Christian Freedom International

Love -- Motivator of the Repentant Heart

In my previous post I stated that fear is the motivation of the unrepentant heart. The opposite of fear is love. We fear that which we do not love. God desires for us to be engaged in a love relationship with Him. However, our love for Him cannot be merely an assent of the mind or a feeling of our emotions. It must be the desire of our hearts, an act of our will. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15).

A repentant heart is one that turns from going its own way to get in step with the way God is going; thus aligning its will with God's will. When the desires of my heart are in tune with God's heart then love flourishes.

Why would I align my will with God's? There are many reasons, but two important one's are:

1. When my will and God's will are in alignment I have nothing to fear. Alignment with God casts out fear since what I want and the things I do not want are in agreement with God.
2. I align my will with God's because He has already proven His love and His commitment to me. The Bible says, ". . . God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

God, in the person of Jesus Christ, has taken on the punishment for all our sins. Everyone has sinned (I will talk more about in sin in a later post), whether a "little, white lie" or a major wrongdoing like murder. In God's eyes all wrongdoing is equal--big or little--because He can allow no sin in heaven. Jesus took our sins and the punishment for our sins when He was put to death by crucifixion. He showed His love for us by taking our punishment.

I turn from going my own way, and submit my will to going God's way because I know He loves me and I trust that He knows my future and has my best interests at heart. "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).

Fear -- Motivator of the Unrepentent Heart

Fear is the motivation of the unrepentent heart. I come at this conclusion from a distinctly Christian worldview. I will not explain the Christian worldview at this time--maybe someday but I stick by my statement that fear is what motivates all people who have not cleansed of their sins by the blood of Jesus Christ as stated in the Holy Scriptures of the Christian Church.

Fear comes in two categories:

1. Fear of not getting something I desire
2. Fear of getting something I do not desire

Most people fear God because they believe God will not allow them to have what they want--their own will; or they fear God because they believe God will give them the thing they do not want--punishment.

If my will is not congruent with God's will then I should fear. Life is all about aligning my will--i.e., my desires--with God's desires. Once I do that then I have nothing to fear. Perfect love, the Scriptures tell us, casts out fear.

"Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, wisdom and instruction, which only fools despise" (Prov. 1:7) St. Augustine tells us that it is from fearing God that we first learn to recognize His Will: what He wants us to do and what He wants us to avoid. This fear should awaken in us a healthy reflection of our bodily death and possible spiritual death, if we continue to choose to run away from Him.

The repentent heart is one where I surrender to Jesus Christ and His will. When my will and God's will align I do not fear anything because now God's desires are also my desires.