i came across the following quote in my reading last night--
"WE MUST FEAR GOD OUT OF LOVE, NOT LOVE HIM OUT OF FEAR."
It got me thinking about the wrongfulness of trying to scare non-believers into a relationship with God by threats regarding judgment, eternal damnation and torment, etc. To my mind, the old "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" borders on heresy for its distortion and perversion of God's attitude and behavior towards us, His wayward children.
Yes, we will all be judged and punished for our unrepented-of sins and our refusal to accept the Salvation our Lord Jesus freely offers all. But this necessity if much against God's will and nature and is only necessitated by His Justice. NO ONE CAN SAY THAT GOD HAS NOT DONE EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER--short of abrogating our freewill--TO HELP US AVOID THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR SINFUL LIVES THROUGH GRANTING US HIS BELOVED SON TO BECOME SIN FOR US AND NAILING OUR SINS TO HIS CROSS.
i think that if non-believers could just be brought to see, understand, and experience for themselves the fact that "God IS Love" that conversions will take care of themselves and the "fear of the Lord"--which means "awe" rather than "terror"--will take care of itself, as in--Job 28:28 "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding." OR Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the start of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One gives a wise mind."
It should perhaps be noted that in virtually all of the verses in the Old Testament which refer to "the fear of the Lord", the word used is "yir'a" which translates "to revere and respect; to have piety towards."
Who could be "afraid" or "terrified" of a loving Father?
"WE MUST FEAR GOD OUT OF LOVE, NOT LOVE HIM OUT OF FEAR."
St. Francis de Sales
It got me thinking about the wrongfulness of trying to scare non-believers into a relationship with God by threats regarding judgment, eternal damnation and torment, etc. To my mind, the old "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" borders on heresy for its distortion and perversion of God's attitude and behavior towards us, His wayward children.
Yes, we will all be judged and punished for our unrepented-of sins and our refusal to accept the Salvation our Lord Jesus freely offers all. But this necessity if much against God's will and nature and is only necessitated by His Justice. NO ONE CAN SAY THAT GOD HAS NOT DONE EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER--short of abrogating our freewill--TO HELP US AVOID THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR SINFUL LIVES THROUGH GRANTING US HIS BELOVED SON TO BECOME SIN FOR US AND NAILING OUR SINS TO HIS CROSS.
i think that if non-believers could just be brought to see, understand, and experience for themselves the fact that "God IS Love" that conversions will take care of themselves and the "fear of the Lord"--which means "awe" rather than "terror"--will take care of itself, as in--Job 28:28 "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding." OR Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the start of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One gives a wise mind."
It should perhaps be noted that in virtually all of the verses in the Old Testament which refer to "the fear of the Lord", the word used is "yir'a" which translates "to revere and respect; to have piety towards."
Who could be "afraid" or "terrified" of a loving Father?