‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved. Well, certainly, the Spirit can cause a fear in those he is convicting of sin, a fear that drives them to Christ for refuge. But, as Newton said, that fear is then relieved by grace: it is no longer appropriate for a believer once he or she has trusted in Christ. It is a Spirit-worked fear that serves a good purpose in driving sinners to Christ; it is not, however, that fear which is “the soul of godliness”2 or “the beginning
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