I went out to dinner tonight with 2 girls who I try and do something with at least weekly. It had been awhile since we'd "hung out", and I was really looking forward to it! We ended up having a really fun time together; they make me laugh :)
Towards the end of dinner, the question of God's "punishment" came up, and a pretty good discussion ensued. It all started with one of the girls asking a hypothetical question: What did I think God would do to punish us if we left the restaurant without paying the bill? I proceeded to explain that personally, I don't think there's a "rule book" that God follows for things like that. It's not like if we steal a pack of gum, later that day someone will make fun of us, yet if we steal an entire wallet, we'll get hit by a car.
If, hypothetically, we left without paying the bill, absolutely nothing bad could happen to us. Also if, hypothetically, we left without paying the bill, we could get into a car accident on the way home. Does that mean in the first instance God is "letting us slide", while in the other He's "punishing" us?
I told her that, unlike people where our tendency is if you hit me I'll hit you back, God doesn't necessarily work that way. Yes, our "wrong" does disappoint God, and probably even makes Him angry. We'll often face consequences for our bad decisions, yet sometimes we may not. As far as my experience goes, there's no "science" to God...He's a bit more complicated than that.
Sometimes, like tonight, after a conversation like this, I walk away feeling completely inadequate in my understanding of God. Yet I like questions like this...it makes me think, even though I don't have any really "good" answer...
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5 comments:
id say that was a good answer!
I agree with you. I think that sometimes nothing happens to us after doing a "bad" thing, and sometimes it doesnt, and sometimes whatever happened, would have happened whether you did something bad or not. does that make sense? not saying like fate, but moer like, it is in our plan. you know? I think that its ok to have these questions though, becuase look at paul, or the characters in the old testament, or Job, bad things happened to them even when they didnt do something bad. was God punishing them? I dont think so. I think God knew they could handle it because He is the one who made them, and kneew that they would get the lesson from it, and be able to pass that lesson on to others who may not have been able to handle it if God had planned for them to learn the lesson. Does this make sense?
The Bible clearly teaches that good and evil will both fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. God will ultimately punish sin in the end, but in the mean time those things won't be seen clearly.
Someone may be being obedient and something terrible happen to them. This is not a sign of God's punishment, but of the affects of sin in our world.
What is more important in these situations is God's glory. As a follower of Christ we should be about God's glory. We should be about making Him be seen for what he is. Whenever people choose to sin, we violate the glory of God. We take peoples focus off of His glory and put it back on man's sinful state.
As a follower of Christ, I choose to do my best to avoid sin and to please God, not so that I won't be punished, for me that was taken care of at the cross, but so that I might properly show of the glory of God. I don't want to distract from who He is and so I feel compelled to live "holy" as the scriptures say.
He is worthy of all glory and people keep trying to steal His glory and attention that He deserves by living for themselves.
Just some ramblings.
I dont think God punishes...if he does... then why do really bad things happen to good people?
Unfortunately, the Bible says that God does punish.
Proverbs 11:21
Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.
Ex. 34:7 Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
Proverbs 16:5
The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 17:5
He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 19:5
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.
Nahum 1:3
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.
Just to list a couple. God does punish sin. But not all evil is punishment for sin. God also allows evil to fall on the righteous. He even tells us in James 1 that the testing of our faith is to develop patience and endurance in us. Sometimes God allows bad things to happen to us for our own maturity and sometimes so that others will recognize His glory better.
Again it is about his glory and not our happiness.
I appreciate both your comments! I was especially struck by the statement: "I choose to please God not so that I won't be punished, but so that I might properly show off the glory of God." It seems that consistent "right behavior" often is a result of positive reinforcement, not fear of negative consequences.
Last week at my small group we were talking about pride, and I was convicted of the fact that often, I steal God's glory. This was another good "awakening", so to speak, to my own personal struggle with this. Thanks!
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