Loving Discipline

Recently 2 Christians debated God's agency of dealing alongside sinful individuals as well as sinful nations.

One said God punishes us to cash inwards one's chips our attention.

The other said God never punishes, solely restores as well as redeems.

Who's right?

Regarding individuals, Scripture explains that God lovingly rebukes as well as disciplines His children:

Hebrews 12:5-6: “My son, produce non brand low-cal of the Lord’s discipline, as well as produce non lose pump when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the i he loves, as well as he chastens everyone he accepts every minute his son.”

Revelation 3:19: “Those whom I beloved I rebuke as well as discipline. So live on earnest as well as repent.”  

Regarding nations, nosotros receive got a Bible sum of examples of God punishing nations who refuse Him. His purposes for nations are like to His purposes for individuals:

Jeremiah 18:7-8: "If at whatever fourth dimension I denote that a patch or kingdom is to live on uprooted, torn downward as well as destroyed, as well as if that patch I warned repents of its evil, thus I volition relent as well as non inflict on it the disaster I had planned."


Our God punishes as well as rebukes individuals as well as nations simply He does it out of love, that nosotros mightiness live on redeemed as well as restored.

God's Persuasion Of Racism

God laid State of Israel apart too commanded her non to mingle or intermarry alongside foreigners (Ezra 9). 

Does this hateful God is a racist?

No.

God laid State of Israel apart from heathen nations to fix her for bringing the gospel to all mankind (Genesis 18:18).(1)

From get-go to end, God makes it clear that racism is wrong:

1. God expected the Israelites to process foreigners humanely, demanding they non mistreat, oppress, or deprive foreigners of jurist (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Jeremiah 22:3; Zechariah 7:10; Malachi 3:5).

2. In the Old Testament, God guaranteed amount privileges to whatever foreigner who followed Him (Isaiah 56:3-7).

3. Jesus commands us to preach His gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19).

4. In Acts 8, God miraculously sent Philip to percentage the gospel alongside a dark homo who became ane of the early on converts to Christianity (read more).

5. God promises that sky volition include people from “every nation, tribe, people too language” (Revelation 7:9).

There is no uncertainty that God loves people of every color, country, ethnicity, too race.
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(1) God made it clear that the Old Testament separation of the Jews ended alongside Christ (Acts 10:28; Romans 2:9-11; Galatians 3:28). 

You powerfulness inquire why God told State of Israel to completely destroy roughly unusual nations. That's a skilful question. They were destroyed when they reached a indicate of no supply inwards their degree of evil. See Why did God destroy entire nations? too The Timing of God's Punishments.
 
We besides require to retrieve that God sent Assyrian too Babylonian oppressors against State of Israel when the Israelites became ungodly. And God spared evil nations when they repented. See Did God Change His Mind About Nineveh?

Bible Love Notes

The Timing Of God's Punishments

Suppose nosotros walked into a room in addition to witnessed this:
"Tommy, selection upwards your toys."
"Which toys, Mom?"
And without or in addition to thus other word, woman bring upwards sent Tommy to his room for disobedience.

We'd mean value this woman bring upwards likewise harsh.

But suppose nosotros had entered the room an hr before when she had given Tommy a loving hug in addition to asked Tommy to selection upwards all his toys... or 30 minutes afterwards when she had reminded him he needed to selection them upwards before companionship came... or 15 minutes after that when she had told Tommy she'd punish him if his toys weren't picked upwards soon.

Instead of seeing her equally harsh, we'd consider her patient - likewise patient. 

We'd encounter her requests equally reasonable in addition to Tommy's reactions equally rebellious.

The timing of her penalization is important.

When people telephone call upwards God harsh for destroying whole cities inward Old Testament times, punishing sin inward the present, or sending people to hell inward the future, they base of operations their sentiment on the halt of the story, non the whole story.*

In all cases, God is exceedingly patient. He gives us to a greater extent than chances than nosotros deserve (Psalm 103:8-14, 2 Peter 3:9).
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* For i illustration of God's patience in addition to willingness to give men to a greater extent than chances, read the mass of Jonah.

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Bible Love Notes