Is God Punishing Me, Follow Up

Q

In regard to the article,”Is God punishing me”-You wrote that God could not punish us because he already gave our punishment to Jesus. How does that reconcile with “Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth.”

A

When we sin, we may suffer earthly consequences. For example, having committed adultery, we may lose everything in a divorce. Obviously God could prevent this but often He allows us to experience the consequence of our behavior.

When we fail to confess our sins, we’re vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. As Job teaches, God has to permit this because having failed to confess we’re out of His protective custody. Once we confess, we’re purified from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) God cannot punish a righteous person. (Genesis 18:25 & 2 Peter 2:9)

Setting aside the bad things that happen just because we live in an evil place, most of what we think of as God’s punishment is really attributable to these causes, both of which are our doing, not His.

The verse you cite has to do with training and instruction, not punishment. The Greek wording calls nurturing a child to mind. Remember, when the Bible speaks of discipline it’s using a word whose root is disciple. We’re the ones who changed its meaning, not God.