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Does God punish Christians?
God does not punish Christians for their sins because their sins have already been perfectly punished in the body of Christ when He hung on the cross (Isaiah 53:5). If God still punishes Christians for their sins, then He is not being "faithful and just" to Christ and His finished work. Any lawyer or judge will tell you that the same crime cannot be punished twice. Do you pay twice for a speeding fine?
Does God punish non-believers?
So, God does not punish Christians for their sins, but neither does He punish non-Christians for their sins, because God's grace is for every man, not just Christians.
When Christ suffered on the cross, He was carrying the sins of all men who would ever live, not just Christians, for there were no Christians yet! He died for sinners, which would mean every man, for all men have sinned (Romans 3:23).
In 2 Corinthians 5, it says that Christ died for all, and that because of His perfect sacrifice which more than satisfied all of God's requirements (God raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand -- Hebrews 8:1, Hebrews 12:2), God has reconciled the world (not just Christians) to Himself, and is not even counting the sins of the world (not just Christians) against them.
Paul calls this a ministry of "reconciliation", as opposed to a ministry of condemnation, or hell fire sermons and doom-and-gloom prophecies.
But if God has reconciled the world to Himself and does not even remember their sins let alone punish them for it, who is doing all the "punishment" -- the earthquakes, accidents, deaths, diseases, terrorist attacks and so on?
It is Satan, not God. The Bible clearly says that Satan destroys, but God gives abundant life.
God does not punish Christians for their sins because their sins have already been perfectly punished in the body of Christ when He hung on the cross (Isaiah 53:5). If God still punishes Christians for their sins, then He is not being "faithful and just" to Christ and His finished work. Any lawyer or judge will tell you that the same crime cannot be punished twice. Do you pay twice for a speeding fine?
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John 19:30
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
In fact, how can God punish us for our sins when He does not even keep an account of them?9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John 19:30
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
2 Corinthians 5:19
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Romans 4:8
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Hebrews 8:12
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Hebrews 10:17
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
When we confess Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, all our sins -- past, present and future -- are forgiven once and for all. That only our past sins are forgiven, hence the need to confess and receive forgiveness for "new" sins, goes against common spiritual sense (see 1 John 1:9 and true confession of sins).19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Romans 4:8
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Hebrews 8:12
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Hebrews 10:17
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Does God punish non-believers?
So, God does not punish Christians for their sins, but neither does He punish non-Christians for their sins, because God's grace is for every man, not just Christians.
When Christ suffered on the cross, He was carrying the sins of all men who would ever live, not just Christians, for there were no Christians yet! He died for sinners, which would mean every man, for all men have sinned (Romans 3:23).
1 Timothy 1:15
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Since Christ was punished by God for the sins of the world He was carrying, God cannot punish the world again for their sins, or He is not being faithful and just to Christ and His finished work (1 John 1:9). Again, the same crime cannot be punished twice.15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
In 2 Corinthians 5, it says that Christ died for all, and that because of His perfect sacrifice which more than satisfied all of God's requirements (God raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand -- Hebrews 8:1, Hebrews 12:2), God has reconciled the world (not just Christians) to Himself, and is not even counting the sins of the world (not just Christians) against them.
Paul calls this a ministry of "reconciliation", as opposed to a ministry of condemnation, or hell fire sermons and doom-and-gloom prophecies.
2 Corinthians 5:15
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
2 Corinthians 5:18,19
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Don't blame God15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
2 Corinthians 5:18,19
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
But if God has reconciled the world to Himself and does not even remember their sins let alone punish them for it, who is doing all the "punishment" -- the earthquakes, accidents, deaths, diseases, terrorist attacks and so on?
It is Satan, not God. The Bible clearly says that Satan destroys, but God gives abundant life.
John 10:10
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
So, if your loved one has cancer or Aids, then his health has been stolen from him and his body is being destroyed. He is being killed slowly and painfully. This is clearly the work of the devil, not God, who heals and gives abundant life.10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.