Which Side Are You On?

“Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.” (Psalm 1:29-31 ESV)

Fear of God is not something you hear about much these days, even in a church, unless that church has a biblical understanding of the Gospel. But a fear of God is a healthy thing. I mean, come on, He is God! In Deuteronomy 10:12, Moses wrote, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” These words are what it means to love the Lord.

God is the three O’s (everyone always forgets at least one). Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient. He is everywhere all the time. He is all-powerful, and He is all-knowing. The implications of these three characteristics of God should put fear in you. God not only knows real-time, but He also knows our end time as well. When we commit that sin that we know we are committing yet bang our heads again in rebellion, God knows. Afterward, when we fall to our knees and tell God, He is correct, and you did commit that sin, asking for forgiveness, God knows.

Job’s words ring true regarding fear of the Lord as he wrote, “And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” When we have a fear of God, it is because we understand who God is and what He is capable of doing. Those who do not know God do not fear Him. You would think it would be the other way around. We know, love, and glorify God, so why fear Him? Jesus tells us why we should fear God, as He spoke the truth in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” It is God, no one else, who has the power to destroy us in hell. This power is why we fear God; we know of His wrath against sin and, in the same breath, His love that sent His Son, our Savior, to die for that sin that we may be redeemed. We know about God’s wrath against sin, the great flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the repeated disobedience of the Israelites, all examples of God’s wrath.

I will end with Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  They are fools who preach the love of God without the wrath. They are fools who believe God cannot hate (Psalm 5:5). When you evangelize, you must balance your presentation of God between love and wrath. I start with love, bring the wrath, and present salvation through God’s love.

God is love, and God is wrath. God is holy, and God is righteous. God is saving, and God is destruction. We will all stand transparent before God one day. Which side of God will you be on?

Peace and Grace!