There are two types of Christianity: one based on a vibrant personal relationship with the Living God; the other a somber dead religion of legal compliance, empty rituals, stifling traditions, and resentment against God who is viewed as a stern taskmaster. He is not loved, He is feared.
God must of course be feared. He is, after all, the Great and Mighty King of Kings, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and should properly be approached with respectful awe and worshipful submission. But the fear born of dead religion is the other kind—the furtive scurrying into dark corners, the pagan deference to mute superstition, the cold cloak of self-sufficiency that keeps God at arm’s length, unwilling to allow His will to upset a tender ego. The result is that God is treated either as a barely restrained drill sergeant who must be placated by strenuous effort, or like a tame poodle who is tossed the occasional bone of a good deed or two to keep Him happy.
There is little difference between pagan idolatry and this “dead works” Christianity. Both are devoid of spiritual life and are equally abhorrent to God. Both exist in a twilight zone of uncertainty and insecurity where there is no prospect of experiencing the blessed peace and joy that flows from God’s loving presence. There is no concept of resting in God, of trusting in His grace and lovingkindness and in the superiority of His wisdom.
It is an idea incomprehensible to the unregenerate mind, and sometimes only dimly perceived by spiritually alive Christians, that the proper fear of God leads to rest—a state of grace that replaces unfruitful, uncomfortable striving with blissful repose in the center of His Will. The Bible likens this rest to the Promised Land, a place where we fully understand the meaning of Scripture’s bold opening statement: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…
The intent of the blunt declaration made here at the beginning is unmistakable and unapologetic: God is in charge!
This fact answers every other question. If the God of the Bible created the universe, who would question His ability to part the Red Sea? Or raise the dead? More to the point, who would dare challenge His right to demand the obedience and submission of all creation, especially every human?