What is the Fear of the Lord? Part 4. Are you right?

Last time we said the fear of the Lord means that we need to fear what the Lord will do when we are out of line.

I know what it is to fear the Lord’s discipline and what it is to fear being left behind when Jesus comes to rapture His bride. In the past I have justified sinful behaviour even from the Bible, simply because I enjoyed the sin, but the painful discipline of the Lord has made me realise I needed to resist sin to the point of shedding my blood (Hebrews 12:4). Because of my stubbornness, the Lord’s discipline has cost me dearly. Maybe you don’t realise that all the hardship you experience in certain areas in your life are discipline from the Lord, because you wilfully continue in certain sins, such as lust, gossip, criticism, serving Mammon, etc.

There are no excuses. The Lord provides the way out of temptation every time (1 Corinthians 10:13) and His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Motivated by the fear of what the consequences may be, we have to deal with our carnal desires and resist sin to the point of shedding our blood.

        In Philippians 2:5-11 Paul encourages us to have the mindset of Christ who humbled Himself from being God in heaven to being nothing on earth. Then in verses 12-14 we see the following: Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.  Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Did you see the “blameless and pure”?

I don’t think that once we’ve accepted Jesus we are automatically saved. Ephesians 2:8-10 states that we are not saved by our own works, but by grace. This means that we cannot earn access to the Kingdom by doing good works to get points in heaven to be accepted into the Kingdom of God. This would lead to competition and boasting.  

Verse 8 states: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. This grace we receive through faith, the latter which is also from God, is the opportunity allowed and the help and power from God to work towards holiness and purity in thought and deed (Romans 12:1-2 and Philippians 2:12-14 above). What is the point of the sanctification teachings throughout the Bible if we just have to say a sinners’ prayer, receive salvation as a gift, and keep on living as we like? We can just as well discard it then. Why does the Bible contain so much focus on works and being blameless and pure? These are not good works to earn salvation; they are steps of obedience to prove yourself blameless and holy before God. No impure person will enter the Kingdom of heaven, which is why Philippians 2:12 mentions fear and trembling. We have the grace to change until we die, but the choice of change is in our hands. 
We are not able to do the work in our own strength – it is God who does the work along with us (Philippians 2:13) and Ephesians 2:10), but we have to take the initiative. If you don’t believe me, read this carefully: What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:16-18) Now read chapter 7:1: Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. Who must do the work, the purifying?

Would you say the Lord is serious about blamelessness and purity?

Believe me; the Holy Spirit is prompting you all the time to work at this to ensure you stay blameless and pure and in victory. He will never leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Next time we are going to look at the other things on the list in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

To be continued.

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