True Fear of God Expels evil from the heart
This
true fear of God, resting on an ascertained forgiveness, expels
a world of evil from the human heart, and keeps it from
re-entrance. It loosens the hold which sin has on us; it
liberates us, that we may be free to be holy. The evil things
which God hates: bondage, gloom, moroseness, doubt, hard
thoughts; as well as love of the world and love of sin, are all
detached from us, and we from them. Like sunshine falling on a
frozen river, the fear of God dissolves our frozen faculties,
and sets a flowing the waters of the soul.
It works itself out, unfolds itself in such things as–
1. OBEDIENCE. We obey because we fear. This is the true
obedience, the result of filial, happy fear. We are constrained
to obey; and yet we obey freely and joyfully.
2. FELLOWSHIP. Without the fear which springs from pardon there
could be no fellowship. Dread keeps the soul from God; true fear
brings it near. Dread shuts up the soul against communion with
God; true fear leads it to unbosom itself without reserve, yet
with reverence.
3. LOVE. Fear produces love, and love produces fear. They
minister to each other. God's forgiving love kindles love in us;
and yet it is reverential love, for he who has forgiven and
loved us is so infinitely great and glorious.
4. ZEAL. Work for this God becomes our second nature. We cannot
but work. The effect of this blessed fear upon us is to set all
our faculties in motion, to make us zealous men. Slothfulness,
and selfishness, and indifference, when touched by this fear,
flee away like unclean spirits.
Thus we say to ourselves,
1. I fear God, therefore I must LISTEN to him. I am not
terrified into listening, I am attracted to it. The voice of
that infinite Jehovah who has freely forgiven me is to me the
sweetest as well as most solemn of all voices. I love to hear
Him speak; and I am always saying, "Speak, Lord, for your
servant hears."
2. I fear God, therefore I must try to PLEASE him. I must not
merely seek to avoid offending or displeasing, I must try to
please him; and I must live, like Enoch, a life of God-pleasing;
not man-pleasing, nor self-pleasing.
3. I fear God, therefore I must GIVE UP SIN. This new fear of
God has turned my love of sin into hatred. I hate sin, because I
fear God. He hates it, therefore I hate it, and give it up. The
more I think of him, the more am I disposed to part with all
sin.
4. I fear God, therefore I must DO HIS WILL. The will of him
whom I fear must ever be my rule of duty. The more that I fear
him, the more will his will become my rule. Not my will, but may
yours be done, is what we say to the God whom we fear.
5. I fear God, therefore I must SEEK TO BE LIKE HIM. Mere dread
would never lead us to desire conformity to his image; but fear
does. It is God's glory that we thus stand in awe of; and
beholding it, we are changed into the same image from glory to
glory.
Thus it is that by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
Yes, this is the divine cure for sin. This is our strength
against temptation; our refuge against the fear of man; our help
against every adversary. And what a glorifying thing it is to
God when we say that his fear would deliver you from all sin.
And what a solemn thing it is to tell the sinner– it is the lack
of this fear that is making you what you are. "Sin whispers to
the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God
to restrain them." Yes, the lack of this fear is the cause of
all the evil, and the presence would be the introducer of all
good.
Gardiner Spring
- The Distinguishing Traits of Christian Character
