Does God Punish us to change our way of thinking? And will he Punish others in our lives to get to us?

[IowaChristiangal]

Does God use earthly punishment to get points across to us or to change our thinking? Does he Punish others in our lives on account of us to get us to "straighten up"? 

Recently, a very close friend of mine was being accused of a serious crime, which in turn led to a conviction. This person is a "baby Christian" - new to Faith and God. Will God Punish people to move them out of our lives? Or am I over thinking this one? I can't imagine my life or future without this person but I still feel that way about God. Why is this happening?

I keep praying for God's help and Mercy in this situation but I feel like He is turning His back on me or closing His ears to my cried. 

[JohnD]

King David sealed his own fate:

2 Samuel 12:1–15 (AV)
1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

David said fourfold...

1.  the baby dies
2. Amnon rapes his 1/2 sister Tamar
3. Absalom kills Amnon for raping his (full) sister
4. Absalom is killed for trying to overthrow his father's reign

Lesson learned: DON'T judge!

Also our sins do affect others.

Take ownership of our sins (1 John 1:9 means agree with God that we sinned and to God alone do we confess see Psalm 51:4).

Outcome and consequences mean yes to your question. God would rather that Adam and Eve never ate from the tree that brought death...

Or that All Israel lauded Jesus as their Messiah...

etc.

Take comfort / assurance in:

Romans 8:28 (AV)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

[BK1110]

It's hard to know how to respond to this specific situation without more information. But in general, God will do what he deems nessicary to accomplish his will. But don't forget that the has a will not just for you but for everyone. You do not know everyone else's hearts and what they need. If this person has been wrongly convicted, you cannot see how God might be moving to use that injustice for his will. Don't forget Joseph, sold into slavery, then wrongly imprisoned for years so that God would use him to save the world (and his own family, including Judah who was in the lineage to Jesus).

Could he be using this to get your attention? Yes. Could it just be about the other person? Yes. Could it be both? Yes. Could it be something else that none of us can even fathom because we are infinitely less wise, seeing, and understanding than God? Yes.

[johnthebaptist]

6 hours ago, IowaChristiangal said:

Does God use earthly punishment to get points across to us or to change our thinking? Does he Punish others in our lives on account of us to get us to "straighten up"? 

Recently, a very close friend of mine was being accused of a serious crime, which in turn led to a conviction. This person is a "baby Christian" - new to Faith and God. Will God Punish people to move them out of our lives? Or am I over thinking this one? I can't imagine my life or future without this person but I still feel that way about God. Why is this happening?

I keep praying for God's help and Mercy in this situation but I feel like He is turning His back on me or closing His ears to my cried. 

First, sometimes God lets us experience the consequences of our actions. This can be painful. For example, if I rob a bank, I'll probably go to prison for a long time. Some call this God's punishment, but it is what it is.

As for your friend, I see no reason you can't go on being friends with this person - it might be the best thing in the world for your friend. But don't let your friend be a bad influence on you.

[missmuffet]

Question: "Does God punish us when we sin?"

Answer: For believers in Jesus, all our sin—past, present, and future—has already been judged on the cross. As Christians, we will never be condemned for our sin. That was done once for all: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Because of the sacrifice of Christ, God sees only the righteousness of Christ when He looks at us. Our sin has been nailed to the cross with Jesus, and we will never be “punished” for it, in the sense of being condemned. At the same time, God does discipline His children when they err, as any good father would. So it could be said that Christians are “punished” for sin, but only in the sense of being lovingly disciplined. The remainder of this article will refer to “discipline” to avoid the suggestion that Christians receive “punishment” (condemnation) from God for their sin.

If we continue to act in sinful ways and we do not repent and turn from that sin, God brings His divine discipline to bear upon us. If He did not, He would not be a loving and concerned Father. Just as we discipline our own children for their welfare, so does our heavenly Father lovingly correct His children for their benefit. Hebrews 12:7-11 tells us, "As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His child after all. Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Discipline, then, is how God lovingly turns His children from rebellion to obedience. Through discipline our eyes are opened more clearly to God’s perspective on our lives. As King David stated in Psalm 32, discipline causes us to confess and repent of sin we have not yet dealt with. In this way discipline is cleansing. It is also a growth catalyst. The more we know about God, the more we know about His desires for our lives. Discipline presents us with the opportunity to learn and to conform ourselves to the image of Christ (Romans 12:1-2). Discipline is a good thing!

