The discussion question was : With regards to spiritual formation, what is the relationship between fear of God, Love for God, and Humility? Consider the sub-questions: Is there a primary affection that gives birth to the other two? Or are these cultivated separately or in parallel?<\/p>\n
You are to only reply to student 1, 2 and 3 separately <\/p>\n
Student 1 <\/p>\n
Based on the reading I would make the assertion that humility is primary towards the individual coming to know the fear and love of God in a truly healthy way.\u00a0 \u201cAnd here it is that the teaching is needed: if you would enter into full fellowship with Christ in His death, and know the full deliverance from self, humble yourself. This is your one duty.\u201d1\u00a0 It is in the great deed of humbling ourselves before God that we enter into a place of receiving His grace and encountering His love.\u00a0 As it says in, James 4:6 (NIV), \u201cBut he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: \u201cGod opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.\u201d<\/p>\n
Therefore, Humility give birth to the love and fear of God and the development of all three work in parallel with each other.\u00a0 The more one loves God the more humility they will experience and have because Christ is the perfect representation of humility, the more Christ-like we are the humbler we will be.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Philippians 2:8 \u201cBeing found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.\u201d<\/p>\n
We see in Matthew 8:5-13 the faith of the centurion who comes to Jesus to request the healing of his servant.\u00a0 It is a show of great humility on the part of this Roman military leader to come to a Jewish wandering teacher.\u00a0 It reveals an absence of pride and a love for the servant who is ill and at the point of possible death.\u00a0 That humility yields to him a great faith, a faith that Jesus finds remarkable because the centurion understands that once the word is spoken then it is consider done based on the authority of the One who declared it.\u00a0 The centurion knew that once Jesus said his servant was healed then it was already done, because he recognized in Christ the authority to command healing just as he commands soldiers to do a task and they did it and never had to question whether his order was carried out.\u00a0 This great humility and faith yielded a display of Christ\u2019s power and witness of His identity bringing about an increase in the love and fear of God in all who heard of it.<\/p>\n
Andrew Murray, Humility: The Beauty of Holiness (New York; London; Glasgow: Fleming H. Revell, 1800), 75.<\/p>\n
Student 2 <\/p>\n
For each new Christian, there will be an attractant to the teachings of Christianity. In\u00a0Spiritual Disciplines for Christian\u00a0Life, Whitney prescribes an honest \u201cad\u201d for new Christians.\u00a0Such and honest ad asks for obedience of God, love of God, and a healthy attitude of humility.1\u00a0Whichever of these requests attract a new Christian will inform their initial spiritual development.<\/p>\n
One could start with a development of humility as a desire to emulate the life of Christ without first having a fear of or love for God. One might begin their spiritual formation with a love for God without first having a fear of God or an understanding of the need for humility. Similarly, one\u2019s spiritual formation could begin with a fear of God.<\/p>\n
Murray argues that humility should be the driving study leading spiritual formation. In relation to the development of humility, Murray says \u201cOur one need is to study and know and trust the life that has been revealed in Christ as the life that is now ours, and waits for our consent to gain possession and mastery of our whole being.\u201d2<\/p>\n
Paul appears to agree that humility will be the driving force of development, but, draws on one\u2019s appreciation for Christ as the reason they should practice humility. In Galatians and Ephesians, Paul urges that faithfulness and humility be adopted through appreciation for God as an \u201cheir of God through Christ\u201d (Gal. 4:7). Using this as a starting point, one might conclude that love of God should lead to the study and adoption of humility. Through further study, one will come to adopt a healthy fear of God.<\/p>\n
With the emphasis, by Paul, to \u201chenceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind\u201d (Eph. 4:17) and \u201cbe ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ\u2019s sake hath forgiven you\u201d (Eph. 4:32) it can be seen that whatever the initial motivations in accepting God, growth through God requires humbling yourself. If understanding is based on the writings of Paul; the conclusion could be that the affection of love for Christ leads to the adoption of humility and further study, from a place of humility, leads to a fear of God.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for Christian Life (Revised and Updated) (NavPress, 2014), 158.<\/p>\n
Andrew Murray, Humility: The Beauty of Holiness (New York; London; Glasgow: Fleming H. Revell, 1800), 20.<\/p>\n
Student 3<\/p>\n
Fear of God\u00a0is giving reverence to God. It is respect for his authority and the dominion over your life. Fear of God creates the desire to know him more. Scripturally God tells us to fear him, so we seek knowledge of him, give him praise, and learn to walk in the truths of God. Fear of God is having eminent awareness of his greatness and understanding that we would be weak with the lack of his presence in our lives.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThen you will understand the fear of the Lord and find knowledge of God.\u201d ~Proverbs 2:5(ESV)[1]<\/p>\n
Once you gain knowledge of God, you develop a deep\u00a0love for God. As with any relationship, you can find love in someone\u2019s surface qualities, but it is the opportunity of experiencing varying encounters with them that we fall deeply in love. Our love for God deepens our reverence and compels us to learn how to be holy before him. Romans 6:18-19 tells us before we have gained knowledge of God, we were weak. Through relationships, we become comfortable offering the vulnerabilities that had us bond in slavery to wickedness to God for him to teach us to release ourselves and learn how to be holy before him. Again, we strive to be a better version of ourselves in any healthy relationship because we have reverence and have grown in love.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSo love God, your God; guard well his rules and regulations; obey his commandments for the rest of the time.\u201d ~Deuteronomy 11:1 (MSG)<\/p>\n
Dr. William Curtis\u2019s lecture \u201cThe Economy of Heaven: Exposition of the Beatitudes\u201d[2]\u00a0highlights Jesus\u2019s sermon on the mount that outlines the criteria to be in the kingdom of God, and the central theme is having an attitude reflective of\u00a0humility. Through understanding the Beatitudes, we learn that humility is a spiritual posture\u2014a posture given out reverence and love for God.[3]\u00a0Humility is an attitude developed through awareness that we are nothing without God. Our humility is demonstrated through our inward and outward actions through that awareness. Dr. Ben Forrest talks about the authentic spiritual formation[4]\u00a0developed through intentional acts of obedience to be holy before the Lord. 2 Timothy 1:9 \u201cwho saved us and called us to a holy calling.\u201d \u00a0Our obedience actions to ensure we remain holy demonstrate respect for our responsibilities with God\u2019s kingdom.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPut on then, as God\u2019s chosen ones, holy and bellowed, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.\u201d ~Colossians 3: 12<\/p>\n
Fear of God, for the love of God, and humility are parallel displays of affection towards God. All of them are foundational points to our relationship with God. Our love for him develops reverence and places us in a posture of humility through our reverence.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
[1]\u00a0Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced employ the English Standard Version. (Wheaton, IL; Crossway, 2008).<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
[2]\u00a0Dr. William Curtis. \u201cThe Economy of Heaven: Exposition of the Beatitudes.\u201d Video Lecture. Liberty University. 2022<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
[3]\u00a0Dr. Ben Forrest. \u201cPositional Awareness as a Spiritual Discipline.\u201d Video Lecture. Liberty University. 2022<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
[4]\u00a0Ibid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The discussion question was : With regards to spiritual formation, what is the relationship between fear of God, Love for God, and Humility? Consider the sub-questions: Is there a primary affection that gives birth to the other two? Or are these cultivated separately or in parallel? You are to only reply to student 1, 2 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-97858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research-paper-writing","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97858\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}