Holy Gravity

Think of gravity pulling an apple to the ground when it falls from a tree. The apple does not pull itself down, nor can it create new ways of getting to the ground without gravity. In the same way, we cannot ground ourselves. The moment sin entered the world, God knew we would be helpless and hopeless, lost in the vastness of our sin forever if He didn't intercede. But He did intercede. In love, He sent Jesus to make a way for us to live grounded in holy gravity through His life, death, and resurrection from the dead. Without Jesus, we would have no desire or ability to draw ourselves to God, just like the apple cannot draw itself to the ground without gravity doing its work. But when we believe in Jesus Christ, trusting His death and resurrection as the means through which we can know God and commune with Him, we live in holy gravity and fulfill God's purpose for our lives.
Holy Gravity and the Fear of God
How is holy gravity related to the fear of God? There are innumerable small purposes that God will accomplish in His people when they trust in Him. In the quote opening this chapter, Oswald Chambers explains that the fulfillment of God's good purpose for our lives is in and through a relationship with Jesus Christ. The ultimate good purpose fulfilled through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is an understanding of the fear of God and an application of that fear. Solomon made this point at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes. He said, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The pinnacle of Solomon's wisdom is to fear God and keep His commandments. God created us to fear Him and keep His commandments.
If fearing God is so significant, so ultimate, why are we satisfied to know so little about this command? The command to fear God is clear throughout Scripture, yet we have settled for a surface-level understanding of what it means. The circumstances in my own life prompted me to probe into this command, asking the Lord to teach me more about what it means to fear Him. In studying to write this book, I was amazed by all I was missing in this seemingly simple albeit confusing command, most significantly its connection to our holiness. The more I learned, the more I grieved the unsurprising effects in my life, in the lives of those around me, and in the world of our neglect of and apathy for God and fearing Him.
God's Word confirms over and over again that the fear of God is intimately connected with turning from sin or evil and obeying His commands. These are impossible tasks for sinful people to do on our own, and we're proving that every day. Within God's sovereign control, the world seems to be falling apart; even churches are dividing, falling away, or, fitting the illustration, floating away from gravity. The absence of the fear of God will lead to sin, and sin always has a tragic trickle-down effect. But the contrast is also true: the presence of the fear of God leads to holiness through Jesus Christ. His life gives us joy and peace that will have the most beautiful ripple effect as others become beneficiaries of these graces from God too.
The Gravity of Holy Gravity
This book recognizes holy gravity as coming from Jesus Christ as His Spirit equips us to fear God. In addition, this book also communicates the weightiness and significance of this call to fear God. It is not an option for God's people; it is a command—it is our whole duty. Those who love God will fear Him, and those who fear Him will love Him, and they will be marked by His holiness. Just like gravity is not seen, but its effects are obvious, we do not see God, but His work in His people is obvious. That evidence is holiness in the fear of God. It is proof of the presence of God in our lives.
We cannot deny that we will not always demonstrate this holiness on this side of heaven because we still battle against our flesh in this evil world, even as believers in Jesus Christ. We will fail and fall short of this high call every day. We will float off when we yield to our temptations to sin. We must ask ourselves this: Do I care enough about God? Do I love and fear Him enough to turn back to Him with help from His Spirit when I sin against Him? He loved me enough to make that turning back even possible, and He will always receive me when I come with my sinful heart, asking Him to purify it. Will I trust that only through my relationship with Jesus Christ can God equip me to fulfill the good purposes, both singular and plural, in my life? As we live each day grounded in Him, we will testify to His faithfulness and live in the joyful, peaceful, and satisfying place of holy gravity.
I pray Holy Gravity, with Scripture as its foundation and authority, will exhort and equip us, as we are all in some way floating about. May we abide in Jesus Christ, who will always return His people to God's good and loving purposes as we grow in holiness through the fear of God for His glory, forever and ever. Amen.