We have all, in one way or another, experienced tribulation. Jesus said in the world we will have tribulation, and so of course we can see that this is true.
Today when I was working in the garden, doing some hoeing, I was reflecting on how weeds if they have tiny roots, are not hard to remove them from the dirt. But with the weeds that have deep roots and the deeper the roots, the more 'violently' I have to dig them out. This made me think of false doctrine, and anything untrue. And I was thinking about our brothers and sisters who believe this idea of a very punishing God but the deeper those roots go, in their belief, the harder for the Holy Spirit to dig them out.
"In the world, you will have tribulation." (Keep praying for our 'little sister' believers..)
Real doctrine has little to say about punishments. God is not the big judge whose only interest is our sin. There is grace for sin, but also chesed for us being offspring of God, and in God "all of his live, weave and have our being".
Maybe you would like to look at the Panentheism of Karl Christian Friedrich Krause. He wrote a lot about everything being "in God". That this world and cosmos is incredibly blessed because it is also an offspring of God. Do not forget that in Christ we enjoy a cosmic salvation that includes animal and plant life as well as the sun and the earth as it is.
God and anger do not go together for long. The bible has a good verse about that, "God's anger lasts for a moment, but his grace for a lifetime". Except in really terribly sinful circumstances God can handle us humans and give us a future and a hope, and even then He also watches his grace to be greater than our sin. My mother taught me about God that He even forgives murderers. We all can repent and then rest in God.
Tribulation and punishment are separate things. Tribulation tests and teaches, revealing fault lines and renewing the mind in the Spirit of life and love in Christ.
Punishment, in God, is for correcting a child to return it to "the way it should go" when it has gone astray- and only after many appeals to reason and love, does God resort to correction, for the purpose of restraining one from pursuing ways that lead to destruction for themselves and others.
The scriptures actually have quite a bit to say about punishment, in terms of correction, and the destination intended, which is mercy- but the primary source of such correction is "reaping what we have sowed" and even then, God is extremely merciful, for if we all reaped everything we have sown we would all be in dire straights.
"If you sow to the flesh you will reap corruption. If you sow to the spirit you will reap life"
"For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace."
It is ignorance of the scriptures that leads to a "punishment oriented mind-set". Intimate familiarity with the scriptures always reveals the truth that "mercy triumphs over judgment".
Amen!! That is all SO very true!! You said it! ..I think too, with most of us we worked our way through somewhat, via logic.. the Heavenly Father we know and seek after, just doesn't jive with the image the idea of ET or EA conjures up of a cruel, smoke out of the nostrils kind of 'god'.. breathing out threats and fiery brimstone to torment..
The truth (imo) and miracle is, that even with such monstrous doctrine and darkness inserted into the good news, glad tidings, good message, it still draws millions to Jesus.
But even as it is with the creation, how mankind and creation has been subjected to vanity (death, imperfection), it's not like some sort of catastrophe occurred.. and oh dear whatever should we do?
The darkness of the wrong headedness and doctrine is a work of the adversary ..after all, it blasphemes the nature, character and image of God in the world everyday. :doh: :faint:
Yet the glad message still reaches thousands upon thousands. And we of course, can rest - He ordained rest after all! - in the truth that He is w/o a doubt, supreme, all powerful, all knowing and is utterly good intentioned and it's all under His control.. part of His perfect plan and engineering. In my own so limited understanding, as a possible aspect of it can only think how glorious it will be when the dread (and all foolishness, etc) of any and all of those of the late, after the millennium, 2nd resurrection of all those not
(yet) saved, their dread, fear (terror!) is melted away. Will totally evaporate! And be replaced with the awe due Him! Some perhaps instantaneously! Upon gazing upon Him.. As I believe I have read expressed in some of your posts.. And some longer.. but ultimately "all will" happily "bend the knee" (in joy!)
And until then, all things are working out HIS will.
Surely He is righteous to correct his own to keep our feet off the path to destruction.
"The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy"
Amen! "Mercy triumphs over judgment"!
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God and anger do not go together for long. The bible has a good verse about that, "God's anger lasts for a moment, but his grace for a lifetime". Except in really terribly sinful circumstances God can handle us humans and give us a future and a hope, and even then He also watches his grace to be greater than our sin. My mother taught me about God that He even forgives murderers. We all can repent and then rest in God.
:banana: :dsunny: