Not Fear of the Future, But Fear of Condemnation

For so long, I was afraid of the future.

I was worried that I would make a mistake, or that I would choose something that would make God angry with me.

I would decide to go somewhere or be somewhere and I would get into a  great deal of trouble.

Dr. Laura Schleslinger even tried to counsel one young lady, who was all caught up in doing the right thing or the wrong thing.

"Don't get caught up in whether it's the right thing or the wrong thing. You will go crazy."

I never understood that statement, until now.

When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they started looking at themselves, and they spent their time and energy trying to fix themselves, to make themselves presentable from the sense of shame which came with realizing that they were naked.

When the heard the voice of the Lord walking in the garden, Adam and Eve still hid themselves.

No matter how hard we try to cover our sin and shame, it cannot work.

Someone Else had to do it, and that Someone is Jesus Christ!

The evil scam of AA lies in greater part in making people keep trying to fix themselves, to keep looking for fig leaves, if you will, and no matter how hard you try, though, the leaves are never big enough, the consciousness of wrongdoing just never seems to go away.

What a frustrating life it was for me.

I kept fearing the power and willingness to make the next step, because I was so unsure of what to expect.

There was that one passage from 1 John, which teaches us that "Perfect love casts out fear."

I do understand that that perfect love is not our love for God, but God's love for us, a love which has taken us from dead in our trespasses to alive and seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Now I understand that it is not the future that I fear, but God's anger, or the shame of wrongdoing.

Yet what does the Bible say about God's wrath:

"For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Psalm 30: 5)

In contrast to God's wrath is God's favor.

Why is His favor for life?

Because He sent His Son Jesus, who was filled with grace and truth (John 1: 14), that we may receive His life and His favor:

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1: 14)

and then

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John  10: 10)

Later:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

and later

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

Who we are has nothing to do with what we do, but with all that Jesus has done for us, and because we have been crucified with Christ, no longer identifying with our sin in the flesh or our sins in what we do, we now have the freedom and grace to come boldly before God to the throne of grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4: 16)

One again God will never be angry with us every again:

"8In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

"9For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee." (Isaiah 54: 8-9)

 

God is never going to be angry with you or me ever again.

 

In fact, God is not angry with the world anymore:

 

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5: 19)

 

and

 

"1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 1-2)

 

There is no reason to fear the future, because no matter what happens, we know that we have passed from death to life, and whatever wrath God may have had with the human race because of Adam's sin, His divine justice has been satisfied at the Cross.

 

He will never be angry with you -- and even when you fail, instead of punishing you, He will guide you by His love, and by His Holy Spirit you will be transformed from glory to glory by His Spirit as you behold Jesus (2 Corinthians 3: 18)