East From West
How much does God really love you?
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:11–12, NIV)
Fear of the LORD
Let me begin by addressing the word “fear” in this passage. Are we really meant to fear God? Part of the answer, I think, lies in how we understand the word “fear”. God is perfectly holy and just, and, because of our sin, we can never, on our own, live up to the perfect standard set by Him. Scripture says that even our most
“…righteous acts are like filthy rags…” (Isaiah 64:6, NIV)
In Old Testament times, people “feared” God so much that they refused to even speak His name. He is, however, the same God who knows each of us by our name. And what we could not do to earn any sort of favor with God, He sent His Son Jesus to earn for us.
Forgiven and free
Through Jesus’ death on the cross, we are forgiven. We are declared righteous, made right, before our Heavenly Father. As followers of Jesus, we need not fear God because of what Jesus has done for us through His death at Calvary.
