He could...but most times the consequences personal actions do the job of punishing ourselves when we need a kick in the butt.
Galations 6:7-8. Is the scripture that comes to mind.
eta: 7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that naturewill reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Amen and amen! That is the first scripture that came to mind. The spiritual laws that God has put in place dictate this. You sow what you reap. That's why that misleading book
The Secret caught on like wild fire. It's why others have and will too. Satan is crafty enough to mix a little truth with his lies. The truth of the matter is good actions produce good consequences whereas bad actions produce bad ones. Period. Turn around time varies but what is time to an eternal God?
I'd call it chastize rather than punish because He is our Father. Chastizing gives a child a chance to learn the lesson to not repeat mistakes. However I agree with Lylddlebit that we put ourselves through punishment through the consequences of our wrong choices and it's His grace and mercy that the predicaments we put ourselves in doesn't completely destroy us.
I will say I have always witnessed ugly, eventually pay for their ugly.
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Exactly! Man, I love God!
Heb. 12:6
6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Psa. 94:12
12Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
Prov. 3:12
12For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
If someone hurt His children (usually to the point when the person is ready to sin to get revenge), He will take care of the problem.
A married couple we are friends with were robbed in their home at gunpoint and the wife nearly had a breakdown. The husband knew the three guys (one was a neighbor who had set them up) and dealing out death was on his mind. He said God told him He had it. As ridiculous as the husband thought it was (he had no idea about this passage), he put it in the Father's hands.
Within three months, the neighbor was shot dead. One is in jail, nearly beaten to death as the police waited for the beaters to finish. The last one got kicked out of his gf and her mother's place, tried to get his stuff but her brother shot him in the face, and ended up on Judge Mathis, being sued for damages by the gf and mother.
The husband still thanks Our Father for showing him that He always has a better plan and His wrath still exists.
Wow! We don't rejoice in stuff like this
but God is not mocked. We live in a world where God has been watered down and feminized almost by many. We forget he is righteous. We don't like to be reminded that (many) disobedient children die early. Nor do we want to accept responsibilty for our lack of instructing them cause then we have to start living right ourselves. Many will bury their kids. The bible talks about shame and heartache to mothers and the swift and painful deaths of children who meet this type of end. They don't die peacefully.
All have
multiple chances to get it together before we meet our final end. Some will choose not to.
erplexed
God is a just God. He does in no way let evil slide.
He has put what many call the law of reciprocity in place, as mentioned above, you will sow what you reap, be it good or bad. The Bible also tells us that God chestizes those he loves and since He so loved the world...that must mean that he chestizes all...(now the way he chestizes us varies Hebrews 12).
Vengence is mine...basically tells us to leave it to the judge to mete out the punishment, dont try to punish people for the evil they do towards you. Besides, I would rather have God (all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful) give that person exactly what HE knows they need rather then me (limited, prideful, powerless me lol) try to dole out consequences.
There are also times in the Bible where it points out that Gods wrath was kindled against a person or nation.
Amen again! He is. To do anything else would make him a liar and if there was any lie, that would negate the entire bible and Christianity altogether.
There was a time when God winked at sin (or did not act immediately b/c he knew the offender was acting out of ignorance- Acts 17:29-30) but with all of the resources available now...
A few more passages on punishments and discipline from God I like.
Psa. 37:25
25I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Rom. 6:23
23For the wages(payoff, end result) of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All sins when repeatedly practiced w/o allowing God to correct us, will result in death. Whether it is swift or prolonged. Death non-the-less. The mind, spirit, or body may go first but eventually (permanent) soul death.
We are living under grace right now but at the end of all time, not just a certain age, GOD who reveals himself as the ultimate and final judge (in Revelations 20) will handle business.
Rev. 21:8
8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
27But nothing unworthy will be allowed to enter. No one who is dirty-minded or who tells lies will be there. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life will be in the city.
27
Nothing dirty or defiled will get into the City, and no one who defiles or deceives. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will get in.
