Fear is not a fear of an enemy, but the fear of offending the Person who loves you the most. If we fear offending God, we will work hard to guard our heart, to watch of thoughts, and think before we speak and act. But we also need to have faith that God has forgiven all our offenses–past, present, and future. Christ paid for them in full. There is no need for forgiveness where there is no offense. Let us work out our salvation with fear and trembling and strive not to offend Him; but let us also live with the faith that God’s love and commitment to us is not lessened because of our sin. Jesus saw to that. Such a balance of fear and faith takes all the fear out of living.
