Should believers feel terror or awe or fearful in the presence of Christ?

I am reading RC Sproul's “The Holiness of God” as part of on going self educational advancement program. He suggests that if we understand the holiness of God, and in particular as we get to know the three persons of the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that there is a line, with comfort, peace and joy on the one side and terror on the other side. He is correct?

Let us consider, very briefly, several passages.

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." (Rev 1:17-18 ESV)

The verse follows a description John, the beloved disciple, seeing Christ in glory. He was not able to, nor did he want to, lean back upon him to engage in a comfortable conversation. John was terrified at the sight of his Lord

Mark record a time when Christ was sleeping in a boat in which his disciples were attempting to cross the sea. A storm arose, so severely that these seasoned fishermen, were afraid of drowning. They awoke Christ, though the account does not give us their reason for waking him. We do not know what they expected of him.

"And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"
41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?""
(Mar 4:39-1 ESV)

The disciples were perhaps more afraid of Christ after he calmed the wind and sea than they had been in the face of the storm. "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" They were wondering what kind of man, of being, this man was. He was not ordinary man, that was for sure.

One last consideration. Jesus has power to forgive sin. In the incident of the man being let down through the roof in order for Christ to heal him. When Christ saw their faith, he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." (Luk 5:20 ESV) The religious leaders questioned in their hearts: "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (5:21) Christ went on to heal the man “that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”. (5:24)

Does Christ have to forgive any particular person of sin? Is the prerogative to forgive in his hands? Therefore, he ought to be feared. He may not forgive! There is something about him that is bigger, more wonderful, more . . . awesome . . . than we are. If one has come to the real Christ, there is real reason to feel an uneasiness in our hearts. We are in the presence of God who does according to His will at all times.

10 days without a wife.

I am fair sized, maybe past my prime, but hopefully not too far over the hill. My mind can still remember most things. She is small, and growing smaller, frail and can not remember things. The two of us have been together for a number of years now. She is my mother-in-law.

Her daughter, the one I married, is off visiting one of our daughters, playing the role of grandmother to their two young daughters.

First, I am very pleased that my wife can make this visit. A friend of hers who was driving to Virginia wanted a passenger.

Secondly, while the above is true, this visit has give me an opportunity to care for my mother-in-law. While physically healthy she is frail, her mind can not retain current events or even much of the past. While she might remember past accommodation she can not hang onto the information that she now lives in our house with us. She remembers being helpful while not remembering that she can not do even the simplest tasks now without constant supervision.

Therefore, while my wife has been away I have moved from the church office to our living room. I am here to care for her. While not physically demanding, this task does call for patience, love, thoughtfulness and gentleness. These virtues are not all naturally occurring in me. I do testify that if these have been in my life this week, as at any time, they are there because of the God who is working His work in me. (Eph. 2:10)

There have been time when I just wanted to . . . However, at the same time, my companion has been relatively easy to care for. There has been but one major mishap to clean up, there could have been many more. I must give praise and credit to the Lord for providing, in his grace and providence, a pleasant time.

As I have aged, i.e. gotten wiser, I have come to realize that doing all to the glory of God does not necessarily mean that I will be assigned big heroic jobs to do for God one after another. More likely, I might be assigned to care for an elderly lady who will provide me with numerous opportunities to do things, conscientiously, for God's glory. These opportunities might easily be missed if I am just waiting for that big moment to serve God, while growing impatience with the constant repetition of questions or statements, uncertainty of purpose for the moment, and the slowness of movement through even the simplest of tasks.

I would like to report that I have done all things perfectly for God's glory. However, that would be a lie. What I can do is testify that God's grace has been sufficient for the moment. Yes, I have struggled, but thanks be to God, I have overcome, by the blood of the Lamb.