We should fear and love God...
Sometimes we have a hard time understanding how fear and love can go together.
The fear of the LORD that is consistently referred to in the Bible is not the same as other types of fear that may immediately come to mind.
We do not fear God the way we fear being in a field with an angry lion.
We do not fear God the way we fear the thought of a ghost, or an evil spirit.
We fear God because it is not in our power to take hold of grace. He alone can save, and we are at His mercy. The fear of the LORD goes beyond respect, it goes beyond awe - the fear of the LORD is a total surrender of control. It is the acknowledgement that God alone holds the outcome of your existence.
His Word on this matter brings both fear and love.
"Just as I do not want a sinner," He says, "so I do not want the death of a sinner. But if you have been driven to sin by the wickedness of the devil, and if the Law condemns you and the devil hurls his flaming darts at you and tries to drive you into hell, I do not want you to die or to despair. No, I want you to flee for refuge to Christ the Savior, who does not want the death of a sinner, just as He does not want a sinner either." ~ Martin Luther
In Christ we fear and love God. Christ lived a life of fear and love towards His heavenly Father, and in Him we have His life. Flee to Christ the Savior for refuge, for without His life we have neither fear nor love, but only despair.
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