We need to remember that sin is a constant in our lives while we are yet on this earth (Romans 3:10, 23). Therefore, we not only have to deal with God’s discipline for our disobedience, but we also have to deal with the natural consequences resulting from sin. If a believer steals something, God will forgive him and cleanse him from the sin of theft, restoring fellowship between Himself and the repentant thief. However, the societal consequences of theft can be severe, resulting in fines or even incarceration. These are natural consequences of sin and must be endured. But God works even through those consequences to increase our faith and glorify Himself.

https://www.gotquestions.org/God-punish-sin.html

Edited January 27, 2021 by missmuffet

[Who me]

17 hours ago, IowaChristiangal said:

Does God use earthly punishment to get points across to us or to change our thinking? Does he Punish others in our lives on account of us to get us to "straighten up"? 

Are you thinking about starting a life of crime? Because if you are you have a lesson from God in front of you.

 

Just what are you really asking? That God should prevent your friend from going to prison? Did he do the crime?

 

We are responsible for our actions, whether sober or under the influence, whether Christian or non Christian.

 

If you believe him not guilty, then help him in his legal struggle to prove that.

Regardless of whether he is guilty or not, you can remain friends with him. If he goes to prison he will need friends on the outside who write to him, send him little extras, or cash.

 

Warning. Think very hard about the consequences of any romantic feelings you may have for him.

What sort of life will you have with him.

Be a friend yes, but untill he has shown he is able to support himselve and a family be nothing more.

[Justin Adams]

To answer the OP. It is quite possible. The Lord High God may do as He pleases. He has stated many times that His Love towards us is unbounding and flamboyant. 

Sometimes it may be that He wants our total and undivided loyalty to Him above all others.

[Adstar]

20 hours ago, IowaChristiangal said:

Does God use earthly punishment to get points across to us or to change our thinking? Does he Punish others in our lives on account of us to get us to "straighten up"? 

Recently, a very close friend of mine was being accused of a serious crime, which in turn led to a conviction. This person is a "baby Christian" - new to Faith and God. Will God Punish people to move them out of our lives? Or am I over thinking this one? I can't imagine my life or future without this person but I still feel that way about God. Why is this happening?

I keep praying for God's help and Mercy in this situation but I feel like He is turning His back on me or closing His ears to my cried. 

Does God disapline us ?

Yes if we are His loved Adopted Children..

Hebrews 12: KJV

6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. {7} If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? {8} But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. {9} Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? {10} For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. {11} Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

So yes God will correct Christians.. You used the word punishment but i would prefer the word discipline or chastisement..

Now to the specifics of what you are experiencing right now i do not have enough detailed information to make any firm comment.. having said that God certainly does hear the prayers of His adopted Children.. But sometimes the answer is NO and sometimes NOT YET and sometimes it is YES..

[other one]

On 1/27/2021 at 9:52 AM, IowaChristiangal said:

Does God use earthly punishment to get points across to us or to change our thinking? Does he Punish others in our lives on account of us to get us to "straighten up"? 

Recently, a very close friend of mine was being accused of a serious crime, which in turn led to a conviction. This person is a "baby Christian" - new to Faith and God. Will God Punish people to move them out of our lives? Or am I over thinking this one? I can't imagine my life or future without this person but I still feel that way about God. Why is this happening?

I keep praying for God's help and Mercy in this situation but I feel like He is turning His back on me or closing His ears to my cried. 

One would need to know if the friend of yours was actually guilty of the crime....   I don't see being a baby Christian as any problem.   If that person did something illegal and he's convicted of it, maybe he/she will have time on their hands to get to know the Lord in a deeper way.    God will forgive us of things, but we still have to pay for them down here when we are caught.

I don't know which serious crime they committed, but it doesn't seem like God would rat the guy/gal out just to get them away from you.   I would guess he might do that for the other person's own good.   

Maybe that person can't do what God wants him/her to do or become with whatever they did handing over their head.  Pray for them and wait to see where it goes from here.   If God wants you both together it will happen.  If not, don't force it.  

If you really want to know then you need to really get down with God and ask him..   Tell him of your needs and wants and ask why this is happening...   tell him you don't understand.

[Riverwalker]

If we are allowing our thinking to draw us away from God, then we are wandering into a wilderness of our own accord and thats where we are punished. Do not blame God for that.

It is up to us to stay 0n the right course

2nd Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.