Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Does God want us to go through life fearful that we may at last be lost? Is fear a valid motivation for serving Christ?
Some will say, "Yes!" In the Book of Psalms no less than fifty times "the fear of the Lord" is something positive for us to experience. Even Jesus warns us, "Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). No Bible text specifically tells us not to "fear the Lord."
So, with this heavy emphasis on "fearing the Lord," is it His will that we go through life under spiritual terror? Is fear of punishment an adequate motivation for being obedient to God's commandments? Some will say, "Yes, because it has worked for 6000 years." But does that mean that the fear motivation will characterize those who prepare for the second coming of Christ? Will there be a paradigm shift in motivation as we come nearer to the end?
There is a healthy fear that a person will always have. You look both ways before you cross a busy street; you avoid unhealthful things like smoking and alcohol--common sense fear will motivate you to enjoy life longer.
But fear of hell fire will not be the motivation that will constrain God's people to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4, 5). A new one will supplant the old one, even as the "new covenant" will transcend the old. A clearer understanding of what happened on the cross of Christ will capture every honest heart and "constrain" all who believe "henceforth" (KJV) to live not for self, but for "Him who died for [us] and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).
The biblical "fear of the Lord" is not craven terror but a heart- appreciation for the awesome righteousness of Christ. To "tremble" before Him is not being scared of Him, but being thrilled by a healthy contemplation of what it cost Him to save us.
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 25, 2001.
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