“if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.” – 2 Peter 2:9
We all see God as someone who punishes the wicked. Most people believe in Him or obey Him because they are afraid that God will punish them. Since we have this mindset that we are afraid that God might punish us, does that mean that we are actually acknowledging that we are sinful and we deserve it? Well, of course, we deserve it. We deserve to be punished and we are indeed sinful. God is a holy God, and He never tolerates sin. He doesn’t like sin and He hates sin. So, as sinful as we are, we are indeed deserving to be punished. It is just right if God will punish us.
With all these fears of getting punished, we see God like a disciplinary system. We only respect Him because we are afraid or because He holds the title of the one who can punish us. Actually, we are really bad people. We only respect those who have titles, and one proof that we are indeed horrible is that the life of Christ. People only see Christ as an ordinary person, a crazy man who claimed to be the Son of God, and a man born of a virgin. So, they crucified Him and even chose a thief over Him. So, this just proves that we are honestly, wicked people. However, we must not forget or we must stop seeing God as our discipline police, but let us see God as someone faithful and holy. He punishes those who are wicked because they have trespassed against Him and they deserve also.
However, we must also see God as someone who rescues those who are godly and protects them. He is not just a God who punished the wicked, but He is also a God who considers and who saves those who are following and obeying Him. We have to understand that we are deserving of the punishment, but our God will also save us from our enemies. God is holy, and He is also just so He won’t let us be harmed. Instead, He will protect us, and rescue us every time we are having a hard time. So, we must understand that God is not just a God who punishes, but He is a God who will save us and who will always be there for us.
Therefore, let us not forget this truth. May we keep it in our hearts and remember to obey God and to look directly into Christ. Let us accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. We have to make sure to follow Christ and have Him the center of our life. In doing so, we are following God and that whenever we are in trouble, God will rescue us and be with us. May we all put this in our minds. After all, all glory and honor belong to God alone.
