Fear of God
Ive changed my views as it relates to how Gods righteousness is described and what part we play in showing forth His righteousness. I know a couple of Jewish Christians who describe the world in a little different way than I was taught in the Doctrines of grace. And maybe its related to Kabbalah in my agreement that the universe is the expression of Gods word that unites all things in the proper usage of the epistemology of the word.

This has changed my views of the fear of God from how I was taught in the context of the present day reformed tradition. As I got to know these friends it became clear to me that they viewed God as the source of unity and not as a God who moves the creation through force. Ive come to believe that a God who uses force is one who uses negative fear on His own children.

I do not believe the bibles description of fear involves a struggle with a God who uses force who have a clear understanding of who God is. I believe that the Bible distinguishes how force is applied in the same way that darkness and light are applied. Those who are under the constraints of a fearful God are not aware that there is danger. While those who are in the light see fear as a necessary weapon that obligates them to be encouraged to seek salvation and not having the potential to be judged with the knowledge that Gods love is balanced with His dangerous pursuit by His force. I do not see how one can understand salvation in the biblical context and see fear as our being judged because God is pleased in bringing glory to Himself. That is unbiblical.

You will never see me explain the judgement of God as His freedom to act anyway that He is free to act. But God acts according to His attributes. Some people see God as both love and hate. Ive heard it taught that God is both of these things at the same time. In this way the object of Gods full love and hate are both those who know His love and those who are blind to His love. But this is not biblical. The point of salvation is to know that we are loved by being shielded from His anger or hate. If we were blind to salvation then that in itself is hate. But if we understand that we are saved then there is no advantage for us to seek our salvation through being hated. Salvation is not for God but for us. The fact that its a gift is because its free. If God acted to force us to seek salvation then it would not be free. The whole motive for it being free is that we start from the foundation that God doesnt look at us in how salvation is an addition or subtraction. But its always attractive because its free. Seeking to be saved from one glory to another is avoiding God as a hater.