From Creator to Redeemer: Embracing God's Fatherly Love

 

Summary

In our exploration of John Calvin's theological insights, we delve into the profound understanding of God as both Creator and Redeemer. Calvin emphasized that knowing God solely as Creator is insufficient for a true Christian life. Instead, we must embrace the knowledge of God as our Redeemer through Christ, which transforms our relationship with Him from one of mere creation to one of familial intimacy. This transformation is rooted in the fear of God, not as a distant Creator, but as a loving Father. This filial fear is a reverent awe that stems from recognizing God's fatherly love and compassion, which is revealed through Christ's redemption.

Martin Luther's journey exemplifies this transformation. Initially, Luther feared God with a dread rooted in His righteousness and judgment. However, through the gospel, he discovered God's fatherly heart, which led him to love God genuinely. This shift from fear to love is crucial for understanding the right fear of God. It is not a fear of punishment but a deep appreciation of God's character, leading us to hate sin and long for Christlikeness.

The right fear of God is intertwined with a robust understanding of justification by faith alone. It rests entirely on Christ's redemption, not on our works, allowing us to experience a constant, dependent wonder rather than terror. This filial fear is the same fear that Jesus, as the Son, had for His Father—a pleasurable adoration and overwhelming devotion.

Our understanding of God shapes the gospel we proclaim. A gospel that only presents God as Creator and Ruler lacks the depth of His fatherhood and adoption through the Son. Only a Christ-centered gospel can draw people into a filial fear, where they experience God as both Creator and Redeemer. This understanding enriches our appreciation of God's creative power, as seen in Charles Spurgeon's delight in God's thunder and lightning, recognizing them as expressions of a loving Father's majesty.

Key Takeaways:

- Embracing God as both Creator and Redeemer transforms our relationship with Him from mere creation to familial intimacy. This deeper knowledge leads to a richer, sweeter fear of God as our loving Father. [01:31]

- Martin Luther's journey from fearing God as a righteous Judge to loving Him as a compassionate Father illustrates the transformative power of understanding God's fatherly heart through the gospel. [04:50]

- The right fear of God is rooted in a robust understanding of justification by faith alone, resting entirely on Christ's redemption. This allows us to experience a constant, dependent wonder rather than terror. [08:16]

- Our understanding of God shapes the gospel we proclaim. A Christ-centered gospel reveals God's fatherhood and adoption through the Son, drawing people into a filial fear and deeper relationship with God. [17:09]

- The wonders of creation are best enjoyed by those who see them as expressions of their majestic and gracious Father, enriching our appreciation of God's creative power. [21:15]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:32] - Knowledge of God: Creator and Redeemer
- [01:31] - Fear of God as Our Father
- [02:12] - Creator to Redeemer: A Deeper Knowledge
- [03:09] - Martin Luther's Transformation
- [04:02] - Misunderstanding God's Character
- [05:41] - Discovering God's Fatherly Heart
- [06:32] - Assurance and Joy in God's Love
- [07:28] - Justification by Faith and Right Fear
- [09:03] - Jesus' Filial Fear and Wisdom
- [10:39] - Sharing the Son's Delight
- [11:39] - Devotion of a Child
- [12:25] - Fear of Separation and Communion
- [13:09] - Filial Fear vs. Sinner's Dread
- [14:05] - Knowledge and Fear of God
- [15:41] - Gospel Presentation and God's Fatherhood
- [18:09] - Misunderstanding Fear of God
- [19:42] - Spurgeon's Delight in God's Power
- [21:15] - Creation as Expressions of a Loving Father

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Luke 2:52 - "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
2. Proverbs 9:10 - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."
3. Isaiah 11:2-3 - "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord."

