“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). If that is so, and it is, then the fear of the Lord is never to be feared. This fear is not a barrier to growth but a breakthrough to growth and eternal fulfillment. But the word fear needs clarification, doesn’t it? After all, doesn’t the Bible say, “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18)? Yes. So, there must be two kinds of fear.
One kind of fear is the fear that shrinks from the Lord in dread, that cowers from Him and turns away from Him in terror, as if He were our problem. That kind of fear is pagan, not Christian. It has nothing to do with glorifying and enjoying God. It is suspicion and resentment toward God. The gospel does not create this fear in our hearts. The gospel shows us the glory of God’s grace in Christ, and lifts us up, assured and fearless, to face life boldly as men and women of eternal destiny.
If you are not in Christ, you fear the Lord in all the wrong ways, and you don’t fear Him enough. The Bible tells you that you are facing “a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (Heb. 10:27). If you are not in Christ, you are God’s adversary, headed toward judgment, and you fully deserve it. But He is freely offering you Christ as your shelter. Keep reading
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