1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;
1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning
yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so
be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am
holy.
1Pe 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without
respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your
sojourning here in fear
Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot
be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence
and godly fear
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
*******
Pass the time of
your sojourning here in fear.
Serve God acceptably
with reverence and godly fear.
We should be in
fear, shouldn't we?
Seriously. We talk
about the fear of God as if we have to explain it away. We call it godly fear,
and we try to twist it into something that isn't fear at all but rather
something much different. We don't want to equate God with fear because we read
this--
1Jn_4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love
casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made
perfect in love.
So let's read from a
Bible Commentator and see what we think about what he has to say - ADAM CLARKE'S COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE -
1 John 4:18
'There is no fear in
love - The man who feels that he loves God with all his heart can never dread
him as his Judge. As he is now made a partaker of his Spirit, and carries a
sense of the Divine approbation in his conscience, he has nothing of that fear that
produces terror or brings torment. The perfect love - that fullness of love,
which he has received, casteth out fear - removes all terror relative to this
day of judgment, for it is of this that the apostle particularly speaks. And as
it is inconsistent with the gracious design of God to have his followers
miserable, and as he cannot be unhappy whose heart is full of the love of his
God, this love must necessarily exclude this fear or terror; because that
brings torment, and hence is inconsistent with that happiness which a man must
have who continually enjoys the approbation of his God.
He that feareth - He
who is still uncertain concerning his interest in Christ; who, although he has
many heavenly drawings, and often sits with Christ some moments on a throne of
love, yet feels from the evils of his heart a dread of the day of judgment; is
not made perfect in love - has not yet received the abiding witness of the
Spirit that he is begotten of God; nor that fullness of love to God and man
which excludes the enmity of the carnal mind, and which it is his privilege to
receive. But is the case of such a man desperate? No: it is neither desperate
nor deplorable; he is in the way of salvation, and not far from the kingdom of
heaven. Let such earnestly seek, and fervently believe on the Son of God; and
he will soon give them another baptism of his Spirit, will purge out all the
old leaven, and fill their whole souls with that love which is the fulfilling
of the law. He who is not yet perfect in love may speedily become so, because
God can say in a moment, I will, be thou clean; and immediately his leprosy
will depart. Among men we find some that have neither love nor fear; others
that have fear without love; others that have love and fear; and others that
have love without fear.
1. Profligates,
and worldly men in general, have neither the fear nor love of God.
2. Deeply
awakened and distressed penitents have the fear or terror of God without his
love.
3. Babes
in Christ, or young converts, have often distressing fear mixed with their
love.
4. Adult
Christians have love without this fear; because fear hath torment, and they are
ever happy, being filled with God. See Mr. Wesley’s note on this place.
1. We
must not suppose that the love of God shed abroad in the heart is ever
imperfect in itself; it is only so in degree. There may be a less or greater
degree of what is perfect in itself; so it is with respect to the love which
the followers of God have; they may have measures or degrees of perfect love
without its fullness. There is nothing imperfect in the love of God, whether it
be considered as existing in himself, or as communicated to his followers.
2. We
are not to suppose that the love of God casts out every kind of fear from the
soul; it only casts out that which has torment.
1. A
filial fear is consistent with the highest degrees of love; and even necessary
to the preservation of that grace. This is properly its guardian; and, without
this, love would soon degenerate into listlessness, or presumptive boldness.
2. Nor
does it cast out that fear which is so necessary to the preservation of life;
that fear which leads a man to flee from danger lest his life should be
destroyed.
3. Nor
does it cast out that fear which may be engendered by sudden alarm. All these
are necessary to our well-being. But it destroys,
1. The
fear of want;
2. The
fear of death; and
3. The
fear or terror of judgment. All these fears bring torment, and are inconsistent
with this perfect love.'
*******
There is a fear of
God that is NECESSARY. A realization that there is good and evil and if we let
ourselves forget that that there is a judgment that we all will face, we won't
fear at all. If we forget evil's existence
and begin to call evil good, we have no fear of that evil we commit and the
fact there is a punishment for the evil. We don't want to believe there is real
punishment. We let the talk of love swallow up the talk of the judgment. It's hard to find fearful Christians today
and it's NOT because they are consumed by reverencing God. It's hard to find
fearful Christians today because Christians have called evil good and accept
that evil assuming that God now accepts the evil as being good too. He doesn't, and He never will. He doesn't
change.
Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot
be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence
and godly fear
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Our God is truly a
consuming fire, there will be a time and place when and where all evil will be
destroyed in a lake of fire and for that to happen- evil must exist. If evil
exists then we have to know what the evil is and in knowing, choose not to commit
evil. And if we DO commit evil we need to seek forgiveness and repent, knowing
we must seek not to do what is evil.
We need to fear
being deceived, we need to fear the lake of fire, we need to fear the consuming
fire. And the LOVE, the perfect love of Christ will KEEP us through FAITH, and
that FAITH in Christ's love will give us the HOPE we need so that fear doesn't turn
into despair. Our HOPE must be in Christ's perfect love, not in ourselves.
Truly, as Clarke
says (not that I agree with all he says by far) but he makes a point we do not
have to fear want, death, judgment. We do however have to realize that certain
fears are necessary, the fear of rising water. You don't sit in a flood as it's
rising without taking action that the fear of it killing you produces. You have
a fear of fire when your house is engulfed so you take action and run to
safety. There are fears that we can't say are wrong. What we need to trust in God. That all
things- that flood, that fire are going to somehow work for our eternal
good. There the perfect love casts out
fear that would consume us with cares of this life and reveal a real lack of
love, of faith, of trust in our Savior, our God, and the Holy Spirit.
Fear. Love.
May God give us all
we need- no matter what it is so that we are drawn ever closer to HIM. Help us
Father, save us Lord, guide us Holy Spirit, please may we belong to all of YOU
and be with YOU in heaven, rising to meet You in the air upon the return of the
Son.
Please!
By Your mercy and
grace, Your love now and forever!
AMEN!
No comments:
Post a Comment