Serving God: Love vs Fear
Jun 12, 2019 18:33:03 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Jun 12, 2019 18:33:03 GMT -5
Serving God: Love vs Fear
First. please note that the Bible does speak of fearing God. But such a fear isn’t the kind that one feels at the approach of a shark or some other predator. It is akin to a deep respect and obedience based on that deep respect for God’s wisdom. The following article explains it further:
What Does It Mean To Fear God? The Answer Will Surprise You
theblazingcenter.com/2017/03/what-does-it-mean-to-fear-god.html
theblazingcenter.com/2017/03/what-does-it-mean-to-fear-god.html
Unfortunately not every Christian unbdersatands it properly. When I joined a certain religious organization years ago. I couldn't help but notice that their main concern was fear of being destroyed at Armageddon. This was a constant focus both in their literature and their preaching. So soon I was going right along. Especially when the following scipture with the word PERHAPS was used to infuse uncertainty.
Zephaniah 2:3 NIV
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.
So I could never feel sure, that despie all my furious efforts I was pleasing God.
Later, I remembered that some Christians of other denominations were also in that fearful state. But their fear was not Armageddon. Instead, it was fear of being deep-fried alive forever in this place that their God had created specifically for that purpose if they did not obey.
As I described in my Essay, Nicia's Evangelizing Ways, we were visited by a Pentecostal lady whose prime motivation was to infuse us with the same morbid fear of hell that she had. Ironically, she was once confronted by this fellow from a denomination whose members feared Armageddon. During the heated conversation, and finding herself being backed into a corner, Nicia suddenly blurted out!
"Well, if nobody is going to burn, then why am I serving God and depriving myself of all the fun I can be having? For nothing?"
In other words, instead of feeling revulsion for sin that we had imagined, she felt deprived of sin, and the only reason she was avoiding sin, was because she was terrified of the consequences. Now, in both cases, fear was the motivator, one towards hell and the other because of Armageddon.
But is that indeed an acceptable frame of mind for a Christian to have? Not according to the scriptures. Notice what the following scripture tells us about this kind of morbid fear and what we should be feeling in the service of God instead.
1 John 4:18 NIV
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1Cor 13:1
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.…
If we go through the motions of serving God because we fear punishment while secretly envying evildoers and wishing that there were no God so we could do the same, then how valuable is our dedication?
The following scriptures tell us that a love of evil while trying to please God is not acceptable.
Romans 12:9
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Proverbs 8:13
To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Proverbs 8:13
To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.