Some time ago, meeting with my wife at my monthly Matrimonios con Cristo meeting, we heard from one of our group mates the phrase “God does not punish”. A few months ago a reader asked me if it was true that God did not punish because he had heard the well-known Catholic apologist say it. Frank Morera in a sermon. It is not even difficult to find Catholic websites that maintain the same thing. In a program by Alejandro Bermúdez, director of ACIPrensa, whose work in the service of the Church is unquestionable, he makes the same mistake when he maintains that “God never punishes”. The idea has spread so widely among Catholics that many were perplexed when Pope Benedict XVI stated that the world could be punished for its distancing from God in its homily during the inauguration of the XII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on October 5, 2008[1]. The Pope, however, did not say anything new, since the notion that God can punish is constant in the Magisterium of his predecessors and the Magisterium of the Universal Church of all times. Pope Pope John Paul II in his general audience of August 13, 2003 tells us that God effectively punishes, as presented in the book of Tobit: “God punishes and has compassion.”[2]
For this reason, and with all the respect that my Catholic friends deserve, including Frank Morera and Alejandro Bermúdez, whose apologetic work in the service of the Church is invaluable, it is important to clarify it, since this is an error that comes from progressive ideology that has led many to serious errors and even to deny the existence of hell, which is a dogma of faith, or even worse, deny the need for the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Clarifying terminology
The scholastic saying goes: “De definitionibus non est disputandum” (“definitions are not discussed”), because terminological issues are of second order with respect to issues of substance or content and because everyone has the right to choose their own terminology, within certain limits. However, it is important that when one uses some terminology, it is clearly explained what is meant by it, thus avoiding ambiguities and misunderstandings.
In the case of the word “punishment” we have to distinguish from what the word really means, and the way many people understand it. Frank Morera, for example, understands it in the following way:
“God does not punish, he who knows the heart of God knows that God does not punish. God is a father and a good father… a good father does not punish, a good father corrects“….” It is impossible for God to punish, because punishment comes from hatred, and in God there is no place for hate, instead, correction comes from love. God, who is our Father, only longs for our edification, which is why he corrects us..”
Let’s start by clarifying this: It is not true that punishment is linked to hatred, neither in relation to its meaning, nor in Scripture, nor in the traditional teaching of the Church. Let’s see.
The meaning of “punishment” according to the dictionary
The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy defines punishment as:
Punishment
(To punish).
1. m. Penalty imposed on someone who has committed a crime or misdemeanor.
2. m. Amendment, correction of a work or writing.
3. m. Chili. Action and effect of punishing (‖ reducing expenses).
4. m.ant. Reprimand, warning, advice, reprimand or correction.
5. m.ant. Example, warning, teaching.
be of ~ something.
1. loc.verb. Be painful or arduous.
Punish
(From the lat. castigāre).
1. tr. Execute some punishment on a guilty person.
2. tr. Mortify and afflict.
3. tr. Stimulate a horse with the whip or spurs to speed up its pace.
4. tr.teach a lesson (‖ rigorously correct those who have erred).
5. tr. Correct or amend a work or writing.
6. tr. