From the Heidelberg Catechism - 1563
Question 9: Does not God, then, do injustice to man by requiring of him in His Law that which he cannot perform?
Answer: Not at all, for God made man capable of performing it;[1] but man, by the instigation of the devil,[2] and his own willful disobedience[3] deprived himself and all his descendants of those divine gifts.[4]
Question 10: Will God allow such disobedience and apostasy to go unpunished?
Answer: By no means,[1] but He is terribly displeased with our original as well as our actual sins, and will punish them in His just judgment in time and eternity,[2] as He has declared: "Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."[3]
Question 11: Is not God then also merciful?
Answer: God is indeed merciful,[1] but also just;[2] therefore His justice requires that sin which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be also punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting punishment both of body and soul.[3]
Bible
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
Prayer
Father God - we thank you that you are both merciful and just. For your justice we praise you because we know that you will not let the sins of those that might 'get away' in this world go unpunished. For your mercy we praise you since we are regularly those that 'get away' with our sins who can know your forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Regards
Kruger
Question 9: Does not God, then, do injustice to man by requiring of him in His Law that which he cannot perform?
Answer: Not at all, for God made man capable of performing it;[1] but man, by the instigation of the devil,[2] and his own willful disobedience[3] deprived himself and all his descendants of those divine gifts.[4]
Question 10: Will God allow such disobedience and apostasy to go unpunished?
Answer: By no means,[1] but He is terribly displeased with our original as well as our actual sins, and will punish them in His just judgment in time and eternity,[2] as He has declared: "Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."[3]
Question 11: Is not God then also merciful?
Answer: God is indeed merciful,[1] but also just;[2] therefore His justice requires that sin which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be also punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting punishment both of body and soul.[3]
• I must admit that I found the images of thronging crowds around the bloodied corpse of Muammar Gaddafi disturbing. Many journalists commented that his eventual brutal death was fitting for a man that brutalised his country in similar ways for more than 40 years.
• This reminded me of the words of the British Old Testament Scholar, Derek Kidner that said: "Sin sets up strains in the structure of life which only end in breakdown."
• In the same way the existence of a place called hell should not surprise us. The breakdown and disintegration that started with our rebellion against God in the garden of Eden (and still continues today) will finally lead to eternal breakdown for those that are not in Christ.
• I use the words 'in Christ' deliberately to connect with that previous well-known event where God punished sin - the great flood in Noah's time. There, being in the ark is what saved people in the same way that being in Christ saves believers from the eternal consequences of their own rebellion and sin.
Bible
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
Prayer
Father God - we thank you that you are both merciful and just. For your justice we praise you because we know that you will not let the sins of those that might 'get away' in this world go unpunished. For your mercy we praise you since we are regularly those that 'get away' with our sins who can know your forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Regards
Kruger
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