Grace out of Fear
Posted by: randalm <randalm@...>
forthright.antville.org
Tim reminds us of two not-so-strange bedfellows.
Have you shared Forthright with a friend recently?
Fear Out of Grace
by Tim Hall
It struck me one day while I was out walking. As
is sometimes my habit, I was silently singing some
of the old familiar hymns I've known for so long.
"Amazing Grace" was the current selection playing
in my mind, one of the hymns most loved by
Christians. Then I came to the verse that begins
with these words: "'Twas grace that taught my
heart to fear . . ." Those words suddenly seemed
strange to me.
"Grace" and "fear" are opposites in the minds of
many. Many who have put the emphasis on the fear
of the Lord have often neglected to stress the
Lord's grace. Others, especially in more recent
times, have emphasized grace to an extreme. For
these, fearing the Lord is an antiquated concept.
Instead, we ought to approach Him with a
casualness not known in previous generations.
"Relax, sit down in this comfortable chair and
have a chat with your Father" is the tone of many
exhortations. "Fear" has been purged from the
vocabulary.
What about that line in "Amazing Grace"? Was John
Newton having a senior moment when he penned those
words? Is there any connection between the grace
of God and fearing Him?
In fact, there is a connection. One place where it
may be seen is in Hebrews 10. The writer warns us
in vivid terms in verse 31: "It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God" (New
King James Version). If that sentence doesn't
teach the fear of the Lord, I'm at a loss to know
what we should learn from it. "God is a consuming
fire", the writer would go on to affirm in 12:29.
You don't play with fire. You develop a healthy
respect for it, for it can hurt and destroy.
But fearing the Lord is not the only message the
writer had in Hebrews 10. Just four verses later,
he would encourage them with these words:
"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which
has great reward. For you have need of endurance,
so that after you have done the will of God, you
may receive the promise" (Hebrews 10:35,36).
Now, instead of talking about fearful falling, he
speaks of confidence and of promises from God. Is
this the same God? Indeed it is. But God will show
Himself in different ways to different people. How
He will show Himself to me depends on how I choose
to respond to Him.
While my children were young, I tried to teach
them to respect law enforcement officers. On the
one hand, they can be our best friends when
trouble comes. But for those who live in disregard
of the laws of our land, they can become fearful
adversaries. Was I being inconsistent to teach
such things to my children? No, I was showing
grace in teaching them to have a healthy fear of
the power of the law. Without such instruction,
they might ignorantly walk into some very
destructive situations.
Do not doubt this one truth from God's word: He
longs to be gracious to each and every soul
(Ezekiel 18:23; 2 Peter 3:9, etc.). But when we
persist in ignoring and rejecting His good will
for our lives, He will become a consuming fire. It
is a thought that ought to terrify us enough to
keep us on the straight and narrow way. And it is
grace that teaches us to have such a fear of the
Lord.
__________
Tim also writes HEM-Lines at gracemine.org .