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Many Christians seem to be confused, thinking that walking under the acceptance of God through grace and walking in the fear of God are mutually exclusive. They think that if God has accepted us as a gift of grace, without demanding any level of qualification from us, there is no more place for fear. Doesn't it say that knowing the love of God towards us casts out the fear of punishment (1Jn.4:18)? Hasn't the wrath of God been taken away from us (Ro.5:9)?

But, having been received freely according to the riches of God's grace, how shall we live now? Just as we please? Let's not forget that even though God has caused us to be born again through the Holy Spirit, we still carry the remains of our old nature (the flesh) with its abundance of sinful desires that still tempt us to please ourselves and sin against God (Jas.1:14)? The Holy Spirit in us is battling against these desires (Ga.5:17). Aren't we the ones who have to choose which side we shall take, with the Holy Spirit or with our flesh?

If we want to walk according to the Spirit and not carry out the desires of the flesh, we need to fear lest we should slip up and fall to the attractions of the flesh. If we pretend that we don't get tempted to yield to the flesh because now we are filled with the Holy Spirit, let us not forget how Jesus Himself was tempted (He.4:15). It is a false belief if we think that when we were baptised in the Holy Spirit, our old nature was destroyed. No, let's remember, we are expected to keep the old nature crucified, not giving it a chance to be fed by our yielding to its desires (Ga.5:24). In order to do this, we need to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to put to death the deeds our body is tempted to do (Ro.8:13).

If we know how weak we are with regards to sinning because of our flesh, and how dependent we are on the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, we will fear and take care lest we fall (1Co.10:12).

When preachers exalt the glories of the grace of God, let us not forget that we still carry a flesh around with its lusts and passions. When they point out verses telling us about the glorious position God has brought us into by His grace, let us keep in our mind side by side the many warnings given to us throughout the New Testament. If all that we had to do was to recognise who we are in Christ, which God has appointed for us in His plan, let us not assume that we have already reached there and have already become perfect.

The apostle Paul, even though he was one of the greatest exponents of grace, did not forget the ground on which his feet were still. He saw himself as the chief of sinners, in whose flesh there was nothing good, and he fought his bodily desires knowing that there was a possibility that he himself could be disqualified even after he had believed and proclaimed the gospel of the grace of God (1Co.9:27). We have not reached that level of spirituality, and let's not think we are free from sin!

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