Fear and grace

'There is no fear of God before their eyes.' Romans 3:18

In Romans, before revealing God's wonderful plan of salvation in Jesus Christ, Paul lists four cha-racteristics of the unregenerate: 'No one is good. No one understands. No one seeks God. None fear God.'[1] When you meet a person who begins to under-stand his depravity, seek, or fear God, you know that God is at work in him. During the description of God's wrath in Revelation, again and again John tells us that 'they repented not.'[2] People do not naturally fear God. When people do fear God, a work of grace has begun in their hearts.

People do not want to fear God because of their commitment to their own autonomy and they do not want to have to give account for their behavior. If you understand that there are eternal consequences for temporal behavior, even for those secure in Christ, you will fear. Grace does not eliminate accountability. The absence of fear indicates a misunderstanding of God's grace.

You must be careful lest God's gracious dealing with you lulls you into believing that you need not fear Him. Love, hope, grace, and fear weave together into a beautiful tapestry of what a healthy relationship with God in your life looks like.


[1] cf. Romans 3:10-18
[2] cf. Revelation 16:9, 11