How can God be loving and frightening at the same time?
May 6, 2011
The Base for Grace - part thirty-eight in a study of the book of Hebrews
By Mike Gaudet
God is loving.
God can be frightening.
How can God be loving and frightening at the same time?
“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.’ The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’ But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” Hebrews 12:18-24
When the children of Israel approached Mount Sinai they felt like Dorothy and her traveling companions felt when they approached the Wizard of Oz. Instead of “lions, tigers and bears” the Israelites faced “darkness, gloom and storm” and a mountain that was “burning with fire.” They were terrified. There were heel marks in the sand . . . not footprints. Moses himself said, “I am trembling with fear.”
The experience burned this thought into their consciousness: God is terrifying.
You’d think that such an experience would galvanize obedience. The shocking truth is that before Moses could even return with the stone tablets in his hands, the Israelites had already “gathered around Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us . . .’ He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’” Exodus 32:1,4
Being afraid of God did not foster obedience
When we’re looking for leverage to generate obedience, fear seems a logical choice. However, the evidence from Mount Sinai proves otherwise. If fear could generate obedience, the golden calf would not have been made.
Although God once inhabited a dark and foreboding mountain, He does so no longer. God has moved. Now the “city of the living God” is represented by “Mount Zion” and is reflected by ”angels in joyful assembly,” and “the spirits of righteous men made perfect.”
God no longer lives in a scary place.
This change of venue doesn’t reflect a change in God though . . . it reflects a change of covenant.
It appears that God undergoes a transformation in the Bible. Appearances can be deceiving. God doesn’t change. The covenant He operates by changes. Because of “Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” we no longer need to be afraid of God.
In the New Covenant God declares, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12 The first part of this promise literally says, “I will be ‘hileos’ to their transgressions.” The Greek word “hileos” means “merciful, cheerful, good natured.” God promises to maintain a cheerful, good-natured disposition when His children sin . . . and “remember their sins no more.”
It is the “sprinkled blood” of Jesus that makes all the difference. On the night before He was crucified Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Luke 22:20 Jesus’ shed blood inaugurates a new covenant. Because Jesus put this new covenant into effect when He died, God promises not to react angrily when believers in His Son commit sin.
At first glance this might appear to be a miscalculation on God’s part . . . until we realize that God commands us to love one another. This is how He defines obedience.
“The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Romans 13:9
God does not use fear to generate love.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
Only love generates love.
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19