title take to themselves God’s holy honor. They have no right to the stolen word, whatever, their position may be. ‘Holy and reverend is His name.’ We dishonor God when we use this word where it does not belong.” –The Youth’s Instructor, July 7, 1898
“The greatest Teacher the world ever knew left no example of this character for us to follow. He did not call any fallible, sinful man by a title that belongs alone to God. No human being heard the title of reverend or right reverend from His lips as applied to man.” –The Signs of the Times, July 16, 1896
While we are to respect the leaders in the church, we are not to reverence them as the Pharisees had taught the people to do in the time of Christ. “For the people still had great reverence for their religious leaders.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 205
We are to respect authority figures on this earth but not reverence them. The Father and the Son alone are to be reverenced.
HOW DO WE SHOW REVERENCE TO THE LORD?
“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Hebrews 12:28
Our service to the Lord must be with reverence. In the Christian world there are all kinds of service and worship that is extremely irreverent. We must not copy their example, but show a different spirit. “It makes every difference how we do service for God. The boy who drudges through his lessons because he must learn will never become a real student. The man who claims to keep the commandments of God because he thinks he must do it will never enter into the enjoyment of obedience.
“The essence and flavor of all obedience is the outworking of a principle within—the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer, doing right because it is right. When the Word of God is a burden because it cuts directly across human inclinations, then the religious life is not a Christian life, but a tug and a strain, an enforced obedience. All the purity and godliness of religion are set aside.
“But adoption into the family of God makes us children, not slaves. When the love of Christ enters the heart we strive to imitate the character of Christ. . . . The more we study the life of Christ with a heart to learn, the more Christlike we become. Into the heart of every true doer of the Word the Holy Spirit infuses clear understanding. The more we crucify selfish practices by imparting our blessings to others and by exercising our God-given ability, the more the heavenly graces will be strengthened and increased in us. We will grow in spirituality, in patience, in fortitude, in meekness, in gentleness. . . . A train of cars is not merely attached to the engine; they follow on the same track as the engine. Whom are we following?” –That I May Know Him, p. 118
This is true reverence for the Lord; worship, service and obedience with love.
REVERENCE THE NAME OF GOD IN PRAYER
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions.” Matthew 6:7. Our prayers will not be like a tape recorder, thoughtlessly playing back the same set phrases. The Pharisees were making a great show of their holiness by their prayers. A reverent prayer will be a simple, humble, plea to God from a penitent heart. “Prosy, sermonizing prayers are uncalled for and out of place in public. A short prayer, offered in fervor and faith, will soften the hearts of the hearers; but during long prayers they wait impatiently, as if wishing that every word might end it.” –Gospel Workers, p. 179
In the model prayer that Jesus gave (the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9–14) we see the name of the Father mentioned once in the beginning only. When you meet someone and have a conversation with them, you may mention their name at the beginning of your greeting. You say, “Hello___,” but you do not mention their name constantly throughout your conversation. And that is what prayer really is—a conversation with the Lord. We would therefore show respect and reverence unto the name of the Lord, by not needlessly repeating His name throughout our prayers.
“Reverence should be shown also for the name of God. Never should that name be spoken lightly or thoughtlessly. Even in prayer its frequent or needless repetition should be avoided.” – Child Guidance, p. 538
“We are never in any manner to treat lightly the titles or appellations of the Deity. In prayer we enter the audience chamber of the Most High; and we should come before Him with holy awe. The angels veil their faces in His presence. The cherubim and the bright and holy seraphim approach His throne with solemn reverence. How much more should we, finite, sinful beings, come in a reverent manner before the Lord, our Maker!” –Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 106
“Some think it a mark of humility to pray to God in a common manner. . . . They profane His name by needlessly and irreverently mingling with their prayers the words, ‘God Almighty’—awful, sacred words, which should never pass the lips except in subdued tones and with a feeling of awe.” –The Faith I Live By, p. 41
Remember, in prayer you are in the audience chamber of the Most High, whether you are praying at church, with your family, or in your closet. Let your prayers be spoken with utmost reverence.
