THE NOVICE CHRISTIAN has most commonly been taught of the God of Love, the God “who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16), and who extends to his beloved his arms wide-stretched and descending out of eternity into both the now and the then of our lives and circumstances. There is an uncomfortable internal tension commonly felt by Christians as they first step backward in time and covenant, moving from the New Testament to the Old.
As we begin to move forward towards spiritual maturity as Christ-followers, inevitably we begin to seek the whole counsel of God. We not only move past the gospel of John and into the other books of the N.T.; we also tiptoe timidly into the raw power of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. In the O.T., the mystery of creation, the incredible story of first man and first woman, the development of primitive societies, all these all stir our imagination and wonder. However, the great flood of destruction, the wars between nations, the additional destruction of human life through the medium of simple fratricide and on in scale to internecine civil destruction, all these seem to reveal a powerful and vengeful creator who jealously guards his creation. This latter God of wrath annihilates those who attempt to thwart his establishment of a chosen people in a space sacred to himself. How can our Christian belief in the God of Love be reconciled with the God whom we should FEAR ? Can we love and fear God at the same time?
There are two common human reactions to fear. The first is to flee, to get away at all cost from the circumstance or person that produced a heightened state of anxiety. The second is to fight, to summon up courage and perhaps weapons, and to defend ourselves against the enemy of our peace and well-being. No one knows in advance what action they will take in these regards until they have been tested.
If we can flee, the problem is resolved, other than, perhaps, a sense of shame stemming from a recognition of weakness, whether of physical inferiority or moral will. While the issues of disparity of physical or moral weakness may be resolved if our adversary is perceived as being God, how does one flee from an adversary who is present everywhere? If we can fight, then perhaps we can have victory if we are quick enough, strong enough, or have better weapons. But again, if the adversary is seen as being God, how does mere mortal man attain victory over an all-powerful being?
If we cannot flee, and neither can we fight, then the resolution of the fear stimulus becomes complex and difficult, even seemingly impossible. We find ourselves in an emotional, mental, spiritual, and perhaps physical conundrum, in which something has to give. We have a terrifying impending feeling of certainty that it will be us. This we usually feel and or think of as some part of us that either is being broken, or taken, or dying, and over which we are powerless.
This, by the way, is exactly what faces the lost person when God comes to beckon, and that is why we see so many fearful of God’s offer during the initial seeking and saving time, and also why so many, perhaps the vast majority, flee, thinking that they have escaped. But it is additionally what so commonly faces the beginning Christian, and also the stuck or backsliding Christian. Each one of these varied personal conditions has in common the simple act of fleeing—or desiring to flee—from God.
God’s call to mankind is to adopt a higher order of response. The fight-or-flight syndrome is indeed the pattern of the natural man, and may serve well in the natural world, but God is calling to the spirit of man to come into his world, not to stay in the natural one; to enfold our spirit into his Spirit. He is calling us out of the world of darkness and into the world of light : “In him was light, and that light was the life of men.” (John 1:4-5) We are drawn out of sin and into salvation, for “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Mercifully, we find ourselves led out of fear and into love, for “God is love.” (1 John 4:9).
The fear of God is akin to the fear a parent instills in a beloved child about touching something dangerously hot; the greater good is that the child not be burned, and this kind of fear is healthy if it is based on righteous discipline that benefits the child and protects life and safety. Jesus, who is God, and is the initiator of the new covenant of love, tells us to “Fear the One who has the power to throw you into hell.” (Luke 12:5) He reiterates O.T. law, saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And he adds, “This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Deut. 6:5, Matt. 22:37-38) These thoughts all embody the tension in the fear and love equation.
Throughout the book of Proverbs, the ‘fear of the LORD’ is consistently paired with having wisdom and being blessed by God. Try reading those verses; there are nineteen of them, beginning with “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Prov. 1:7) Any decent concordance will list the rest of them. There is an ascending spiral of spiritual growth for those diligent in pursuing such a relationship with the Father. It involves constantly uniting the wisdom of the fear of the Lord with the love of God as we face our daily trials. Jesus, sent by the love of God, says “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15)
It is obedience that balances the tension in the fear and love of God, and that is the wisdom that comes from the God who loves. Reconcile yourself to the God of both Old and New Testaments through your practices of loving faith and obedience, and all fear is then neutralized. He is the same God. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deut. 6:4) The tension is resolved.
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psa. 103:11)
Q. Am I safe in the presence of God?
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