The Fear of Being Fully Known

"But this Mediator whom the Father has appointed between himself and us, ought not terrify us by his greatness, so that we have to look for another one according to our fancy. For neither in heaven nor among the creatures on earth is there anyone who loves us more than Jesus Christ does" - Snippet from Belgic Confession Article 26

Since it has pleased God to give us his Son as our Intercessor, let us not leave him for another- or rather seek, without ever finding. For when God gave him to us he knew well that we were sinners." - Snippet from Belgic Confession Article 26

CityAlight released the rest of their album last week. Once again they hit the ball out of the park when it comes to their simple and profound lyrics. When I love a song, I tend to listen to it on repeat until I get tired of it. Their song "Known & Loved" was wonderful. The lyrics made me stop and really think about what it means to be fully known and loved by God.  My favorite lyric was the following: 

"If you have seen my weakest moments. And still you love me even then. I need no greater confirmation that God your goodness has no end

I come to Jesus, lay down my weakness. No need for hiding, here in His light. This truth I treasure, my peace forever, is being known and loved by Him" 

Perhaps my greatest fear is to be fully known and utterly rejected. I think often about my past, my weaknesses, my sins, my insecurities, and my deepest struggles and feel very vulnerable and exposed.  My instinct is to hide and to "conceal, don't feel" - (sorry I couldn't resist the "Let it Go" homage). I suppose that there are many who feel this way and who have experienced having their vulnerability wielded as a weapon against them.  We live in a broken world that reveals that being fully known is not always safe, and so we hide, conceal our sin, and our opinions to protect ourselves from the harshness of condemnation.  I often hide my opinions in an effort to appease the person I am with. I don't want to live like that anymore. I want to be known and loved.  Ultimately, the Christian's greatest comfort and consolation is being known and loved by God. Our Triune God is safe and stable. We can be so introspective at times to the point of despair. Yet he sees us, knows us intimately, and loves us. We are eternally safe in being fully known and loved in Christ. 

Why is it safe for Christians to be known and loved by the Triune God? 

"For whenever our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything" - 1 John 3:20 

This verse used to terrify me until I realized that the same Father who knows my dark sinful heart, is the same Father who sent His Son Jesus Christ to live in our place, die on the cross, and rise from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. Why is it safe for Christians to be known and loved by the Triune God? 

Because the God who is greater than our hearts did the following:

 "In love he predestined us for adoption in himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will" - Ephesians 1:5

God loved us and predestined us in Christ Jesus to adopt us as His children. 

"While we were still weak at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" - Romans 5:6-8

Christ Jesus died for the ungodly. We have been justified by His blood and are saved from the wrath to come (Romans 5:9).  We are saved by His life (Romans 5:10). I love the fact that we are saved by His life. Christ Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the law in our place. That obedience has been credited to us as righteousness and is able to withstand judgement in the last day. 

It is safe to be known and loved by God because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ 

"No need for hiding here in His light"...

The Law of God makes us hyper aware of our sin. When we are introspective and honest in light of the of the holiness of God, we see that we are severely lacking. It is painful and unsettling to constantly be aware of where we fall short in light of God's standard of righteousness. I question myself to the point of anxiety and the Law shows us that our hope does not lie in ourselves or even our own introspection. Our hope is outside of us in Christ who is "a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain" (Hebrews 6:19). Our hope is in Christ, who is the substance of everything we lack and so much more. Our hope is our Mediator who bolsters us with His righteousness so that not even our own accusations that testify against us have the last word. Christ's righteousness does. We bank on nothing but this truth in the light of our Father.  There is indeed no need for hiding in His light, because His light covers our sin and saves us to the uttermost. In Christ, we are cocooned in safety, love, and acceptance.  My greatest fear is to be fully known and utterly rejected. My greatest comfort is being fully known and completely loved by God. This is the truth that defines all Christians. 

Christian, the Father is pleased with you in Christ. You are clothed in His righteousness. That means that you don't have to work your fingers down to the bone to be accepted. You don't have to hide and justify your sin to insulate yourself from rejection. You don't have to try and please others when you have your Advocate with the Father rooting for you. You are free. You are safe. You can blossom in His light and love.

"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.." Romans 8:33-34 

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 8: 37-39