The Fear Of The Lord Is The Beginning But Not The End

When have you been the most frightened? Was it when you were shaken from your slumber by the infamous bump in the night? Did you experience stark terror while watching that horror film your friend dragged you along to see? For some of us, the most terrifying experience of our lives came as a result of sitting through a sermon where the well meaning minister made it his aim to terrify us into making a decision to enter into a love relationship with God.

I could be wrong, but it seems that the aim within the circles of religious leadership is to instill wide eyed worry and terror into the flock when they think about one day meeting their creator face to face. Peace and comfort are far from so many as they worry about whether they have done enough and been good enough to win the love and acceptance of their creator. Sadly, they and their leaders are missing the point that we are not called to win the love of God based upon our performance. Instead, our gracious creator has lavished upon us His love and acceptance based upon nothing we have done for ourselves. You and I have not been called to try and "save ourselves" however we have been graciously given a Savior who has finished whatever saving work needed to be done on our behalf!

The Apostle Paul refers to God as our Abba. Abba is Hebrew for Daddy. Today if we were to hear of a Father purposefully instilling heart racing fear in his children we would think something was very wrong with him. If we heard of a Father using threats of eternally torturing his children if they didn't make the free will choice to love him for who he is, we would not understand how they could ever love him at all.

But what about when it comes to our view of God?

How many times have you heard sermons on the fear of the Lord? Have you ever been taught that true spirituality is to be perpetually in the state of fearing God and trembling at the thought of standing in His presence? "Listen closely brothers and sisters. You must know that the fear and terror of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge! If you are not fearful of God you need to change your view! if you do not love Him simply because of who He is, He will be forced to torture you forever in hell. This is not what He wants, but the bottom line is that if you don't love Him with your whole heart, you are by default choosing to be tortured by God in hell forever and ever for rejecting His unconditional love."

Doesn't that seem to be a bit of a mixed message?

If you are a parent, would you want someone telling your children that your love and acceptance of them is dependant on their acceptance of you? Would you use threats of turture to get them to say, "I love you?" If mouthing the words "I love you" is based upon simply escaping a threat of turture would those three words mean much of anything at all?

Is your hope to see your children coming to you each day with tear filled eyes begging for love and mercy? Would you want your precious children to cower in terror before you as they pleaded and begged for you to love them based upon their performance?

I truly believe that Scripture is true when it says "Fear is the beginning" but I do not believe fear is intended to be the middle or the end.

Do you remember when you began to first become aware of the existence of God? Do you remember looking up at the night sky and being overwhelmed with the vastness of creation? Do you remember when you began to realize that the creator of all must be powerful beyond human comprehension? Do you remember suddenly feeling very small and weak in comparison? It is a frightening thing to become away of a power as great as the one who created this universe. However, it is simply the beginning.

As you and I begin to grow in grace and understanding the fear begins to be transformed. When we grow in our understanding of the Evangel of grace which Christ gave Paul to share with the Gentile nations a wonderful transformation begins.

As we begin to understand that God is love and that the cross was Him proving His mercy, grace, compassion, acceptance, and conciliation toward all humanity, over the course of time "perfect love casts out all fear" just as Scripture says it will.

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