Where the Good News of Jesus Christ… Intersects with the Soul of Man!

How Does God Punish Sin?

The Bible tells that God is preparing a wonderful home for man after death. It is called Heaven. Heaven is an indescribably beautiful place, designed by God for man’s future joy…absent of sickness and suffering and hunger and tears [Revelation 21:1-5]. Eternal life is part of God’s plan. But just as there is eternal life, so there is eternal death.
The Scriptures explain that the consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin, and ours, is very severe. The Bible says that; “The wages of sin is death,…” Romans 6:23 Death came into the world as a result of sin. When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, He told them: “of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16b-17 God did not mean that they would die at the very moment that they ate the fruit but that eventually their bodies would grow old, wear out and cease to function. The body would “die and return to the dust.” Psalm 104:29 Adam and Eve would experience physical death because of their sin against God.

Not only would Adam and Eve experience physical death, they also became dead spiritually. Because of sin, their spirits were separated from God. The Bible explains:

“[His] eyes are too pure to look on evil; [he] cannot tolerate wrong.” Habakkuk 1:13

“…your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you…” Isaiah 59:2

“…you were alienated from God…” Colossians 1:21

The intimate relationship that Adam and Eve once enjoyed with God in the garden, before they sinned, was now destroyed, for them and for all of mankind. The Bible explains that, because of sin, the relationship between God and man was so completely severed that God views all mankind as being “…dead in your transgressions and sins.” Ephesians 2:1

It is important to understand that this death of relationship between God and man is not only a death that is experienced while we live on the earth but it continues on after physical death.

Concerning future events, the Bible says;

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it…and I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life.

The dead were judged…

The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

The Bible describes eternal separation from God and punishment for sin in very vivid terms. There will be; weeping and gnashing of teeth: Mark 9:48; torment day and night forever and ever, Revelation 20:10; sorrow and sadness, Psalm 116:3; torment in flame, Luke 16:24; remembering this life and wishing for no one to join them; Luke 16:27-28.

God’s punishment for sin is unimaginably severe and yet it is just, matching the severity of the offense that our sin is against a holy and perfect God!