Why God punishes (2)
God is not "a punishing machine" but the Bible everywhere insists that when
God punishes the guilty that he does it in line with his holy loving character.
There’s nothing vindictive about him so punishment administered by him is not a
tit for tat response and however difficult it is for us to accept—especially
when we’re enduring chastisement or reflecting on the pain and distress in the
world—it is never overkill. He knows about the overkill complaint and responds
to it in Isaiah 2:23-29.
So why does he punish? He punishes for a complex of reasons. He punishes as a
deterrent—special and general. See Why God punishes. He lovingly punishes
to discipline (Hebrews 12:4-13 and Revelation 3:19) and so forth.
Ultimately I suppose that God punishes to bring sinners back to himself that
we might have life with him. And the "him" that he wants us to have life with
lives in holy righteousness of which he himself is the source and standard. That
means he cannot live in fellowship with sinners unless they pay homage to the
holiness and righteousness of the God that alone can give them life. Let me say
that again, God cannot offer life and fellowship to sinners at the expense of
his holiness or that suggests he can fellowship impenitent evil! That is, God is
light and impenitent sinners cannot have life with him because they choose to be
darkness. There’s nothing arbitrary about it. In light of all this, then,
God punishes to bring sinners to a moral state. They cannot be brought to
sinlessness—it’s too late for that—but they can be brought to repentance and
repentance is the sinner’s heartfelt homage to the righteousness that pursued
him.
Elizabeth Moberly with a single incisive thrust bursts the balloon of much
"wise" advice about dispensing with punishment and many half-baked notions on
punishment. She reminds us that punishment or reward if they are to do what is
best they will focus on righteousness and not reward or punishment. It’s
all very well, she teaches us, to reward good behavior but we leave the door
wide open for doing the right thing in order to get the reward so that goodness
is sidelined and reward is the ultimate end. And unless punishment is carried
out in the light of moral ends we invite people to do the right thing without
any thought of righteousness. In one case it’s "let’s the reward" and in the
other it’s "let’s avoid the punishment" and in no case is it being right and
doing right because this is righteousness.
You understand that the biblical notion of righteousness is not some abstract
framework—it is likeness to God who is the source and shape of righteousness. So
the Christian would insist that it isn’t enough to say we should be righteous
simply to be righteous. No, the Christian would say we’re to be like our Father
in heaven if we want to be called the children of God (see Matthew 5:20,43-48,
Luke 6:35-36 and John 14:9).
So the place of punishment administered by God in a sinful world is aimed at
producing life that can only exist in relationship with him. And that
relationship is only possible with him if holy righteousness is held to be of
paramount importance. All the judgement that has fallen and falls on the world
in light of sin comes to focus in Jesus Christ who shared that judgement with
us.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.