 When I was a young Christian I remember going and hearing some preachers talking about "the terror of the Lord". That is, they were known back then as "Hell Fire and Damnation" preachers. I quickly went in search of another church where I could hear someone speak a little "nicer"! But now that I've matured in my walk with the Lord I wonder - "Where are those preachers now?"
There are three very serious questions that we must ask ourselves when reading a verse like this. They are as follows:
The Apostle Paul was fully aware of the certainty of Judgment to come - for the sinner and saint alike. He had a keen awareness of the wrath and judgment of God. In fact, it became an electrifying motive that stirred him to action in the Kingdom work. "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord" - What was it that Paul knew? It was the "terror of the Lord." What is "the terror of the Lord"? It is the awareness that the Lord Jesus is the Great Judge Who is coming once again to this earth:
It is a subject that should inspire terror and alarm in each one of us, knowing that the day is soon to come when we shall all stand before the Judge and give a strict account for everything that we have done in our bodies. We are moved to extreme gravity in our walk with the Lord when we realize that He will be very particular and very just in His evaluation of our lives. The question we must ask ourselves is - Have we forgotten about "the terror of the Lord"? Do will live each day of our lives with it on our minds and in our hearts? Is it our main motivation for action in the Kingdom work? It is sad to say - but in this day and age, there is hardly any mention of the "terror of the Lord" from the pulpits of the land? Very seldom on Christian TV or radio will you ever hear a preacher mention such a crucial topic. Could this be why so much of the Church is spiritually asleep? Have they been lulled to sleep by the preachers singing out lullabies to the tune of "Jesus Loves Me This I Know"? Is this all that we "know"? That Jesus Loves Me? Isn't it time that we also "know" the "terror of the Lord" as well? As we have seen, it's in the Bible right there along with the Love of God. Have we emphasized one to the point where people are not even aware that a Judgment Day is on the horizon? Many will be in for a rude awakening on that day, and they will have many of the preachers and the Christians to blame. Don't you think that it is time that we as the Body of Christ mature in the Faith and get a hold of this concept of the "terror of the Lord"? So many run off to seminary or to Bible School and graduate not knowing one thing about it. Yet, Paul the Apostle used this topic as a springboard for his entire ministry of soul winning. Something is definitely wrong here. "Wouldn't you agree"? What exactly did Paul have in mind when he said that "knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men"? How do we possibly "persuade men"? Using the means of two specific subjects - a future day of accountability for all of our thoughts, words, and actions, as well as a day of future recompense for all wrongdoing - we endeavor to provoke people to flee from the wrath to come. Using the Scriptures, we make them fully aware of the consequences of going astray from God or following their own way. We attempt to convince them to be prepared for the day of accountability or judgment by preaching a strong word of repentance from all sin and holiness of living. The question we must ask ourselves is - "Who is persuading who here? Is the Church persuading the world, or is the world persuading the church?" Has the world persuaded us to calm down and not be so forceful, straightforward, or fiery in our approach of presenting the Gospel? Have we toned down a bit and altered our message to appeal to the sinner? Have we become more concerned that we do not offend any one than that the Truth be preached? In the end, have we allowed the world to subtilely persuade us to their way of thinking? O Saint of God, who are you persuading today? In the "mission field" where God has planted you(and every saint is called to one), are you persuading men to Fear God, repent of all sin, and live holily in preparation for the Judgment Day, or are they persuading you to lighten up and compromise your godly standards? The Apostle Paul interjected a "but" in his statement which brought a contrast between the saint and the sinner.
He spoke of "the terror of the Lord." He then mentioned the importance of persuading men. His train of thought is abruptly changed with the word "but." He changes his audience from the sinner to the saint - "but we." What message does he have for the Christian? What marked distinction does he draw between the saint and the sinner? "But we are made manifest unto God" - In other words, we have nothing to hide. We are not cringing back from God in fear. He knows our hearts. He knows that our definite goals and purposes are to live wholly for Him and to see Him glorified in this earth. We desire to please Him and Him alone. That is "made manifest" unto Him. Not only is God acquainted with all of our ways, but men know us as well - "and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences." We live transparent lives before all. The people around us know us for who we really are. We are not fakes, phonies, or hypocrites. We do not act godly on Sunday and then live like the devil the rest of the week. We are not sweet, kind, and loving before the church members and irritating, angry, demanding, controlling, and fitful before our families. We should have nothing to fear come Judgment Day. The subject of the "terror of the Lord" should not really alarm us if we are doing our part - persuading men and living our lives sincerely and openly before God and men.
Knowing this will either frighten you or stir you up to get busier than ever before. Which is it? 
 Send E-mail to Russ: webslave for Christ ( russ@jesuswept.com ) with questions or comments about this web site and it's content. Last modified: 12/04/2002 |
