Fear, repentance, and love
Submitted by Dirk Gently on December 27 1999 at 03:56:10
In reply to Cute argument - bad theology Submitted by forgiven on December 26 1999 at 15:53:09
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I suspect this discussion has come up because we have different understandings of God. On the one hand, there are varieties of Christianity which stress the immanence of God -- "You're my friend and you are my brother, even though you are a king." On the other hand, there are varieties of Christianity which stress the transcendence of God -- "Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty! Heaven and earth are full of thy glory!" In my experience, both expressions include love and awe, but the emphases are quite different. I don't think it's fair to accuse either side of presenting less than the Gospel understanding, without first examining our own beliefs. That being said, here are a few things to consider. Fear Most of the times the word "fear" is used in the Old Testament, it's translating the Hebrew word "yawreh". (That means that "the fear of the LORD" is an example of rhyming alliteration: Yawreh YAHWEH. Neat, hunh?) It's true that yawreh can mean "respect" or "awe," but it is also the word used when people are told to "fear not." Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon provides the following list of meanings: 1) to fear, to be afraid 2) to fear, to reverence (as one's parents) 3) to tremble (for joy). Other variants of the same word are listed as meaning i) terrible, dreadful ii) venerable, august iii) stupendous, admirable. Clearly, there is a range of meanings possible for this word. Context will determine the appropriate way of translating it, but this is always an act of human interpretation. In the New Testament, the word "fear" is almost always a translation of the Greek words fobeomai or foboV. The English word phobia is derived from these words. Again, there is a range of possible meanings for this word, but it seems to mean "fear" more often than anything else. Here, then, are a few New Testament passages which speak of "fear": Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:17-23 "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested." Revelation 15:3-4 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:30-31 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" Luke 12:4-5 In each of these cases, Christians are exhorted to "fear" God, and this fear is directly related to our conduct and the judgement of God. I think that we ignore this aspect of the Gospel at our peril, but it is not the whole story. For example, in the passage I quoted from Luke, Christ goes on to say, "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Luke 12:6-7) What goes on here? Is Christ contradicting himself? I don't think so, but in order to make sense of his words, I think we should look at the topic of Repentance Most of us have probably heard sermons explaining that "repentance" literally means a change of mind. Another way I've heard it explained is that the act of repentance means turning towards God, orienting ourselves in his direction. When Bach wrote, Repentence can also be taken to refer to "love thy neighbour". I think he was working with this understanding of repentance. Repentance is a way of life, not simply a single occurance. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Matthew 3:1-2 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:2-5 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:46 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. Acts 2:37-39,41 John the Baptist, Christ, and the apostles all began by preaching repentance. Except for the passage in Luke 13, this was never even remotely similar to "Turn or burn." Repentance is not a fire-escape. It's an invitation to enter the Kingdom of God, to partake of the wedding feast of the Lamb. In fact, the "wedding garment" referred to in the parable of the wedding feast in Luke 22:1-14 has been interpreted as representing repentance. Whether or not this is a valid interpretation, the fact remains that the invitation is open to all, yet not many will enter in. Which brings me to my next point: Love Bach and Chris have already reminded us of a few relevant passages. I'll add a few more. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:16-17 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:37-40 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35 God created the cosmos in, by, and for love. God is love. However, God is also a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29) I think T. S. Eliot summed it up quite well in the fourth stanza of Little Gidding. * * * * * The dove descending breaks the air With flame of incandescent terror Of which the tongues declare The one discharge from sin and error. The only hope, or else despair Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre-- To be redeemed from fire by fire. Who then devised the torment? Love. Love is the unfamiliar Name Behind the hands that wove The intolerable shirt of flame Which human power cannot remove. We can only live, only suspire Consumed by either fire or fire. * * * * * I think that "the fear of God" should be understood as "deep respect and awe" rather than "abject terror." In his book The Idea of the Holy, Rudolf Otto wrote about what he called the mysterium tremendum. "Let us consider the deepest and most fundamental element in all strong and sincerely felt religious emotion. Faith unto salvation, trust, love -- all these are there. But over and above these is an element which may also on occasion, quite apart from them, profoundly affect us and occupy the mind with a wellnigh bewildering strength.... The feeling of it may at times come sweeping like a gentle tide, pervading the mind with a tranquil mood of deepest worship. It may pass over into a more set and lasting attitude of the soul, continuing, as it were, thrillingly vibrant and resonant, until at last it dies away and the soul resumes its 'profane', non-religious mood of everyday experience.... It may become the hushed, trembling, and speechless humility of the creature in the presence of -- whom or what? In the presence of that which is a mystery inexpressible and above all creatures." In the Institutes, Calvin wrote that true knowledge of God requires true knowledge of the self, and true knowledge of the self requires true knowledge of God. The Revelation is full of all sorts of imagery, but one thing which is fairly constant is worship. The book is chock full of angelic beings, heavenly hosts, and a great multitude of the redeemed falling down in worship before the Throne of God and the Lamb. This to me is the fear of God in a positive sense. When God finally reveals himself in all his glory, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Those who have spent their lives preparing to meet him will do so with joy. Those who have not will learn a different kind of fear. Dirk |