2 Kings 21:11-15 (ESV Strong's)
11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, 12 therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.”
God Punishes Those Who Disobey
In today’s Church we might find ourselves often quoting Romans 8:1, which reads:
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
That truth should never be undersold or failed to believe. At the Cross, Jesus paid our complete debts. That is total assurance. When we sin we ought to come boldly to the throne of God to find grace in times of need. God TOTALLY took away our condemnation. So, how do we handing passages that “warn” us about God judgement on those who neglect or drift away from their faith:
Hebrews 2:1-4 (ESV Strong's)
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
God is totally sincere about His covering our sins, but also totally sincere about His disciplining us and expecting us to be steadfast in our salvation through faith in His Son. In the Old Testament the abominations of Israel and Judah did not go unnoticed. God is a God of perfect “justice!” When the nation of Israel rejected God’s commands, God was “just” to discipline them. He is still “just” today. If we neglect our faith or drift away from our faith, God will correct us. That correction is done in perfect justine and perfect love. But, it will be done those who correct their course as a result of God’s discipline can be counted as those who can claim Romans 8:1. Those who don’t correct and continue to drift away are those who never had God’s grace to begin with. They may have claimed it, but didn’t have it. Only those who are true sons will respond to God’s warning. Those who do not respond are not God’s children. You can’t walk away from God and claim to be His child. Judgement comes to those who are His children who begin to walk away. That judgment corrects them and puts them back on course.
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