Penalty-Consequence

The last point on this subject will be “the end of sin and sinners”. Our question is this: Does God end the great controversy by terminating the lives of his rebellious children, or in this event do we have further confirmation that “sin pays the wage – death?” The last article …

This time the subject of God’s wrath, and once again our question is this: “Does God’s wrath describe an active agression or punishment from God toward his sinful children, or is this describing the natural consequences that are the result of separation from God?” Early on in Jesus’ ministry, he was handed …

Last time I listed a number of questions that challenge a certain understanding of what happened at the Cross.  This article attempts to explore some of the answers. It should be said though that the depth of meaning of the Cross and what was accomplished at the Cross will be the “science of the …

So now, we come to the Cross – the classic example for many that sin must be punished directly by the hand of God. One of the problems with how the Cross is described at times is that Jesus can easily sound like someone who is less than God. It is sometimes suggested that Jesus came to reconcile the …

One of the main areas that have led many to believe that God must punish sin is the subject of “God’s justice”. It is said, “God must punish sin to satisfy justice”, but is justice a person that is above God? Do you agree with these words? “Every sin must …

Last time I described the important concept that the Bible frequently describes God as doing what he instead allows to occur. But yet, there are times when God has actively intervened and in rather dramatic fashion. I’ve noticed though that we have a tendency to associate these desperate interventions, such as the …

Last time, I quoted several passages where God Himself declares, “I will punish”. Parenthetically, it should be said that everyone would agree that there is a “punishment” that occurs as a form of discipline that any loving parent could identify with. For example, when your 13 year old is abusing …

This is the 5th article that asks the question, “Does God punish sin or does sin do its own punishing?” In other words, are all of the consequences of sin inherent or does God, for reasons of justice, need to inflict additional punishment? I’m sure that some are thinking at …

One of the more challenging Old Testament stories for me has always been God’s request to Abraham that he should sacrifice His son. Of course, God did not allow Abraham to go through with it, but the explanation frequently given for this story is that it was a test of …

In considering further the question of “does sin need to be punished?” the subject of the sacrificial system in the Old Testament is a natural progression in this discussion. To set the stage for this, let’s return to the perfection of Eden. God warned Adam and Eve, “You must not …