Disputation: How Shall We Come?

Qæstio: How shall a poor, wretched sinner come to Christ? Must he come in some special way? Must he come in love? Is coming in fear of sin and death self serving? 

Iudicium: Dubium, We deny.

Disputatio:

Holy wisdom (sophia) speaks like this:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. (Prov. 9:10)

It is from this point that all else proceeds. Christianity, the only and true Religion, rests upon a proper understanding of the creature to his relation with the all holy, omnipotent, righteous God. The creature is subordinate. The creature is the lesser. And since the entry of sin into the world, the creature is polluted with it. God is too pure to look on sin (Hab. 1:13). How shall we be wise? When we see ourselves as we really are (1 Cor. 13:12), as helpless, destitute sinners ready to perish without a savior.

It is not sin itself we fear, nor its immediate effects in this world (for sin, beloved, is exceeding pleasurable and no one can deny it). It might be true that the prospective consequences of sin, humanly speaking, can cause fear. But even here, this is shown to be what it really is in the face of inevitable death - that dreadful thing common to all men - which will bring a man before his Creator for judgment. 

For our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28). 

And again, 

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:31). 

What we really fear, then, is the knowledge of sin, burning in our consciences, declaring us guilty before a living and holy God (Rom. 3:19) who we know stands ready to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1). We are at war, not with ourselves, nor with with the world, nor with sin, but with God. Because of sin, we are at enmity with God and desire peace with him. Unfortunately, this is not possible in our natural state. Christ, through his substitutionary death and righteous life, has saved us, justified us, and made us able to stand before God blameless, without wrinkle or spot. Christ has now earned for us everlasting life and has spared us from the everlasting torments of hell. We now have peace with God, and as a result, peace within our consciences:

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Rom. 5:1)

The question that remains it, how shall he who comes to Christ come? Is it disingenuous to come to him in fear and trembling? The bible doesn’t think so. Jesus warned us to fear God because of the judgement which we face for our sins:

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mat. 10:28)

God promises that in Christ, that is, his salvation, fears are relieved:

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Is. 41:10)

Blessing is promised to those who are of a contrite heart, who fear the Lord and mourn over their sins. Only the ones who hunger and thirst after righteousness (which they know they don’t have of themselves) are able to receive the full outpouring of God’s mercy and grace which is through Christ Jesus:

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. (Is. 57:15)

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Mat. 5:3-6)

Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. (Ps. 22:23-24)

Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. (Ps. 128:1)

Jesus compares himself to a shepherd who cares for and protects his sheep. It is the natural disposition of a sheep to be afraid, powerless, and in need of the protection of a shepherd:

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. (Mat. 9:36)

Christ wants men to come to him, with all their fears, all their burdens, and all their sins, to lay them all down at his feet. We are to seek him for refuge. Only those in terror of an enemy or in some great trouble flee for refuge. A proud and self-deceived man cannot see his need to do this:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mat. 11:28-30)

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Heb. 6:17-18)

Christ is not only a willing Savior, but an effectual Savior. He came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). The only way we can please God is to forsake all pride whereby we think we can justify ourselves. We must believe that Christ can not only save us, but save us to the uttermost, wholly, effectually, and alone. It is that point that marks the Christian faith, and separates true faith from illegitimate faith, between the wise man  who truly fears and serves God and the fool who serves himself unto death and destruction (Heb. 11:6, Mal. 3:16-18). The mission of Christ in his incarnation, and in his divine Office, can be summed up thus:

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to help them that are tempted. (Heb. 2:14-18)

We see that to save his people from the bondage of sin and death was the reason he came. Those people, Christ’s beloved, chosen, holy people, the church, for whom he died and bought with his own blood, were subject to fear. Christ knew this well. Like sheep he saw them and had compassion on them. And having compassion, he saved them to the uttermost. 

The Christian knows that God has delivered him from the fear of sin and death. As a result, he can worship God without fear (Lu. 1:74). Even afterwards, the Christian life is marked by a holy, reverent fear of God who has wrought salvation in his mercy:

O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. (Ps. 34:3-4)

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb. 12:28-29)

As the sheep of God’s pasture, kept by Christ, the great and good Shepherd of the sheep (John 10:11, Heb. 13:20), we are able to endure life and face death without fear:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Ps. 23:4)