Jesus said this:
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt WORSHIP the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. -Matthew 4:10 KJV
When quoting this passage:
Thou shalt FEAR the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. - Deuteronomy 6:13 KJV
I think we can trust the son of God’s interpretation of scripture. To Jesus, fear didn’t mean “be afraid of,” it meant to honor and respect. Fear is an old English word for revere and respect, it doesn't translate well in our modern vernacular. Worship and love God, but don’t be afraid of him.
“We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us. So you see, our love for him comes as a result of his loving us first.”
If you’re worried about what God might do to you if you make a mistake, it reveals that you aren’t truly convinced of his love for you. God’s correction and training in your life are not through harsh judgment and pain, it’s through wisdom and guidance.
God is a loving father who will train you in the way you should go. If you fail, simply remember that Jesus was your substitution. Jesus bore the penalty of your sin. Not so you can now get away with it, but so that he could remove God’s wrath from you and relate to you as a child rather than a sinner. God is not mocked, you will reap what you sow, but God is no longer keeping a record of your sin to punish you.
God Loves You
God commands you to love him, but we love him because he first loved us. So in effect, God commands us to respond to his love for us. To put it another way, God commands you to let him love you. How can you be afraid of someone that wants to love you that much?
You probably know that God loves you, but a lot of people don’t. People don’t know that it’s the kindness and mercy of God that draws people to repentance. Too many preachers think they need to scare people with hell and judgment. When in reality, if we would lead with love and tell people about the incredible lengths Jesus went through to show us God’s love, people would more readily receive his love and receive the gift of eternal life.
Christians are often not very good at loving each other, much less our enemies. We often have an angry view of God, thinking he’s just itching to judge someone. No wonder much of the world is turning away from Christianity. We’ve done a poor job of representing the true intentions of God toward people.
The Gospel means GOOD NEWS!! The Greatest news is that God loves us, and we have nothing to fear. Maybe you need to hear this today. But I can promise you this, someone in your life needs to hear about God’s actions in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Not to get them to say a prayer so you can get a salvation notch on your belt, but so they can be set free from fear, guilt, and shame.
Be a carrier of good news. Preach the Gospel. Tell people about God’s love. Your friends and family are starving for it.
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