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Observation Questions:

1. How does John Calvin differentiate between knowing God as Creator and knowing Him as Redeemer? [00:32]

2. What transformation did Martin Luther experience in his understanding of God, and how did it affect his relationship with God? [04:50]

3. According to the sermon, what is the significance of Jesus' filial fear, and how does it relate to believers? [09:03]

4. How does Charles Spurgeon's view of God's creation differ from Martin Luther's initial reaction to God's power? [19:42]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. What does it mean to have a "filial fear" of God, and how does it differ from a fear of punishment? [07:28]

2. How does the understanding of God as both Creator and Redeemer enrich a believer's appreciation of God's creative power? [21:15]

3. In what ways does a Christ-centered gospel shape our understanding of God's fatherhood and adoption? [17:09]

4. How does the sermon suggest that a right fear of God is connected to justification by faith alone? [08:16]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your current understanding of God. Do you primarily see Him as Creator, Redeemer, or both? How does this perspective affect your relationship with Him? [00:32]

2. Martin Luther's journey involved moving from fear to love. Can you identify a time in your life when your perception of God shifted significantly? What prompted that change? [04:50]

3. The sermon emphasizes the importance of a Christ-centered gospel. How can you ensure that your understanding and sharing of the gospel reflect this focus? [17:09]

4. Consider the concept of "filial fear." How can you cultivate a deeper sense of reverent awe and love for God in your daily life? [07:28]

5. Charles Spurgeon found delight in God's power through creation. How can you develop a similar appreciation for God's creative works in your surroundings? [19:42]

6. The sermon discusses the importance of justification by faith alone. How does this doctrine impact your view of your own works and efforts in your spiritual life? [08:16]

7. Reflect on the idea of God as a loving Father. How does this understanding influence your prayer life and your approach to God in times of need or gratitude? [06:32]

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing God as Creator and Redeemer Transforms Relationships
Embracing God as both Creator and Redeemer transforms our relationship with Him from mere creation to familial intimacy. This deeper knowledge leads to a richer, sweeter fear of God as our loving Father. Understanding God in this dual role allows us to move beyond seeing Him as a distant figure and instead experience a personal, intimate relationship. This transformation is rooted in the fear of God, not as a distant Creator, but as a loving Father. This filial fear is a reverent awe that stems from recognizing God's fatherly love and compassion, which is revealed through Christ's redemption. [01:31]

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" (Romans 8:15, ESV)

Reflection: How can you deepen your understanding of God as both Creator and Redeemer in your daily life, and how might this change your relationship with Him today?


Day 2: Martin Luther's Journey from Fear to Love
Martin Luther's journey from fearing God as a righteous Judge to loving Him as a compassionate Father illustrates the transformative power of understanding God's fatherly heart through the gospel. Initially, Luther feared God with a dread rooted in His righteousness and judgment. However, through the gospel, he discovered God's fatherly heart, which led him to love God genuinely. This shift from fear to love is crucial for understanding the right fear of God. It is not a fear of punishment but a deep appreciation of God's character, leading us to hate sin and long for Christlikeness. [04:50]

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." (1 John 4:18, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you experienced a shift from fear to love in your relationship with God. How can you cultivate a deeper love for God today?


Day 3: Justification by Faith and the Right Fear of God
The right fear of God is rooted in a robust understanding of justification by faith alone, resting entirely on Christ's redemption. This allows us to experience a constant, dependent wonder rather than terror. This filial fear is the same fear that Jesus, as the Son, had for His Father—a pleasurable adoration and overwhelming devotion. Understanding this concept helps us to live in a state of grace, knowing that our relationship with God is not based on our works but on Christ's finished work. [08:16]

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you remind yourself today that your relationship with God is based on faith and not on your own works?


Day 4: A Christ-Centered Gospel Reveals God's Fatherhood
Our understanding of God shapes the gospel we proclaim. A Christ-centered gospel reveals God's fatherhood and adoption through the Son, drawing people into a filial fear and deeper relationship with God. This understanding enriches our appreciation of God's creative power, as seen in Charles Spurgeon's delight in God's thunder and lightning, recognizing them as expressions of a loving Father's majesty. By focusing on a Christ-centered message, we invite others to experience the fullness of God's love and the intimacy of being His children. [17:09]

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13, ESV)

Reflection: How can you share the Christ-centered gospel with someone today, emphasizing God's fatherhood and the invitation to become His child?


