Good morning and a blessed Thursday morning to you. 

Three hundred, sixty-six. That's the number of times that God says “fear not” recorded in Holy Scripture. That's really a gracious word for us, isn't it?  We have a “fear not” passage from our Lord for every single day of the year.  And in fact, God even has leap year covered too.

“Fear not.” God says.  But the Bible also tells us that there is one to fear. And that one to fear is God. 

Luke 12:4-5

 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will show you whom to fear: fear the one who, after killing, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear that one! 

Standing before God on judgment day cloaked in our own righteousness would indeed invoke fear. What a terrifying prospect that would be… thinking that somehow we are good enough on our own to be in heaven.  That somehow we've made ourselves to be good people by the works that we have done. What a terrifying prospect to stand before God on judgment day cloaked in our own righteousness. 

Luther called that servile fear. But that's not the kind of fear that the Christian should have.

I’m reminded of the night of my catechization. It was just before confirmation. In those days most Lutheran churches had a catechization night.  The congregation would gather the confirmands in the front. The pastor could ask each confirmand individually any portion of Luther's Small Catechism to be recited by memory. I was nervous for that night. And I studied. And I memorized. And finally that night arrived. The pastor asked the kid right in front of me to recite one of the Commandments and its meaning. I was glad to hear that, because the Commandments and the meanings are the shorter sections of Small Catechism. And so I thought this is good news. Then he turned to me and said, “David, recite the Second Article and its meaning.” The Second Article and his meaning is a long passage. I so wanted one of those Commandments, because in a Small Catechism the meaning of each and every commandment starts with a phrase “We are to fear and love God…”.  At least I knew I would get the first sentence right.

We are to fear and love God.  Luther called that type of fear filial fear. Filial fear is that reverence, that awe of God that is born of the Gospel… that glorious message that Jesus Christ took our sin on the cross, and gave to us of his righteousness. So that, baptized child, when you stand before the Lord on judgment day the Lord will look at you and he will see the works of Jesus. He will see the perfect righteous life of Jesus. Your sin is atoned for through the cross of Jesus. He will look at you and see Jesus. That is that filial fear that we can have; that reverence and awe of the one who has redeemed us.

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

    and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

That's not servile fear. That's filial fear. And that filial fear, born of the Gospel, that awe and reverence is how we can live each and every day of our lives.

Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time in your Word. Your Word is truth. We thank you for the glorious message of the Gospel. We thank you for the filial fear of you… that awe and reverence, that you have born out of the gospel. We praise you that each and every day, we can live in that kind of fear. In Jesus’ strong and holy name we pray. Amen.  

God bless you today. Encourage someone! 

Pastor Eibel