Non believers may live their entire life as an enemy of God.  All the while fear dresses them like some dark shimmering  light.  The end of such a man brings him directly before the Most High God for judgment.  Fully unaware and fully unprepared.

If they had fear in this life while they were at such a great distance from God, how much more fear will they have before him at the judgment?  And that with no place left to hide or ignore.  The steady gaze of perfectly righteous eyes is no longer turned aside.

There are many who have placed some measure of faith in Christ Jesus, but have never matured as God would have them.  As the writer of Hebrews pointed out they are still sucking on milk.  They have never considered the solid food of Christian maturity to be worth the effort.  How do they plan to stand any stronger than the previous group?

This post is therefore for both groups.  I write with all hope to stir up a desire for freedom in Christ.  I write this with the hopes that their fear may become dispelled. 

If maturing christians have a fear similar to the first two groups it will be found in continuing in the work of Christ.  By this I mean they are painfully aware of the sinful nature’s presence.  They are painfully aware that they too are capable of falling.  But their fear is mixed with a belief that Christ is willing and able to cause them to stand on the day of judgement.  So the fear in maturing Christians is more a love for the gain of God, and a great respect for he who is able to make us stand.

The difference being that the first two groups fear punishment.  While the maturing Christian finds his heart yearning  for God’s honorable reputation among men.  The first two are centered on themselves.  The third is centered on God.

Doesn’t this fit the gospel perfectly; death to self, life for Christ.  The honorable man will seek the better of the greater.  He will give honor where honor is due. 

If you do not find yourself to be an honorable man, don’t despair.  Simply get on your knees and confess to the Lord that you need his help to become honorable.

It must also be said that, there is not one aspect of maturity in Christ that a man can manufacture himself.  Everything the Christian becomes is given to him by God. 

This last statement has got to fly like broken glass in the face of established religious practices.  The Lord can heal those kinds of lacerations too.

By His Grace