new church life: september / october 2013
Reverence is inspired by the presence of something transcendent,
something greater and purer than ourselves, and a wish not to harm or sully
it. But one of the hallmarks of our time is a disavowal of transcendence, of a
reality above material existence.
And as for the fear of God: whereas in previous ages people mainly worried
about how God would judge them, today they judge God, demanding that His
existence be proved to the satisfaction of their natural human reason. In C. S.
Lewis’s memorable phrase, “God is in the dock” now.
The lowest kind of the fear of God is simply fear of Divine punishment,
which is useful in hell to keep the evils of those in hell in check. This is the only
respect for the Divine they have. (Arcana Coelestia 7772)
And even outside of hell, a feeling of fear at the approach of the Divine
serves to prepare people for receiving the Lord into their lives. This is why
John the Baptist was sent before the Lord to call people to repentance so that
they would be in a fit state to receive the Lord. (See Arcana Coelestia 8028)
In the highest sense, though, the fear of God is not so much a fear of
our being harmed by God, but of doing anything that would be harmful to
the presence of God with us. It is similar to the anxiety we might feel when
handling some very valuable and fragile object, or that causes us to speak in
a soft voice in the presence of a baby. Most people instinctively speak softly
in churches, not because they’re afraid, but because they sense a sphere of
holiness and beauty and wish not to disturb it.
Holy fear, or fear inspired by holiness, is accompanied by love and
“reverential awe of the Divine.”
Love devoid of holy fear is like something insipid, or like food that has no salt in it
and so no flavor, whereas love accompanied by fear is like food which is salted but
does not taste of salt. The fear that goes with love is a fear lest harm is done to the
Lord in any way, or to the neighbor in any way, and so to good and truth in any way.
Consequently it is a fear lest harm is done to the holiness present in love and faith,
and so in worship. (Arcana Coelestia 3718)
Reverence for Human Life
The church’s reverence for humanity begins with the doc