If there is a god and he loves you, why does he punish so harshly?

Question

For things like masturbation, merely "wanting" things, pride, lust (which is a natural human feeling), etc.

Answer 1

God is older people's Santa Claus, he will punish you and love you at the same time..... and if you have enough sense you will realize that neither of them exist..... so you don't even have to worry about it

Answer 2

If God only loved people in the kind of way which people did not get punished he would be the biggest push over this universe has ever known.

Thankfully, when people turn to him, they can be sure that all will recieve their just punishment for the ways in which they have rebeled against God, and the ways they have treated other people.

for people who recognise that they have rebeled against God and other people, and because God is also loving, he chose to deal with the punishment himself.

that is, Christianity is not about just being forgiven for nothing. Rather it is God saying, 'despite the fact that all people have rebeled against me and hurt each other, i will offer a solution.'

By dying on the Cros, Christians believe that Jesus took the punishment for all of the sins of the world. And the only reason some people will not be saved is because they say, 'Thanks but no thanks Jesus!'

What this means is that, even though God is loving enough to forgive those who come to him, relying on his forgiveness and grace, those people who refuse, are essentially choosing to bear the punishment themselves.

When Christian people sin, they often feel ashamed. However, even if they do not realise their sin. Gods grace is enough to cover them anyway (in other words, Jesus has already paid the punishment for that sin, if you like).

When non-christians sin, they don't really care about it (thus lust is not considered a sin by many non-Christians).

This is because they have not fully apreciated the seriousness of sin, the seriousness of rebelling against God, the seriousness of treating humans as objects (lustfully), nor their serious need for the forgiveness of God.

God will punish because god also believes in justice. He hates to see people get away with hurting other (thus why many christians are against needless war).

But god is also merciful and offers to take the punishment for us, at great cost to himself (his very life).

I hope this gives you an insight into a Christians way of thinking about sin and grace.

Answer 3

I think people make big mistakes when they think of God's wrath. I personally don't think that God personally doles out a punishment for our sins directly.
I look at it like this:
If I have sex with lots of people I will probably get a disease, that is my fault.
If I join a gang and shoot lots of people, some people are probably going to want to shoot me eventually, that is also my fault.
If I lie to people all the time people will eventually realize that I am a liar and not trust me, or not want to be around me at all.
Those situations are not God judging you harshly, but they are consequences that come about because of bad choices.
That is why the Bible says:
"The rain falls on the just and he unjust alike."
Also the worst punishment was given to Jesus Christ, and he was totally innocent. He died for our sins.

Answer 4

Pride is acceptable, because it encourages excellence. Vanity is not, because it suggests a certain underlying insecurity and distrust of others and self. If one's vanity is injured, it can lead to one striking out and hurting another.

Lust is healthy. Sexuality is totally a gift from God. Obsessing about another and acting on lustful feelings in a way that hurts another in the process, is unacceptable.

And a few words about masturbation, people:

Onan was punished for masturbation because he was not fulfilling his "dynastic duty". He'd married his dead brother, Er's, wife, Tamar, and according to tradition of levirate marriage, any children they had would be considered his brother's, so Onan would not be included in the genealogy. Being a normal human, he rebelled at this thought of being deleted from the family history and withheld his semen from his Tamar.

Masturbation is not wrong, according to the Bible. Not fulfilling your dynastic duty to one's brother, however, is very wrong. Onan was "killed" for being disobedient, not for touching himself.

Answer 5

I have never been punished by God for wanting things. In fact, I cannot remember a time I was ever punished by God.

Answer 6

God does not punish us for anything we do. They love us unconditionally, and an emotion like love can not reside with vengeance. I believe that we make our own life charts, so all things that we have to deal with on a daily basis falls in line with those charts. It is preordained that we have these experiences, and the choices to go with them.

Answer 7

God doesn't punish nobody ur the one that punish urself...the life is a challenge that selects losers from winners...u can choose which one u want to be...btw losers go to hell... so every action has a reaction(thats a physic law)....

Answer 8

if you want to suceed in anexam,wouldnt you study hard,not go out with your friends,deprive yourselvesfrom things you love to reach abetter stage?Ifsomeone like to rape,steel or kill,isit justified to do thingslike that?abstaining isjust aphase,a test,and there isalwaysanexit,for sex tere ismarraige where rights ofmenandwomen are preserved

Answer 9

once you understand that we are slaves/servants of God and not His children. then you will come to understand.

Islam the religion of God without no drama.

God is loving to those who deserve his love. to those who respect him and respect his laws. to those who give charity, to those who has mercy on others. to those who worship him alone.

this is your God. something that is compelete. He created paradise/mercy and forgivines. but in the other Hand He createds Hell, torture and pain.

Answer 10

When we rebel against Gods will in the ways that you describe, we ourselves create our own suffering. It isn't God doing it.

This I believe;
http://homelessheart.com/testimony.htm