Tag: punishment

It is Finished.

Today’s reading is Hosea 11:12-12:14.

These verses remind us again how God feels about our sin. God is everything good and right. Sin is the exact opposite of Him and His nature. Hosea 12:1 and Hosea 12:8 discuss chasing things that don’t have eternal value but only earthly value. Often times when we receive worldly wealth we think we are invincible and don’t acknowledge that these things came from God. We think we don’t need Him. We become our own God and it’s all about us. God continued to provide for Israel, but yet Israel continued to turn their back forgetting what He had done for them. I do the same daily, and we can get a sense in here how God feels about that.

As you read verses like Hosea 12:14, it is concerning to think about the wrath of God and suffering for our sins. In his final breaths when He died on the cross, Jesus said in John 19:30, “It is finished.” The fact that He took the sin and punishment that should have mine is something that is hard to comprehend. God still hates sin the same as He always has. There are outcomes from our sin we have to deal with on this Earth. However, Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Jesus took the punishment that should have been mine and yours for our sin. John 3:17 tells us that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world. The Old Testament, this chapter, and this book of Hosea tell us about the wrath of God and how He feels about our sin so we know how abhorrent it is to Him . However, the New Testament does not talk about suffering the wrath of God for our missteps and mistakes. Why? Because there was a new covenant established by Jesus’ blood. Jesus took the wrath and the pain that should have been on you and me on our behalf. I am extremely grateful to God for what He did through His Son Jesus which He didn’t have to so that “It is finished.”

How Do You View God?

When you have a choice to make on doing something you know is right or wrong, what sways your decision on what to do? I made my share of bad choices growing up (and still do today), but when I made good choices I would like to say it was always because it was just the right thing to do, or even better, it’s what God would have wanted and I was following His will. However, I would say when I made good choices it wasn’t always for the right reasons. Often times, it was because of a fear of God. Fearing God is not always a bad thing, but it is if you do it because you think God is like a little boy with a magnifying glass in the sun and you’re the ant when you do something wrong. When I did something wrong and then something bad happened a few days later I wondered if it was because of what I did as punishment. Yes, there are earthly consequences for bad choices we make, but God makes it clear He does not punish us for things we do wrong.

Today’s reading is John 9, and in it we read….

As he passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned,(this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

John 9:1-3

We also read the following in Romans 8:1…

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross. He does not punish us for our wrongdoings while on this Earth and if we believe in Him we are protected and saved from eternal punishment in Hell as well. It’s ok for us to have a healthy fear of God and know He does not like sin, and He’s always watching. But, it’s also more important that we know the love and grace of God outweighs our sin, and Jesus already suffered the punishment which should have been ours 2,000 years ago. We should do the right thing because of the relationship we have with God. He loves us, and we love him so we do right thing out of love and respect for Him. I pray our kids know the love of God for them and make good choices because they want to show love back to Him for His love…not because of the fear of His wrath.

Are you feeling something going on in your life right now is God’s punishment for something you did wrong? Or do you know someone who may be feeling the same way? Direct them to Christ’s love on the cross. This is the exact reason why He came….to remove our punishment. Direct them to the truth that only the Bible can give in these verses. Words like “not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.,” and “therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And also in Isaiah 55:8-9 He tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

I’ve said it many times in my writings, and I’ll say it again. Satan thought he won. Jesus was dead. But 3 days later God took the worst event in history, the only sinless man to ever live being beaten, crucified, and killed, and turned it in the greatest event in history by saving mankind through His Resurrection. What will God do in your life through your challenges to display His glory?