Understanding Grace and Fear in Love

[saint701]

Hello Mack, Timothy, All,

Blessings!

Love to You in Christ Jesus!

I know some of you here on Christianity Oasis, but in truth I do not know most of you. And I think in many cases some of the articles I've written teaching about the magnificent grace of God have gone unread. If that be the case with you I would like to help you understand how it is that I fear the Lord, and how it is that I live by faith, that I might be saved by our Lord's grace.

First, how is that I fear God greatly, and yet live by faith, that my salvation might be of His grace? Quite simply put it is this. God lives in me. I know His mind and presence in me. He leads, teaches, and guides me daily. He loves me more than I can possibly explain. Since I've been teaching on this site, I've used the following words to describe God's love for us and what His love is like. He is the origin and perfect essence of all that is love, all that will be love, or ever has been love. He is as the Apostle John described him. God is love.

In a previous article I taught that the fear of God discussed in the Bible is exactly what the word fear means. It means fear. In truth I fear God greatly, but my great fear of God must be understood in the context of who I am in Christ Jesus. He lives in me. I know Him as He is in me. He came to me in person and imparted His life within me. That life is the love I described to you above. As such...He loved me first and that is why I love Him. He lives a wonderful and most precious love life in me.

My fear of Him is this. I don't want my Lord of Lords King of Kings Lord God Almighty Love Dad to be unhappy in me. I want Him to be well pleased in me as He was in Christ Jesus because the love where with He was in Him is in me, and Jesus is in me. I love God with all of my heart, with all of my mind, and with all of my strength.

In John Chapter 17 our Lord asks our Heavenly Dad that this might be true of us as it was true of God in Him.

John 17

[25] O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
[26] And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

To me, the name of our righteous Father is Love. Thus, when I am in His presence in His Love, the Word of God is fulfilled in me which said, "Perfect Love casts out all fear."

Thus, even though the fear of God is in me, in His presence fear disappears...and the following Words become true and real.

Pss.16

[11] Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Ecclesiasticus

[12] The fear of the Lord maketh a merry heart, and giveth joy, and gladness, and a long life.



Blessings!
Love, In Christ Jesus, Saint701.


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[Timothy]

Ephesians 2:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

From Oasis Bible Search

Timothy

[saint701]

Thanks Timothy