Is God dangerous?
“The intelligent person recognizes that his or her well-being lies in
being in harmony with God …God is not mean but he is dangerous (Willard 2012).
When I read this quote I was reminded
of one of my favorite quotes from the Chronicles of Narnia: “He is not a tame
lion.” The lion, Aslan, was C.S. Lewis’ representation of Jesus Christ, the
Lion of the Tribe of Judah. In this scenario two people who had gone astray
were discussing whether to give themselves willingly into the hands of the Lion
for judgment or to run away. When one asked another how the Lion would respond,
this was the answer. “How should I know?” “He is not a tame Lion.”
The depiction of Jesus Christ here is
near-perfect. God is holy and just, but he is not tame. Some have a picture of
God as a heavenly Santa Claus who gives out gifts to good little boys and
girls. Nothing could be further from the truth. Though there is a reward in
serving God, we must not serve God only for the rewards. We must serve him because
He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He breathes fire on His enemies and
devours His opponents. There is no one that can stand before the fierceness of
His anger. When Jonathan Edwards depicted this in his now-famous treatise,
Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God, it is said that people fainted in the
audience for fear of God’s anger.
I do not serve God for fear. I serve
Him because I am in love with Jesus. He is my dearest and best friend. He is an
ever present comfort in every situation. Yet I would be a fool to say that I do
not fear Him. This would be more than dangerous. I would be gambling with my
soul. I am afraid that the modern church is guilty only of preaching John 3:16
and omitting Hebrews 10:31 and Hebrews 12:29. Let us love God. He is lovable.
But let us never cease to fear Him. After all, He is God!
Willard, D. (2012). Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Colorado Springs, CO: NAVPRESS.
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