I recently read about a journalist’s interview with a former Christian evangelist who recently served time in prison for immoral criminal behavior. He has since genuinely repented. A very important point of exchange came here:

Interviewer: “At what point did you stop loving God?”

Former evangelist: “I never stopped loving God. I stopped fearing God.”

This is an interesting distinction. It indicates a common spiritual cancer found in so-called religious people: the attitude that as long as I “love” God and He loves me, it’s ok for me to do X, Y, or Z. This illustrates a skewed view of God, that He is all mercy and no justice, and is a rationalized caricature of God, often  made to justify one’s own dishonorable behavior.

Fear of God is not to be afraid of the mood or temperament of an arbitrary, imperfect God. Rather, it is a healthy fear of truth: If I touch a hot stove I will burn. If I drive off a cliff I will die. And if I mortally sin and don’t repent I go to Hell.

Since truth is ultimately a divine Person (the Logos, Jn 1:1, 14:6), a healthy fear of truth is a healthy fear of God. And this, as part of the submissive love we owe our Creator, necessarily includes fear of the consequences of our own bad choices.