Shall, I Fear God?

Some people say about the gospel we proclaim, that we are just trying to scare people into heaven with the threat of hell. What kind of God would force me to repent of sin and choose heaven, with the threat of hell if I don’t choose to follow Him? This is a good question but it is coming at from a wrong perspective.

The truth is according to Jesus and the Bible sin brings death—spiritual and physical death. As God’s word says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Even one sin will bring death. It is the wages of sin. It is what is deserved or the consequence. Why does it bring death? It is because it turns away from God and tries like Satan to be its own God and goes against God. Divine justice requires that it bring death. As the Bible says about the angels who followed Satan in trying to be God, “For God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment” (2 Peter 2:4). So will be the state of those who follow Satan instead of God.

Mankind knows the value of justice to restrain wickedness and for common good to prevail. Could society continue to exist without laws and the restraint of evil? What would the universe be if there wasn’t justice in the face of evil. However, God is the one who deals with ultimate justice. God says in His word, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).The Apostle Paul says in God’s word, “ Let, every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority?” (Romans 12:1-3). If we see the value of justice in society does it not make sense that God would and is—Just.

Every person who has not repented of sin and turned to Jesus in sincerity is already destined for hell, unless they repent and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and commit their life to Him as Lord.

God is not threatening you. You are already going to hell unless you trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. God is warning you of what is to come if you refuse the remedy. You can deny this truth and survive in the emptiness until you die, if you choose. God will honor your choice. However, if the remedy is available and you don’t take it you have yourself to blame.

People jokingly say that they are going to go to hell where all their friends are. To have friends there must be some goodness between you and others. In hell there will be the absence of any goodness. It will be a place that is saturated in evil. In this world a non-Christian is able to do some form of good and this is called common grace. In hell this common grace will be removed. It will be a place where you will burn in your emptiness. Hell, fire is more figurative than literal, but it will be much, much worse than being in jail here on earth. Think about it. Eternity is a very, very, very, long time.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God loves you and went to the cross to take the penalty for our sin for everyone who turns to Him in salvation. On the cross He satisfied divine justice and He can and will justify you when you by faith receive Him as your Savior and Lord. As the scriptures states speaking to those already saved it says; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). You cannot earn salvation; it is a gift. God must do a work in your life for you to be saved and you must turn to Him in repentance and faith.

God’s word says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:3-8). Salvation is a work of God in the inner heart.

God is not trying to scare you, He offering you salvation and a love relationship. He is offering you fullness instead of emptiness. The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). In other words, respecting God and understanding that He is all powerful, even though He limits He power in this world, to give man a free choice, is the beginning of wisdom. Fear or respect is the beginning of wisdom and then we can go on to consider the absolute goodness of God and the extravagant extent of His grace and mercy and then go on to love Him. Truly to know God in His fulness is to love Him.

God gives us reality therapy. If you choose to continue to live in an illusion, that is your choice, however, that means you accept the horrible consequences that come with that choice. Man has a hard time accepting reality. It would be wise to read a portion of scripture every day. Most people start in the New Testament, but eventually it would also be very wise to read the Old Testament. Ask God to help you understand what you are reading. What you don’t understand in a sense put on the shelf until you read and understand more and more. (Isaiah 28:10). Spiritual matters are not something that mankind today often thinks about or has a foundation to understand. As the Bible says about learning spiritual matters; “For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:10).

However, as the scripture states, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”(Joshua 24:15).

Who will you serve? You got to serve somebody. In reality and at the bottom line, it is either the devil or it is the Lord.