I was surprised at the pushback I was getting in my own life group over this idea. Several members of our group were expressing worry that they might do something to offend God somehow. “I don’t want to do anything to make God mad at me,” they would say.
I couldn’t help but tell them the truth. “God isn’t mad at you. He can’t be.”
This just would not sit well with them. They countered, “Haven’t you read your Bible? Don’t you know that ‘Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom?’ (Psalm 9:10) “
Absolutely I know this verse! In fact, it is worse than you might think… The gospel tells me that there is BAD NEWS that should definitely put fear into me. It says that I am a sinner, separated from God by my own sin. My sinful actions are each crimes against a Holy God. In fact, my whole sinful state of existence is an offense against God, making me a criminal deserving swift, immediate punishment! (Ephesians 2:1-3, Romans 1:18, Romans 2:8) The realization of me getting what I deserve ought to strike a deep fear into me!
See, I think it is SO important to begin with this realization, because without a good understanding of how bad the bad news really is, we’ll never truly appreciate how good the Good News is!
The GOOD NEWS of the gospel is that “God demonstrated his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) That means that even though God is angered by our sin, “God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9) That’s because when I became a believer, I “died to this life,” and my “real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)
In other words, God already took out all his anger toward your sin on Jesus. His blood was ENOUGH to satisfy God’s anger against my sin. My sin debt… Past sin, present sin, and future sin… ALL of it is paid. In. Full.
Read Romans 8. It explains all of this very clearly. Here are a few excerpts:
Romans 8:1
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.Romans 8:10
We are made right with GodRomans 8:15
so you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.Romans 8:33
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.Romans 8:38-39
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,* neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If you fear, you don’t trust.
As a child, if you fear your dad, it is because you believe him to be angry, petulant, abusive, and unpredictable. Or, it’s because you know you are guilty of something that deserves getting mad at.
The good news is that you can trust your Heavenly Father… He will always be there for you, will love and protect you.
1 John 4:18
If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.James 1:17
Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
Wait. Doesn’t God discipline us?
Hebrews 12:1-13 is pretty clear about this. Any good father disciplines his children.
But don’t confuse discipline with anger.
For a long time, I was really trying my best to stay in good shape. I went to the gym every day at noon. I wouldn’t let meetings or anything else get in it’s place. That’s discipline.
My kid might blow it, and he is grounded, or has to do extra chores, or has to go back and apologize. As his dad, I build this discipline into his life. This isn’t me taking out my anger, it is me helping him become everything he can become. I do this because he is mine. I love him. I want the absolute best for him, and I refuse to let him stand in his own way of becoming the best he can be.
If you are a Christ-follower, you are “no longer slaves,” but you are now a “child” and an “heir” to the Kingdom. (Romans 6:6, Galatians 4:7) Your “record is cleared of sin.” (Romans 4:7-8) and you can “trust in his love.” (1 John 4:16.) This all means that the fear of the Lord got you on the path… The “beginning” of wisdom. Now, you no longer have to fear, because you are hidden in Christ. God’s anger toward your sin is exhausted, and you can live in and experience His love, joy, and peace.
1 John 4:18
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.
Still wrestling with doubt? Fear? Guilt? I’d suggest you spend some time praying through Psalm 25.
What do you think? How do these verses hit you? What is your response? I’d love to hear. Hit me up in the comment section, below.