My cup of Door County Wisconsin Harvest Blend Coffee awaits me down in the kitchen. Once I am finished writing to all of you I will imbibe on my morning java.
Should those who love God, fear Him? A question like this was asked of Reverend Billy Graham. I like the way he answered it.
Question
How can we fear God and also love Him at the same time? Isn't that a contradiction? I suppose I mainly fear God and try to do things that I think will please Him, but I know the Bible also tells us to love Him, and I have a hard time doing that.
Answer: Reverend Billy Graham October 14th 2007
"Yes, the Bible’s command to fear God and yet also love Him may seem like a contradiction at first—but once you understand what the Bible actually means, the contradiction goes away.
Let me explain. It’s true that the Bible repeatedly tells us to fear God: “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him” (Psalm 33:8). But what does it mean by “fear”? We usually fear something (such as a vicious dog or a violent storm) when we expect it to harm us. In other words, we fear something that has no concern for us, and is a source of constant danger to us.
But that isn’t what God is like! God created us, and He also loves us—and the proof is that He sent His only Son into the world to die for our sins. Would He have done this if He hated us? No, of course not. The Bible says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Stop right now and thank God for loving you and sending His Son to die for you.
To fear God is not to shrink back from Him in terror. To fear God is to have a deep reverence for Him, and to stand in awe at His holiness and majesty and power and love. Only then will we love and serve and worship Him as we should."
Let me explain. It’s true that the Bible repeatedly tells us to fear God: “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him” (Psalm 33:8). But what does it mean by “fear”? We usually fear something (such as a vicious dog or a violent storm) when we expect it to harm us. In other words, we fear something that has no concern for us, and is a source of constant danger to us.
But that isn’t what God is like! God created us, and He also loves us—and the proof is that He sent His only Son into the world to die for our sins. Would He have done this if He hated us? No, of course not. The Bible says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Stop right now and thank God for loving you and sending His Son to die for you.
To fear God is not to shrink back from Him in terror. To fear God is to have a deep reverence for Him, and to stand in awe at His holiness and majesty and power and love. Only then will we love and serve and worship Him as we should."
Reverend Graham did an excellent job of answering this question. My view is the same except that I believe I would like to add that a healthy fear of God is missing in many lives. People have lost their reverence and awe of God. We have made Him to be small and us to be larger , making us our own little idols. When we lose that reverence we make it easy to disobey and falter in sin. We decide what is right and wrong not God's Word. We learn to justify our sins instead of repenting from them.
It is time to bring back some fear of God by loving Him.
Marty
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