Topical Bible: Sin: God: Punishes

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The concept of divine punishment for sin is a central theme throughout the Bible, reflecting God's holiness, justice, and righteousness. From the earliest narratives in Genesis to the prophetic warnings and New Testament teachings, Scripture consistently portrays God as a just judge who holds individuals and nations accountable for their transgressions.

Old Testament Foundations

In the Old Testament, God's punishment for sin is evident from the very beginning. The narrative of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden illustrates the immediate consequences of disobedience (Genesis 3:16-19): "To the woman He said: 'I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.' And to Adam He said: 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.'"

The account of Noah and the flood further exemplifies God's response to widespread wickedness (Genesis 6:5-7): "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart. So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.'"

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as another example of divine retribution for sin (Genesis 19:24-25): "Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground."

The Law and the Prophets

The Mosaic Law contains numerous stipulations regarding sin and its consequences. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 outline blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, emphasizing the principle of divine retribution. Deuteronomy 28:15 warns, "But if you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you."

The prophets frequently warned Israel and other nations of impending judgment due to sin. Isaiah 13:11 declares, "I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless." Similarly, Jeremiah 21:14 states, "I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you."

New Testament Teachings

In the New Testament, the theme of divine punishment continues, with an emphasis on eternal consequences. Jesus Himself speaks of judgment and punishment, as seen in Matthew 25:46 : "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The Apostle Paul reiterates the certainty of divine retribution in Romans 2:5-6 : "But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. God 'will repay each one according to his deeds.'"

The Book of Revelation vividly describes the ultimate judgment and punishment of sin, as in Revelation 20:12-15 : "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Throughout Scripture, the punishment of sin underscores the seriousness with which God views sin and the necessity of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 13:11
And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Amos 3:2
You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

God Punishes Both in Wrath and in Mercy.
... in anger; whereas it is in mercy that He punishes the children ... are no punishments,
no correction, no scourge of God, but what are owing to sin, except in ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 25 god punishes both in.htm

God's Curse on Sin.
... can hardly impress it too deeply upon our minds that there is no sin which we ... We
have learnt that it is not with such visitations that God punishes us for our ...
//christianbookshelf.org/percival/sermons at rugby/xiv gods curse on sin.htm

Whether Sin Can be the Punishment of Sin?
... Reply to Objection 1: Even when God punishes men by permitting them to fall
into sin, this is directed to the good of virtue. Sometimes ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether sin can be the.htm

Whether a Sin is Aggravated by Reason of the Condition of the ...
... Reply to Objection 3: There is no respect for persons if God punishes more severely
those who sin against a person of higher rank; for this is done because ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether a sin is aggravated.htm

Whether God is the Cause of Spiritual Blindness and Hardness of ...
... God does not punish what He causes." Now God punishes the hardened ... the Divine light;
and as regards this, God is not ... heart, just as He is not the cause of sin. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether god is the cause.htm

The Wrath of Love
... God punishes me because he loves me and desires that I ... look to him as God's school-
house, God's reformatory, in ... from the ruin and misery which sin brings on ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xxxix the wrath of.htm

The Justice of God
... (3.) God does not always let the wicked prosper in their sin. Some he
punishes openly, that his justice may be taken notice of. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/8 the justice of god.htm

On the Vanity of those who Wished to Escape the Omnipotent God.
... 3). But if, when God punishes us, we still continue in our sin, we shall be more
confirmed in habits of sin, and then, as Augustin in another place (in Psalm 7 ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter ii on the vanity of.htm

Whether Presumption Trusts in God or in Our Own Power?
... Now presumption is a sin. ... rather than from turning to the power of God, which is ... through
presumption, he despises the Divine justice, which punishes the sinner ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether presumption trusts in god.htm

"Genesis" Inconsistent with God's Justice.
... Genesis in opposition to us, which should compel us to sin, and then that He should
punish us when we do sin? Whence it is certain that God punishes no sinner ...
/.../unknown/recognitions of clement /chapter xxx genesis inconsistent with gods.htm