clawrence9008
Puritan Board Freshman
The law in the hand of Christ has indeed threats of chastisement, but they are fatherly and all from love. ... It is as if Jehovah had said, "Although I will not send them to hell, nor deprive them of heaven any more than I will break My covenant or violate My oath to My eternal Son*, yet, as a father, I will chasten them. I will not only visit them with the rod of external affliction but I will hide My face from their souls. I will deny them that sensible communion with Me which they have sometime enjoyed, and I will fill them with trouble instead of comfort, with bitterness instead of sweetness, and with terror instead of hope." A filial fear of these paternal chastisements will do far more to influence the believer to holy obedience than all the despondent fears of eternal punishment can do. Accordingly, when he has gone aside, it is commonly such a reflection as this that through grace makes him return to the Lord: "Oh! How am I now deprived of those delightful interviews with my gracious God and Savior, which I formerly enjoyed! Therefore, 'I will go and return to my first husband; for then it was better with me than now' (Hos. 2:7)." And when he is enabled to see that he is delivered from the threatenings of eternal wrath and that he is only under threats of fatherly correction, this breaks and melts his heart more than all the fire of hell could do. The slavish dread of avenging wrath disquiets and discourages him, weakens his hands in spiritual obedience, and disposes him to flee from God; whereas the filial fear of God's fatherly anger, which is kindly, is a motive of love that excites and urges him to holy living. The former works on his remaining enmity and rouses it, but the latter acts on his love and enflames it.
-- John Colquhoun, A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, p. 214-215. Super comforting and helpful. How easy it is to despair of God's love when He gives us fresh revelations of the depths of the depravity and corruption of our hearts. How much do we need to be reminded that "there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment" (1 John 4:18), and that Christ our Mediator has already endured the full punishment that we deserve on our behalf. "He is the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:2). I hope this was as encouraging to you as this was to me.
-- John Colquhoun, A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, p. 214-215. Super comforting and helpful. How easy it is to despair of God's love when He gives us fresh revelations of the depths of the depravity and corruption of our hearts. How much do we need to be reminded that "there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment" (1 John 4:18), and that Christ our Mediator has already endured the full punishment that we deserve on our behalf. "He is the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:2). I hope this was as encouraging to you as this was to me.
