DOES GOD PUNISH HIS PEOPLE FOR THEIR SINS?

Sir: — To some of the children of God about here, the new doctrine that “God does not chastise His people for their sins” has been preached. A few remarks in the “Standard” will oblige. The main arguments for the doctrine seem to be, that, as all the sins of the elect were laid upon Christ; therefore God does not punish His people for their sins; beholding no iniquity in Jacob or perverseness in Israel. Also that when in the Psalms mention is made of “visiting their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes,” it does not refer to the people of God, but refers to Christ. Also, that the chastening, rebuking, and scourging spoken of in Hebrews xii. refer to a law work.

Sincerely,

ANSWER

No error is worse, for none is more deluding, than that which consists in perverted truth. This, indeed, is the chief feature of the errors that Satan sows in the visible Church. Gross error would not serve his turn. It would at once be rejected. But error in the dress of truth, error gilt over by truth, error putting truth in the front and slily bringing up the rear, may hope to pass muster and escape detection. Such is the error mentioned in the inquiry before us. There is in it a little truth and a great deal of error. Its preachers and promoters have gilt their error over with a small modicum of truth. But we will, with God’s help and blessing, drive a nail through this bad sovereign and fasten it to the counter; for, however many hands it may have passed through, it was first coined in the devil’s cellar, and he cast the mold, cut the die, and stamped the impression.

But first look at the gilding. A bit of sterling gold is spread over the base metal. That truth is, that “God has laid the sins of the elect all upon Christ, that they are all eternally blotted out; and that, therefore, God sees no iniquity in Jacob nor perverseness in Israel.” This is sound, blessed truth, the joy and consolation of the family of God. But underneath lies the base metal: “Therefore,” (O what a therefore!) “as God sees no sin in His elect, He cannot punish them for the sins that He cannot see.” O lame and impotent conclusion! In one sense, God may see no sin in His people; but in another, He may see a great deal. Because God sees no sin to punish hereafter, does He see no sin to punish here. Because the blood of Jesus has washed away sin in its penal and eternal consequences, has it removed sin out of the heart of the family of God? Is sin become a nonentity in the same way as a cloud is a nonentity when the sun has dispersed it from the sky? As a cloud of eternal wrath, sin is for ever blotted out; but not as a cloud that gathers over the soul and hides the light of God’s countenance.

But the experience of God’s people in all ages is point-blank against such a doctrine. Does sin cease to be sin because Christ died for it? When David committed adultery, was that a sin? When Peter cursed and swore, was that a sin? When the Corinthian took his father’s wife to his bed, was that a sin? To say, “No; these would have been sins in others, but not in the people of God,” is an outrage upon common decency, and degrades religion below the morality of a brothel. Then it must be admitted that the sins of believers are sins; and if sins, then they have an existence; and if they have an existence, then sin is not a nonentity; that is, a thing which has no being nor existence. It is a real thing — a fearful, a dreadful reality — as thousands of groaning saints of God daily feel, in spite of all mere metaphysical arguments to the contrary.

But now comes the next question. If sin exists in the hearts of the family of God, does God ever chasten them for it? Here the testimony of God is conclusive: “If his children forsake My law, and walk not in My judgments; if they break My statutes and keep not My commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless, My loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer My faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the things that is gone out of My lips. Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David.” (Ps. lxxxix. 30-35.) But it may be objected, “This is the old covenant, the ancient legal dispensation.” Is it? 0 no; God has blocked out this argument most effectually by expressly declaring it is the new covenant of which He speaks: “Then Thou spakest in vision to Thy Holy One, and saidst, I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted One chosen out of the people.” (Ps. lxxxix. 19.) Who is the Holy One to whom God spake in vision, the Mighty One upon whom He has laid help? Who but Jesus, who, as God-Man Mediator in the days of His flesh, cried, “Thou art My Father, My God, and the Rock of salvation?” Of whom but Christ’s spiritual seed is it promised, “His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and His throne as the days of heaven?” (Ps. lxxxix. 29.) Now observe it is of this same seed that the declaration is made, “If His children forsake My law and walk not in My judgments; if they break My statutes and keep not My commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.” (30-32.) “If His children!” Who are His children but Christ’s spiritual seed and family — the elect of God? What, then, can be clearer than the declaration, “I will visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes?” A man who can deny and outface this express testimony will deny and outface everything.

But how plain are Scripture examples as well as Scripture declarations! God put away David’s sin; but look at the chastisement: “Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thy house.” How be it, because by this deed thou has given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” (2 Sam. xii, 10-14). The cases also of Eli, Solomon, and Hezekiah, are all to the same point. The Corinthians were guilty of disorderly conduct at the Lord’s Supper. “For this cause,” says Paul, “many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” (1 Cor. xi. 30-32.) How expressly is it declared here that the Lord chastened them for their conduct by weakness and sickliness!

But nothing can be more decisive than the declaration, “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye e’ndure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Heb. xii. 6-8.) Chastening and scourging are here given as express marks of sonship. Those, therefore, that deny chastening proclaim loudly that they are bastards. But, to evade this testimony, they say that this chastening refers to a law — work. Two strokes of Paul’s broad sword cut that ground from under their feet: “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. 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.” (Heb. xii. 10-11.) Do we become partakers of God’s holiness by the law or the gospel? By the gospel surely: “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” (Rom. vi. 22.) There is no holiness but by the Holy Spirit, who is the Author of it, and He produces it not by the law but by the gospel. It is “the new creature” (which the law knows nothing about) “which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Again, does the law produce the peaceable fruits of righteousness? No. All that the law produces is bondage, guilt, and death. The peaceable fruits of righteousness grow on the gospel graft and not in the legal crab.

In fact, men who hold such views are clearly out of the secret. The rod of God is not upon them; and when such doctrine is proclaimed from the pulpit, the best answer from the pew is, “Mr. Preacher, there is every reason to fear that you are a bastard, and are now only proclaiming your own base pedigree, and foaming out your own shame.”

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