THE FEAR OF THE LORD – ROD CAMPBELL

A traditional view spawned from the Old Testament represents the Israelites being terrified of God in a way that they did not want to be near His Presence. Their sin was the big obstacle, and it is sin that separates us from God. In the garden of Eden, after disobeying God, sin entered the world and Adam and Eve died. The concept of death is that of an irreversible disconnection or separation. They lost their connection (love relationship) and found themselves unprotected (naked and ashamed).

Shame is a fundamental human emotion that serves as a self-preservation mechanism in the presence of perceived threat to self. Adam and Eve were afraid of God’s presence because of shame – this unleashed the spirit of fear and death that every human being is subjected to until they are born again and mature in love (the Love that casts out all fear).

2021/02/20, 11:06 am – Rod Campbell: God is Love. It is a Holy Love. Holiness, not in the sense of a base morality (don’t do this, or don’t do that), but complete and utter Goodness in which no shadow of wickedness or evil exists, only Total Good. We were created from this and for this – to be encapsulated, entwined and immersed in the Circle of Love in which dwells Father, Son and Holy Spirit and always and will always abide.

2021/02/20, 11:15 am – Rod Campbell: The Fear of the Lord, then is demonstrated in what we know as separation-anxiety in an infant when their parent(s) leave the room and the infant becomes distressed because of a perception of “loss’ of connection with their parent(s). The infant’s bonding and dependence on the parent(s) is total and consuming – the threat of disconnection elicits terror in the heart of the infant.

Such is the True Fear of the Lord – have being born again and being placed in Christ, experiencing that intimate love and utter dependence as a creature with the Creator – uncoerced, but drawn (like a magnet) – where the thought of losing connection with Him for one moment elicits such terror. This is the beginning of Wisdom (for in Him ALL the Treasures of Knowledge and Wisdom are found)