Permeating the popular media version of Christian doctrine is the lack of any recognition of justice. A related very large topic is what so unethical a worldview in the minds of religious people means for their behavior! Cartoon Christianity's popular teaching simply has no concept of justice, that there is a just recompense for doing right or wrong. Whoever may have lived the most abominable life, if before death gets a certain idea he believes about Jesus, preferably along with a crisis experience affecting the emotions, won't suffer any consequences from a rotten life, but will receive undeserved heavenly bliss forever. Whoever lives an upright life, sacrificing to raise good children, by not getting that certain idea to believe about Jesus before death will get no reward but will deservedly (!?) suffer eternal torment. This should be recognized as what is indeed popularly taught. It's either infinitude of grace, which involves nothing justly deserved, or it's infinitude of torment, which is impossible for finite, weak-willed, poor of resources, short-lived and mind-darkened man to justly earn. Did they ever learn such simple arithmetic as 1+1=2, or, 2+2=4?
If I steal an apple God does not require infinite never ending repayment of apples. That is not justice. God states clearly what just recompense is in His written word. To overthrow it and replace it with infinitudes is error very dark indeed. To dismiss the description of Divine values with a misunderstood word, "legalism," may not be as dark but may prove just as deadly. God provided a knowledge of right judgments for thieves. They're to repay double (Ex 22:4) unless what was stolen can't be returned. Then it's a fourfold repayment (Ex 22:1.) If a man's means to make a living, the tools of his trade are stolen, like an ox, it is a fivefold restitution. That is God's sanctions for thieves. In Numbers 5:6-8 for any sin, it is the principle plus a 5th that is payed to the one wronged besides the ram of atonement.
Whatever must be exacted for an unforgiven sin would be appropriate to the offense. It would be different in each case. Blasphemy is to not harness a word with it's real value and meaning, but to unharness it, like those who said the resurrection was already past (early total preterists?) From thoughts, to words in private, to attributing the miraculous work of God the Spirit to the demonic in order to accomplish the death of even the Messiah, these all are different things.
What is seemingly never considered is, if you commit a sin and pay for it, then that's the end of it. The popular teaching is any sin is unrepayable and infinite. Without Divine intervention the result is infinitude of evil (which ignores what that would do to God, but I digress.) How about the sinner paying for his sin? And, why pay for something forgiven? Not just "justice," but the meaning of God is little known. This leads to other important meanings of Christs death, like His becoming Lord of the dead and the end of Adam; but, that's another subject. It's as if the oft repeated saying in both Hebrew and Greek Scripture, even taught by Jesus, that, "[God] will render to every man according to his deeds" has no power in many minds. Repentance and faith are recompensable deeds bringing the forgiveness of sins that is preached in Jesus name into reality in any soul.
Yet, as a child of God I've had to undergo much suffering and in various ways in order that the motions of sin in me would be put to death. My early belief told me this could not happen because I was forgiven. But God wants us victorious and He wants us to understand what His will is. Sometimes, after almost 40 years, I think I am all sin, at least in my flesh; but, it is not what determines who I am for I have learned of Christ. Notice in the beginning of the book of Judges how first an angel judges Israel for disobeying by not driving out the nations as he told them to do. Then it is God's anger. Finally it is God who has left the nations there so that the generations to come could be tested and learn to war. Are the nations there as an act of sin and rebellion, or are they there as an act of God's righteous judgement, or are they there by God's design so that they may be improved?
Judges 2:1-3...
1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
Judges 2:20-23...
20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;
21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.
Judges 3:1-2...
1 Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
2 Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof...
This is such a large subject and I must close for now.
