God’s disciplining of Christians
What is the difference between divine punishment (or divine wrath as it used to be called) and divine discipline? Several of my relatives claim that the disasters that have befallen our nation are divine judgment for rejecting his message and falling away from its Christian roots. I have been told that God no longer punishes for specific sins and that he instead disciplines his believers, but I'm have trouble understanding the difference. If there is a difference between the two, should I attempt to correct their misconception?
The Bible speaks of Jesus Christ receiving the punishment that a world of sinners deserved (Isaiah 53:4, 8). When people are united to Jesus Christ in faith, they are spared any punishment for their sins (Romans 8:1). What God may do in the lives of Christians is discipline them, not punish them (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:4-12).
When it comes to disasters that strike people, we need to be careful that we do not speak for God when he has not spoken. We do not know his ways, nor can we read his mind (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33-36). Jesus instructed us not to assign God’s motives to disasters that involve people (Luke 13:1-9).
When you and I consider life’s difficulties and troubles in view of our sinfulness, we are led to acknowledge with gratitude about God: “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). Thanks be to God for his gracious treatment of us.