At the same time.
Everyone should call upon and beseech the Lord of heaven and earth
to stir up fear and love of Him within his heart; for until the fear
of God enters his heart, one is but lukewarm.
When fear is weak, repentance is weak.
When repentance is weak, religion is weak.
For he who does not fear God will not love Him.
– Colmán mac Beógnai, Aipgitir Chrábaid, Irish, 7th century[1]
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?”
– Deuteronomy 10.12, 13
In the believer’s relationship with God, fear and love are inseparable affections. They are two sides of the same coin and constitute the currency of our walk with and work for the Lord. The more of each we possess, the richer we will be in the Lord, and the better able we will be of flourishing in the divine economy.
We fear God because of Who He is—holy, almighty, and just. We know what He can do to those who practice sin, and we know ourselves to fall into that category (1 Jn. 1.8). We fear God because we know He disciplines those He loves, to keep us in the good and righteous way (Heb. 12.3-11). We should not expect His discipline to be pleasant; and since we know ourselves to be candidates for His discipline at any time, we fear Him, knowing all too well what we deserve.
God requires that we fear Him. He commands it. By fearing the Lord, we nurture hatred for sin (Ps. 97.10), thus mirroring in our hearts the Lord’s own attitude toward all transgression. If we fear the Lord, we will walk in all His ways, and thus find His ways to be just what we need and desire.
But the Lord also requires that we love Him, which we will do as we discover how pleasant His ways are in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We love God because, knowing what we deserve from Him, we find instead that He is unimaginably gracious toward us as we walk in His ways. He offers us, through His own Son, abundant hope and joy, and He holds out exceedingly great and precious promises (Jer. 29.11; 2 Pt. 1.4). Loving Him, we press on to serve Him and to keep all His commandments.
Love for God thus follows from fear of God and brings fear of God to completion. Whoever does not fear God, will not love Him.
Thus, we must always keep watch over our hearts to ensure that fear and love for the Lord are both present. For only when we fear Him will we resist temptation or, having fallen, seek repentance; and only when we love Him will we worship and serve Him, and keep His commandments, out of gratitude for His mercy and grace.
Fear and love for God are best nurtured in moments of quiet reflection and prayer, in which we review the many attributes and works of God, allow His Spirit to search and teach us, and respond from the depths of our being to His mercy, whether in forgiving or disciplining us, according to our need.
Don’t be afraid to fear the Lord. Remember the children’s response upon first seeing the mighty lion, Aslan: “O my, is he safe?” Comes the reply, “No, he’s not safe; but he is good.”
God isn’t safe, either; so we are wise to fear Him and hold Him in the highest reverence and awe. But He is completely good; therefore, as we rightly fear Him, let us also admire, adore, and love Him, Who provides us with every good thing in Jesus Christ.
Our walk with the Lord will be more real, vibrant, and fruitful to the extent that fear and love for Him are together the guiding motives of our soul. For, as Colmán mac Beógnai reminds us,
When fear is weak, repentance is weak.
When repentance is weak, religion is weak.
For he who does not fear God will not love Him.
For Reflection
1. What is it like to fear God? Is it more than simply being in awe of Him? Explain.
2. Why must we both fear and love the Lord? How do these work together to help us have greater faith in Him?
Psalm 2.10-12 (Agincourt: O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High!)
Be wise, O kings, O judges, hear, and tremble with joy, serve the LORD with fear.
Embrace the Son, keep His wrath at bay, or you shall perish in the way.
His wrath is kindled like a flame at all who refuse to bow to His Name.
Beware His anger and judgment grim: How blessed are all who trust in Him!
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Who is a disciple?
Our recent ReVision series, “Fearing God” can help you grow in this important affection. You can download the entire study for free by clicking here.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
T. M. Moore, Principal
tmmoore@ailbe.org
All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Carey, p. 234.