REVERENCE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD
“That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15. This verse was written by the Apostle Paul when the Christian church was young and did not own any church buildings. However, the presence of God was still in their midst during worship. The church of God is primarily the spiritual union of its converted members. Yet, great respect was still to be shown for the place of worship. We also may not have church buildings of our own, but the area used must be kept holy and reverence be shown. Much more so should reverence be shown when we have our own buildings and places of worship. This needs to be taught to the children. They must learn to show reverence in the sanctuary from their earliest years; no talking or walking around.
“Ye shall keep My sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:30. Two commandments are given here. True religion requires reverence for the Sabbath as well as for the sanctuary. Both are holy. Some reverence one or the other, but reverence must be shown to both. The Jewish nation had great respect for their sanctuary, and that respect is to be continued today in our places of worship.
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him.” Psalm 89:7
There is an entire chapter entitled “Behavior in the House of God” in the book Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, pages 491–500. It would be well for us all to read it. I will quote a few highlights here.
“To the humble, believing soul, the house of God on earth is the gate of heaven. The song of praise, the prayer, the words spoken by Christ’s representatives, are God’s appointed agencies to prepare a people for the church above, for that loftier worship into which there can enter nothing that defileth. . . . the church is the sanctuary for the congregation. There should be rules in regard to the time, the place, and the manner of worshiping. . . .
“When the worshipers enter the place of meeting, they should do so with decorum, passing quietly to their seats. . . Common talking, whispering,
and laughing should not be permitted in the house of worship, either before or after the service. Ardent, active piety should characterize the worshipers. . . .
“If some have to wait a few minutes before the meeting begins, let them maintain a true spirit of devotion by silent meditation, keeping the heart uplifted to God in prayer that the service may be of special benefit to their own hearts and lead to the conviction and conversion of other souls. They should remember that heavenly messengers are in the house. We all lose much sweet communion with God by our restlessness, by not encouraging moments of reflection and prayer. The spiritual condition needs to be often reviewed and the mind and heart drawn toward the Sun of Righteousness. If when the people come into the house of worship, they have genuine reverence for the Lord and bear in mind that they are in His presence, there will be a sweet eloquence in silence. The whispering and laughing and talking which might be without sin in a common business place should find no sanction in the house where God is worshiped. The mind should be prepared to hear the word of God, that it may have due weight and suitably impress the heart. . . .
“When the minister enters, it should be with dignified, solemn mien. He should bow down in silent prayer as soon as he steps into the pulpit, and earnestly ask help of God. What an impression this will make! There will be solemnity and awe upon the people. Their minister is communing with God; he is committing himself to God before he dares to stand before the people. Solemnity rests upon all, and angels of God are brought very near. Every one of the congregation, also, who fears God should with bowed head unite in silent prayer with him that God may grace the meeting with His presence and give power to His truth proclaimed from human lips.
“When the word is spoken, you should remember, brethren, that you are listening to the voice of God through His delegated servant. Listen attentively. Sleep not for one instant, because by this slumber you may lose the very words that you need most—the very words which, if heeded, would save your feet from straying into wrong paths. Satan and his angels are busy creating a paralyzed condition of the senses so that cautions, warnings, and reproofs shall not be heard; or if heard, that they shall not take effect upon the heart and reform the life. Sometimes a little child may so attract the attention of the hearers that the precious seed does not fall into good ground and bring forth fruit. Sometimes young men and women have so little reverence for the house and worship of God that they keep up a continual communication with each other during the sermon. Could these see the angels of God looking upon them and marking their doings, they would be filled with shame, with abhorrence of themselves. God wants attentive hearers. It was while men slept that Satan sowed his tares. . .
“When the benediction is pronounced, all should still be quiet, as if fearful of losing the peace of Christ. Let all pass out without jostling or loud talking, feeling that they are in the presence of God, that His eye is resting upon them, and that they must act as in His visible presence. Let there be no stopping in the aisles to visit or gossip, thus blocking them up so that others cannot pass out. The precincts of the church should be invested with a sacred reverence. It should not be made a place to meet old friends and visit and introduce common thoughts and worldly business transactions. These should be left outside the church. God and angels have been dishonored by the careless, noisy laughing and shuffling of feet heard in some places.”
And from Child Guidance, pages 542–543:
“There should be a sacred spot, like the sanctuary of old, where God is to meet with His people. That place should not be used as a lunchroom or as a business room, but simply for the worship of God. . . .
“The house or sanctuary dedicated to God should not be made a common place. Its sacredness should not be confused or mingled with the common everyday feelings or business life. There should be a solemn awe upon the worshipers as they enter the sanctuary, and they should leave behind all common worldly thoughts, for it is the place where God reveals His presence. It is as the audience chamber of the great and eternal God; therefore pride and passion, dissension and self-esteem, selfishness, and covetousness, which God pronounces idolatry, are inappropriate for such a place.”
Whether there are services being held or not, or even if it is not Sabbath but a regular working day, the same reverence must be upheld in the house of the Lord.
REVERENCE OF WIFE TO HUSBAND
The family circle is a small unit that is an example of what the larger circle of the family of God should be. Religion begins in the home and then spreads out to the church and to the community. A united home is a strong building block in the church and in society. It begins before the children are born with the wife reverencing her husband.
“Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” Ephesians 5:33
The word “Reverence” in this verse in the Greek is literally “fear” or “respect” as opposed to “worship” as we understand the world reverence to mean in its truest sense. Paul does not mean cringing fear; that would be out of keeping with previous counsels he had given. God’s natural order in the family should not be subverted, and that special function of leadership that He has laid upon the husband should be regarded. Where there is mutual love and respect, question for domination or alienation will not arise.
The church of Christ is compared to a pure woman (“I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.” Jeremiah 6:2), and this church is to reverence her Husband (Christ).
Earlier in the chapter Paul wrote, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body.” Ephesians 5:23. Wives are to reverence the Lord, but respect their husbands, in the Lord. As long as the husband is faithful to the Lord and does not expect the wife to violate her conscience in any manner, but encourages her in her faith, then the wife is commanded to reverence (respect) him. If the husband is not in the faith she still needs to respect him, as long as there is no force to violate conscience.
PARENTS
Of Aaron’s sons it is said, “They were not disciplined to respect and reverence parental authority.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 294. When children are taught to respect their parents, they learn to reverence the Lord.
“Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” Hebrews 12:9
The word reverence here, literally translated from the Greek means “respect”, as opposed to despising them. Respect must be shown to duly appointed authority figures in our life, beginning with our parents, then teachers, employers, pastors, elders, etc.
“If you are a mother, train your children for Christ. This is as verily a work for God as is that of the minister in the pulpit.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 359
“Would that every mother could realize how great are her duties and her responsibilities, and how great will be the reward of faithfulness. The mother’s daily influence upon her children is preparing them for everlasting life or eternal death. She exercises in her home a power more decisive than the minister in the desk, or even the king upon his throne.” –Conflict and Courage, p. 139
Mothers have the greatest influence on their children when they are very young. As she reverences (respects) her husband in the Lord, the children learn from her example to respect their parents and then to reverence the Lord.
Our worship and reverence begin in the home, and our example will be seen in the church as we respect the leaders. And then we will have a good influence in the community.
RESPECT
The Bible mentions a few times that there is no respect of persons with God.
God respects faithful worshippers. “And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.” Exodus 2:25. “Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off.” Psalm 138:6. “For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish My covenant with you.” Leviticus 26:9
However, we are not to show respect in terms of preferential treatment. There is no distinction—God loves every one and is willing to help everyone and anyone regardless of social class, culture, nationality, age, or occupation.
This sentiment is conveyed in these verses. “For there is no respect of persons with God.” Romans 2:11. “For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person.” 2 Samuel 14:14
“When persons were invited to a feast, the guests were seated according to their rank, and those who were given the most honorable place received the first attention and special favors. The Pharisees were ever scheming to secure these honors. This practice Jesus rebuked.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 613
We must have the same kind of respect for fallen mankind. The gospel is open and available to all and as we love and reverence our Heavenly Father, this genuine respect will be manifested towards our fellow men. There is no respect as far as social class, occupation, or culture. All are one in Christ.
“Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” Psalm 40:4. “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.” James 2:9
May God help us to truly reverence the Lord in our prayers and service, especially worship services in the House of God, and then we will be led give proper to respect our fellow men. Amen.
Wendy Eaton