Of Forgiveness and Fear

“But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” (Ps 130:4 AV)

What does forgiveness and fear have in common?  How are they related?  One would think they are not naturally related.  When we are forgiven, doesn’t fear abate?  Isn’t it fear that brings us to a place where we need forgiveness and when forgiveness is granted, then fear is cast aside?  What about John’s statement that perfect love casteth out fear?  The word of God makes no mistakes.  There are no errors or contradictions in the word of God.  There is an answer here.

To be sure that we are understanding the terms here, the word for “feared” means, “to stand in awe of, be awed; to fear, reverence, honour, respect.”  This is profound in the sense it gives us deep understanding of the proper foundation and nature of our relationship with our creator.  Let me illustrate.  I have three sons.  As perfect as they were, there were times I had to correct them.  It didn’t happen all that often (I am just kidding), but when it did, there was a severance of our relationship.  There was something there than needed to be resolved.  Forgiveness had to be sought and granted.  One cannot grant forgiveness when there is none sought.  When forgiveness was granted, it was always done is in the understanding of a subordinate seeking forgiveness from an authority.  When my son needed to know it was right again, he acknowledged in his heart that Dad was Dad and he had messed up.  He was not seeking forgiveness from a friend.  He was seeking forgiveness from his authority.

I fear that much too much forgiveness sought by the saints has this element of truth missing from the spirit of the request.  We seek forgiveness from a God of grace.  What we are missing is seeking forgiveness from a God of holiness and justice.  It makes all the world of difference.  If my son came to me and asked forgiveness as though I was his friend and equal, that would have been presumptuous and best.  It would have been misguided and an insult.  We do the same when we do not keep in mind that we need forgiveness from our Creator.  When forgiveness is granted, we must remember the nature of the one granting that forgiveness.  He is God.  He is not our buddy.  He is not our pal.  He is the Creator of all things.  He is the one by whom we consist.  He is God!