IS GOD'S PUNISHMENT DUE?

GOD’S PUNISHMENT IS DUE, BECAUSE SIN AND ITS DOMINION SEEMS TO BE EVER INCREASING?

That’s a very broad statement, and something that’s being preached by a lot of well meaning Christians. I don't think those who preach that mean any harm, but I believe its a wrong understanding of the word of God.

I won't attempt to list all the arguments that are being used to support that.
But i will instead build the argument "WHY GOD IS NOT PUNISHING, AND WON'T PUNISH SIN, BECAUSE HE ALREADY DID".
Yes, God already punished sin in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 53 clearly portrays what Jesus did; verse 4 says, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Verse 5: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities......"

The word of God says that “it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed”. Isaiah 53: 10

From these verses in Isaiah, we see how God foretold what He was going to do about sin. This was way before Jesus actually became flesh. Jesus bore on his body the entire sin of the human race. Every sin that had ever been committed, and that will ever be!

I believe we all agree that God is outside time limitations. And when He decided to atone for the sins of man with the blood of His only begotten son, He paid for it in full; past, present and future. He didn't have to, but He did.
When Jesus was on the cross, the Bible says in Isaiah 53:2 "he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him". Imagine every sin, every sickness, every punishment for sin, all upon his body; cancer, leukemia, heart disease, kidney disease, malaria, leprosy, pain, all manner of sickness....every sickness and infirmity that you can think of, was all placed upon Him. That is why God forsook him on the cross, and placed upon him the fullest measure of wrath. Because he literally became sin for us, who knew no sin (Rom 5:21), and Jesus cried out loud in Mark 15:34 “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
And those sins included the sins that are now being committed all over the world; murder, rape, robbery, adultery, lying, disobedience to parents, homosexuality, covetousness, back-biting, gossiping, pride, etc.

God doesn't categorize sin into big and small ones; sin is sin! If you lie, you're just the same as murdering. Mankind, on the other hand, treats sin differently. But the word of God says in James 2:10 that "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all". That is God's standard.
And God knew no man can attain to that standard, that’s why He paid the punishment for it all. There is no human being on this earth today, who can live to that standard outside of the finished work of Jesus. Jesus was the only man (Son of man) who knew no sin. He was the only man who truly pleased the Father. He was the only son of man who obeyed the Father absolutely. He fulfilled the requirement of the Law one hundred percent. And then He became sin for us. Therefore, no man will ever pay for his own sins. The only sin that will take you to hell is the sin of not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who, while He sinned not, became sin and died on the cross to pay the price for all sin.

That my friend is why the gospel is called "Good News". Luke 2:14 says "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men". What the angels were declaring was; THERE'S NOW A NEW ORDER; God is no longer at war with mankind-not that he chose the enmity. It was man who chose enmity with God by sinning. But sin is no longer an issue with God! Not because God has gone soft on sin. But because God in His mercy chose to give us grace! And He did that by paying the price Himself through Jesus. He made His son an atonement for sin ONCE AND FOR ALL! (Hebrews 10:10)
Why once and for all? Why not every year, just like the Jewish rituals? Jesus is greater than any sacrifice, because He is God.

As we read earlier in Isaiah 53, it pleased the Lord to punish him; all manner of sin was placed upon him. And it pleased the Lord because God was getting rid of sin and its’ sting. God was satisfied with the offering that was being made for sin, because it was a perfect sacrifice. It would cover all sin once and for all. So God the Father was truly satisfied and pleased that Jesus received all the punishment for sin. Christ received upon himself punishment, so that we might receive grace and acceptance, and favor. And because Christ obeyed unto death, the Father gave Him a name above all names, and made Him to be head over all principalities, powers and authorities, in this world and in the ages to come. God gave Christ Jesus, the Son of man, all authority in heaven and on earth.

I know this is not something new to you, my friend! We are now living under a new covenant of grace. We are now living at a time which God spoke of in Jeremiah 31:33. This is the time the prophets and the patriarchs have been looking forward to (Heb 11:8-10).
And Hebrews 10:16-17, which basically reiterates the prophecy in Jeremiah 33, says: "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin".

If you are a Christian, you are living at a time that the prophets and the patriarchs wish they had. What does this mean? It simply means that we have been made partakers of the divine nature. What we have, is far more greater than what all the prophets had combined. The patriarchs and all the prophets were mere men who believed God, and their faith was counted unto them as righteousness (Romans 4:3). But we on the other hand, friends, we are sons. God dealt with them according to their works, even though its actually their faith in God. But for us, we are accepted and highly favored because of Jesus. And because of who Jesus is, and what He did, we are created in the likeness of God. But not as the first man Adam in the Garden of Eden. That man sinned, and its after him that the patriarchs were created. But we however, are created after the second Adam. The second Adam never sinned; therefore, we are the righteousness of God. The second Adam is God; therefore, we share the same nature (2 Peter 3:4) As he is, so are we in the world (1 John 4:17) When you are joined to God, by believing in Jesus, you become one spirit with God (1 Corinthians 6:17). God literally, in the person of the Holy Spirit dwells in us. He dwells in us not based on our performance, or goodness, but because Jesus has perfected us. And He dwells in us and with us forever and ever. And if He dwells forever, then so is the anointing and every gift of God that he gives us. The word of God says in Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance”. If Christ dwells in you forever, how much more then His glory, anointing, power. The only reason Christ can dwell in us forever, is because when we believe in Him we "BECOME A NEW CREATION!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). We receive an incorruptible seed; 1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever”. And that is who we are in our spirit man. Because we are born of God, Christ dwells in us forever. When we fall short after we’ve been born again, sin cannot penetrate our spirit man. Our spirit man is forever sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). We are no longer the same! Well, your mind is still thinks the same because you have not renewed it, or aligned it with the word of God. However, YOU ARE WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE!

God is having a great feast! And all are invited to come. Every body is invited. That means there is PROVISION FOR EVERY BODY. This was a parable that Jesus told (Luke 14:16-23). According to man’s traditions, Kings mostly share meals with equals, or people of nobility. And God is inviting you to a supper. It’s a great supper my friend.

God wasn't thinking only about sin when He sent Jesus to pay for sin. God had a great plan; He wanted to have sons. He wanted us to share in His glory. (2 Peter 1:3-4) And to enable us to become joint heirs, He made Jesus to be like us, so that by His death, we will be like Jesus. The gospel of John 1:14 says "And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth". Verse 16 says, "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace". When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and savior, we receive the fulness of Jesus. We receive all that Jesus is. Everything that He is. And we know according to God’s word in Colossians 2:9, that “in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”. Verse 10 of that chapter says; “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power”.

So to conclude this (even though that’s not the end of this topic), this is God's plan for mankind. And therefore Jesus became "THE LAMB OF GOD THAT TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD". Jesus didn't pay the sins of Christians only. He didn't pay past sins only. HE PAID THE PRICE FOR ALL SIN, AND HE DID THAT ONE TIME ONLY; and that happened 2000 years ago!
No more offering for sin! No more punishment for sin! The only sin is the SIN OF NOT BELIEVING!

James Akot
Dallas, TX USA
08/17/2009