Day 5: Creation as Expressions of a Loving Father
The wonders of creation are best enjoyed by those who see them as expressions of their majestic and gracious Father, enriching our appreciation of God's creative power. Recognizing the beauty and majesty of creation as a reflection of God's love and power allows us to experience a deeper connection with Him. This perspective invites us to see the world around us as a testament to God's character and His desire for us to know Him intimately. [21:15]

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge." (Psalm 19:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: As you go about your day, take a moment to observe the beauty of creation around you. How does recognizing it as an expression of God's love change your perspective?

Quotes


Now, he wanted Christians to think of the Almighty Creator as their Father, as He's redeemed us in Christ. He wanted to draw his readers on to know of the Son, he said, returning us to God our Author and Maker, from whom we've been estranged, in order that He may again begin to be our Father. [00:00:49]

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and that deeper knowledge of God, the knowledge of God found through Christ in His redemption, that will lead to a deeper, richer, sweeter fear than mere knowledge of God the Creator. It leads us from knowing God as the Creator to knowing Him as our Redeemer and Father. [00:01:42]

Martin Luther knew very well how much Christ's redemption and the fatherhood of God changes how we fear God. From his earliest days, Luther had feared God with a loveless dread, for he said, as a monk, his mind was filled with the knowledge that God is righteous and hates sin, but he didn't see any further into God's character than that as to who God is. [00:03:24]

And all that changed when he began to see through the gospel, God is a fatherly God who shares, who gives us His righteousness, who shares with us His blessedness. Now, very strikingly, looking back later in life, he reflected that he'd not actually been worshiping the right God. He said it is not enough to know God as the Creator and Judge. [00:05:04]

Through His redemption, fear, our fear is transformed from a trembling slavish terror to a trembling filial wonder. That's how redemption changes our fear. And it's worth mentioning about Luther when coming to grips with this filial childlike fear because you need a robust understanding of justification by faith alone if you're to enjoy a right fear of God. [00:07:16]

Only because it rests all on Christ and not on self, a right fear can remain constant, in dependent wonder and not terror. Indeed, its wonder is only increased by the perfection of Christ's redemption, the infinity of His grace toward such extreme sinners as us. So, the right fear we are brought to is a filial fear. [00:08:24]

And God's great purpose in salvation was that the Son might be the firstborn among many brothers, that the Son might share His Sonship, bringing us with Him before the One that we can now enjoy as our Father. And it means believers share the Son's standing before the Father, the Son's status before the Father, and we share the Son's own delight in His fear of His Father. [00:10:32]

The fear that He has is not the dread of a sinner before a holy Judge. It is not the awe of a creature before its Creator. What He has and what He shares with us is the overwhelmed devotion of a child marveling at the kindness and glory and complete magnificence of His Father. [00:11:30]

The fear we are given is not the fear of what we might lose; it is the appreciation of God's character so that we hate sin, so that we long to be Christlike. In other words, the filial fear that the Son shares with us is quite different to the sinner's dread of God and dread of punishment. [00:13:03]

Think of the gospel presentation that only describes God as Creator and Ruler. The gospel is God is the Creator and Ruler; sin is simply breaking His rules. Redemption is about being brought back under His rulership. Now, in that sort of gospel, you could never get a filial fear from it, could you, because there's been no mention of God's fatherhood or adoption in the Son. [00:15:03]

Only when we're resolutely Christ-centered can we tell a richer, truer gospel. Only then does the story make sense that our sin is a deeper matter than mere disobedience; it is a relational matter of our hearts loving the wrong. Only then will we speak of God the Father sending forth His Son that He might bring us as children into His family. [00:16:53]

So, see, for example, how Charles Spurgeon's filial fear of His Father enriched his wonder of the awesomeness of God as Creator. So, in great contrast to the young, unregenerate then, Martin Luther, Martin Luther who screamed with fear at the lightning of a summer storm, Spurgeon said this, very different to the young Luther. Spurgeon said, "I love the lightnings. God's thunder is my delight." [00:19:53]

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Transcript
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