I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked; there is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. – King David in Psalm 36:1-2, NIV (emphasis mine)
I sigh with a heavy heart as I read yet another account of a pastor I knew who has fallen from his pedestal in a very public and scandalous way. And it’s not just him. This is kind of thing is becoming almost routine, and that scares me. A lot. So, what was it last time…Sexual predation? Narcissism? Abusive and disqualifying leadership behavior? Bullying staff and silencing critics? All of the above? What it will it be next time? More of the same?
Lord, have mercy.
From Ravi Zacharias to Mark Driscoll to James MacDonald to…well, the list seems endless these days. The list of high-profile Christian leaders with significant platforms and publicity who have spectacularly fallen from grace and been exposed as being men with years or even decades of disqualifying, unbiblical, and unchristian behavior that is not just an occasional besetting sin, but rather a defining character trait continues to grow. And I look in the mirror, praying I’m not like them and remembering that I must be on my guard lest I become the next sad statistic. After all, my heart is just as deceitful as any of theirs. The prophet Jeremiah had something to say about that, as did the Apostle James.
But the more immediate question that burns in my mind and weighs down my heart is simply this:
Where is the fear of God?
What has happened to us that has allowed this kind of spiritual abuse and ministerial malpractice to flourish in our churches? Why do we look for dynamic leaders, strategic visionaries, and CEO-types to be our spiritual shepherds (none of those things are mentioned as biblical qualifications for pastors by the way) and downplay that same person’s piety, humility, personal holiness, and the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in his or her life? Why do we see such a lack of the fear of the LORD in our lives all around us and even within us?
It's simple, really…we’ve lost sight of God.
“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered My flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD. – Jeremiah, 23:1-2, NIV
I remember several years ago when R.C. Sproul said the problem with the Christian Church is that we don’t know who God is. We have downplayed His holiness and majesty, His hatred for sin and the promise of His coming judgment. We have replaced these biblical concepts with a squishy, non-defined definition of “love,” a revulsion to obligations of obedience in the Christian life, and a view of God in which we identify Him as our “homeboy” rather than the eternal, sovereign King of the universe who will one day return “in power and great glory to judge the living and the dead” (Mark 14:62; 2 Timothy 4:1).
We must recover the fear of the LORD in our lives. We need to live lives of continual repentance, humility, and brokenness before God, pleading with Him to grant us soft consciences so that we might hear and respond in obedience to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, sin will gain a foothold and lead to our destruction, both temporally and eternally.
The union with Christ which produces no effect on the heart and life is a mere formal union, which is worthless before God. The faith which has not a sanctifying influence on the character is no better than the faith of devils.” – J.C. Ryle, Holiness (emphasis mine)
And we need to recover the biblical vision of a faithful minister; one who exhibits the fruits of the Spirit and shepherds God’s people faithfully and humbly. I pray that I will, more and more, be that kind of pastor. And I pray we all will walk in the fear of the LORD and pursue holiness, because without it, we won’t see Him (Hebrews 12:14).
How do we recover the fear of God in our own lives, in our churches, and in the Church? I know a great way to begin…get saturated in Scripture. Read God’s Word and as you read, focus on God’s attributes and character traits. What will you see? You will see a God who is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful, covenant love toward His people. You’ll also see this same God as a consuming fire, a righteous Judge, and an absolute Monarch.
“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead…‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty’.” – Revelation 1:17a, Isaiah 6:5
Martin Luther once said he only had two days on his calendar at any given time…today and that Day (he was referring to the day of final judgment). I think Luther was on to something big. Knowing that we will stand before Him on that Day, may we set our minds upon God and His unspeakable holiness and live in light of those realities. Then we will desire to live holy, Spirit-filled lives and we will be those people “offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” – Martin Luther, thesis 1 of his 95 Theses