Forgiveness and Fear

"If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴  But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared."

Psalm 130:3-4

The Psalmist rightly pointed out the inability of anyone to stand before God in their own righteousness.  Man is universally condemned by his sin and rebellion before a holy God.  Yet God in His mercy, has not dealt with us according to our sins.  He has given us life, sent His Son to seek and save the lost, and opened our eyes to salvation through the Gospel.  A single sin would disqualify us from the presence of God forever, yet we have been washed clean and made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ.  God demonstrated His love through the death of Jesus for us sinners so we might be made saints.

There is forgiveness with God, and verse 4 says for this grace He deserves our reverence and fear.  The ironic thing is because we have been forgiven and adopted into God's family we can actually fear God less.  We can carelessly shrug at the very sins which Jesus died to cleanse and save us from.  This follows the pattern of man's flesh and folly.  God gave His people the Law to prove their sinfulness, and they used it to justify themselves as righteous.  God revealed His glory in creation, and man chose to worship creatures rather than the Creator, offering sacrifices to the sun rather than the One who spoke it into existence.  Like the parable Jesus told of the servant forgiven of his massive debt, he seemed to forget all he had been forgiven and threw a fellow servant in prison for owing him loose change in comparison.  God's forgiveness isn't to make us think He will go easy on our sin, but to remember how much Jesus suffered to free us from it.

Because God has forgiven us, we ought to fear Him more - not less.  Forgiveness and salvation are gifts of God!  We walk in the fear of the LORD when we avoid evil, choosing to do what pleases God and putting away from us all manner of sin.  God cleansed us of all that condemned us and deserves our eternal loyalty and allegiance.  Like the midwives in Egypt who feared the LORD, the fear of God results in making choices which honour Him above all.  Jonah 1:16 tells us what the mariners did who were saved from the storm:  "Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows."  God has saved us from eternal damnation and in addition granted us miraculous salvation, eternal life with Him forever.  He delivered us from hell and saved us for Him.  Fear the LORD, you His saints!  Praise Him forever and ever.