Burying our face in fear

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.” (Heb. 6:4-6).

When we hear these threatenings of the unpardonable sin, or of other kinds of judgment, what do they do to us? Do we tremble at God’s word? Should we fear? But then what? Should we tremble forever? Should we live in fear? Then where would be the joy of the Christian life? As Nehemiah declares, “The joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Neh. 8:10).

When Peter misspoke himself on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Voice from the glittering cloud spoke in such authority that it staunched Peter’s usual loquacious spirit and left him and the others with heads buried, eyes shut tightly, and bodies quivering like they were in sub-zero weather. Then Jesus, their merciful comforter, “came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.” (Matt. 17:7,8).

Without the Father’s genuine fear, and in their unconsecrated state, the disciples could not have known the genuine comfort of Jesus. They felt the peace of Christ only because they first had responded to God in fear. We can safely say that they would not have heard the gracious words of Jesus if they had continued their lackadaisical and daring balderdash.

So when we first heard words like Hebrew 6:4-6, did we fear? Did we truly fear and tremble? And then after God’s elect cried out in fear what seemed to them like all day and night, did He finally redeem them from that fear and let them know that He was holding them close to Himself? Yes.

Must we be afraid forever? No, but we must lean what fear is. Then we will receive the legitimate sorrow for sin and the full peace our God desires us to possess. Only then is our justification by real faith, and only then is it valid before God. “The Lord knoweth them that are His.” (2Tim. 2:19).

“Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;
And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.
For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2Cor. 7:6-10).

“For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?” (2Cor. 2:2).

Once humility and true, God-inspired repentance is achieved, the Lord’s purpose for fear in us is accomplished and there is no more need of it, unless we lose our humility and repentant attitude. Then its time for the Lord,again, to teach us to fear Him.

But living in fear is not God’s plan. He doesn’t enjoy seeing His children suffering and afraid of Him. Ultimately, He desires to never have to resort to it at all.