The Fear of the Lord

Occasionally, I write for Helium. They have a variety of topics that you can choose from and respond to. I wanted to share the article that I wrote in response to a topic titled "Why God Punishes Evil When He has Given Free Will":

We call out to Him, "Abba!", but He isn't seen as one. He is a Father who lost His children. He is a Father who wants a relationship with them. He gives us free will, not ONLY because he wants us to choose "good" and avoid consequences of "bad". He gives us free will, because He wants a reciprocal relationship with us. He wants our love. He wants us to love HIM freely! Love cannot be forced, it has to be given! All of us who have been blessed with the privilege of parenting know intimately the sweet, sweet savor of a child's unconditional love. Those of you, whose beautiful babies grew into rebellious teenagers, understand the heart wrenching pain, when that savor dissipates. And then anguish, when they become wayward men and women, not only hurting themselves, but others as well.

When my children hurt each other, I explain to them why we have rules for behavior. They understand the bottom line is respect and love towards one another. They know that if there were no rules, their behavior would, or could be reciprocated by their siblings. I would then ask them, is this how you want to live in this house, a house that is unhappy where no one likes each other? They would reply with a resounding "NO!"

This IS the kind of world we live in, world where people freely, knowingly choose to live life outside of love. When one lives outside of love, one lives a boundless, dark life.

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5
"He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes." 1 John 2:10-11

When one is not bound by love (love is the fulfilling of the law Romans 13:8-10) there are NO guidelines, NO respect for life. Where there is no respect for life, there evil is created. God is love and the CREATOR of LIFE, because of this, God punishes evil. (Book of Revelation)

(End of article)

I realize my article does not do justice to the vast principles associated with this topic. There are many opinions as to why God punishes evil. I firmly believe that God, the Father, has given us every resource to understand Him. The Bible being one of those resources, as well as, parenting and marriage, which He is the Creator and Author of. I believe the key to understanding Him, lies in our attitude. The key to understanding Him lies upon understanding and acceptance of the Divine Order in which He has established.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." Proverbs 1:7 We understand the word "fear" in this Scripture to mean reverence and respect, not fright. When there is genuine acceptance of Him as Creator of us all, there is awe-inspiring reverence of who He is and what He has done. There is respect for Him as a Father. Most importantly, there is humility, when we understand Him in all of His glory and power. It then becomes clear who we are; fallible beings who desperately need His love.

"Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4: 5-7