Wednesday, February 13, 2013 - 4:35 pm

I read 2 Corinthians 5-10 today, and chapter 5, verses 17-21 caught my attention. Through Christ we are reconciled to God, made righteous, and have had the old sinful person replaced with a new godly one! Now, we have the blessing of being a part of that reconciliation for others as well. That is the message we've been given (the good news of the gospel), and that is the ministry we take part in. These verses might be some of the most exciting in the Bible when understood, along with chapter 6, verse 2: "For he says, 'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.' I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." Do we really take in what this is saying? God hears us now, and is helping us now. We have God's favor, not some time in the future when we get it all together, but right now. Remember, in Christ we have become the righteousness of God, by God's grace and for His glory. Today we are saved, not by our work, but by His help.
Yesterday I was discussing the fear of the Lord with a couple friends, and I looked up the old definition of fear in an online version of Webster's Dictionary, the 1928 edition. I had considered it to be a strong reverence, respect and awe.  While I was searching for it, I found an article someone had written based on the first definition given for fear, "a painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger..." which said the church waters down the 'fear of the Lord' by calling it reverence. It's a shame that person didn't read down to the 6th definition, the one which clearly says: "...In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience..." Having read that, I now see 2 Corinthians 7:1 as a great encouragement to fear the Lord in this way: "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."