Forgetfulness, Righteous Fear, and Sinful Fear Revisited

Continuing to unpack the consequences of forgetfulness, this week we look at fear. There are two kinds of fear. One, the fear of God, is a righteous fear. The other kind, which manifests itself in various forms, is a sinful fear. How easy it is to give way to sinful fears when we forget the ways God's grace and mercy have manifested themselves. Worst of all, we forget the Incarnation, the Cross, and the Resurrection.

Holy Fear

Before Genesis 3, fear as we know it probably did not exist.
I would think there was a right reverence of God by Adam and Eve before then,
But not the fear they knew after that initial disobedience.
Adam even told God they hid because they were afraid after that disobedience.
Fear became a logical outcome of disobedience and remains so to this day,
Instinctively now.
We fear age;
We fear disease;
We fear injury;
We fear death;
We fear being
Found out as
Sinners--
And well we should.
God told our first parents that disobedience would have consequences,
And so it was and so it is.
We disobey Him in thought, in word, in deed,
Fearlessly as sinners, thinking those consequences can be avoided--
They cannot be.
Sin leads to death, sooner or later, and judgement, and eternity
Apart.
And some say, "Why should He make only one way to be reconciled?"
And I say, "Why should He make any way?"
Such merciful grace is not a right but a gift,
A gift He can choose to give or to withhhold,
Just as we can, on a human level, give or withhold gifts.
Making a way to be reconciled with a sinner is a merciful gift of
Such amazing magnitude and cost to the Giver that the only
Logical response to Him can be
Grateful thanks and "Thy will be done."
O friend of sinners, O lover of my soul, that You would act to make me whole!
This wretch You chose to make Your child, the highest cost of any adoption--
Adoration is my response!
Made accepted in the Beloved!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!
Come in holy fear, reverence Him alone.

Fearing God Rightly

Fearing God involves trembling before His holiness,
Revering in His Fatherhood, having been adopted into His eternal family,
Being grateful for His sacrifice which involved the Godhead.
Repenting of sin, for all sins are ultimately against Him,
Enjoying His forgiveness,
Resting in His infinite unchangingness,
Bowing before His throne.

Sinful Fear and Its Remedy

How easy it is to give way to fear,
To let it dominate thought and life,
To let it swallow up all hope;
How easy it is to give way.
How hard it is to be humble instead,
To admit the need for
The strength of Another,
To admit being a sinner
In need of Another.
But that Other was the most humble,
Obeying His Father from birth to the grace,
Laying down that one perfect life
For those who have lived in sin, fear, pride.
And so there is no need to fear,
Except to fear the One who owns body and soul,
Who has the right to send the disobedient to hell,
And who most certainly will.
O fear the Father and cast yourself on the mercy of the Savior through the Spirit!
Note Ecclesiastes 12:13-14: "The conclusion, when all has been heard is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act into judgment, everything hidden, whether it is good or evil."

A good book is The Forgotten Fear: Where Have All the God-Fearers Gone? by Albert N. Martin.