If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
Psalm 130:3-4
God is the only one that is holy and perfect and so he is the only one who has the right to judge us. The psalmist in this verse asks rhetorically, who can stand? Obviously, no one can stand beside the holiness of God. The good works that we offer God are dirty rags in his eyes. Holiness is unattainable for humans because we are born into sin and will choose sin over His goodness. Even though he is able to judge our sins and has right cause to strike us down, he chooses to shower our offenses in forgiveness. He offers us infinite mercy at his own cost.
Just as Psalmist mentions forgiveness, it is also important to recognize that he says, “But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” The psalmist brings in fear that follows this forgiveness. This fear is holy and does not come from a vengeful and angry God, but one of love. Fear does not have very pleasant connotations that come with it, but this holy fear does not come from judgement. We should not be afraid that God might take something away from us if we continue to sin. That is not a healthy perspective to have, because it turns us to despair and ultimately rebellion because sin is inevitable. This holy fear should instead come out of love for God.
For example, when I was a new driver, I was terrified. Most teenagers can’t wait to get onto the road, but being the worrier that I am, I was not so thrilled. When I drove my parent’s car, I was terrified of getting a speeding ticket or crashing into another car. I was afraid that I would mess it up and cause my parents to pay more insurance on the vehicle or destroy the car completely. As a result, I began to hate driving and would refuse to get behind the wheel even though the practice was very necessary. My entire perspective changed when I bought my first car. I began to love driving. I would constantly run errands that I didn’t need just so that I could take my car for a spin. I was still very much afraid of crashing or getting pulled over, but the source of that fear shifted. I was afraid out of concern for my car that I loved. This fear was not so much fueled by the judgement of my parents or the insurance company, but the fear came out of a place of love for my car.
Obviously, this example is a far cry from the magnitude of God’s love for us, but it shows that the holy fear that we experience should stem from our love for him. We should fear sinning because of grieving his heart rather than a fear of consequences.