Fear

So I’m not even remotely claiming to be an authority on such things, but I’ve been sharing some thoughts on what to do when you’re meeting with someone who has just been exposed for being caught in sin. Last time I said how I respond depends almost entirely on whether the person is repentant or just sorry they got caught.

If the person is just sorry they got caught, my understanding is that what they need is truth. Not much grace, not much love, they need truth. Hard truth. In fact, I think they even need some fear. The Bible says that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and so this person apparently hasn’t been doing life under the fear of God.

So I, in a gentle way, share the hard truth that I’m concerned about the person’s salvation – showing them passages like: Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26-31, and Romans 8:5-13.

One thing I’ve noticed is that many people caught in sin, if they’re thinking about God at all, seem to think that He’s sympathizing with their struggle, or that He’s just quick to forgive and shrug it off. I try to help the person understand that though it is true that God is love and God forgives, right now God is opposed to them and angry.

The goal, obviously, is that the person will humble themselves in repentance, because God is close to, lifts up, and gives grace to the humble.

Sometimes it works, sometimes not.