The Awesomeness Of God


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Photo: © Kitch Bain Fotolia.com

The 'Mysterium Tremendum' 

In CS Lewis' "THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE" the children come face to face with Aslan, the enormous Lion who symbolises Christ. 

"People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan’s face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn’t look at him and went all trembly."

Theologians call the terrible goodness of God the 'mysterium tremendum'   -  the mystery that causes trembling.

The Fear Of the LORD & The Awesomeness Of God

The Bible says that - 
•  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom  PROVERBS 1:7.
•  The fear of the Lord leads to the knowledge of God  PROVERBS 2:5
•  The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life  PROVERBS 14:27

The fear mentioned in these verses is not terror. It is reverence for God's awesomeness coupled with gratitude for his loving-kindness.

That's why we read in 1 JOHN 4:18 There is no fear in love, because perfect love drives out fear. Fear is associated with punishment.

When we know our sins have been forgiven by God, we are filled with gratitude for his amazing grace and love for us.

The Fear of the LORD Deals With Every Other Fear

When we know the reverent fear of God, we will not be afraid of anything, or anyone, else. The fear of the LORD deals with other kinds of fear, such as -
•  The fear of man  PSALM 56:11; 118:6; HEBREWS 13:6
•  The fear of the unknown  ISAIAH 46:10; 43:1-5
•  The fear of being abandoned  PSALM 27:10; HEBREWS 13:5
•  The fear of death and judgement HEBREWS 2:14-15

 
 



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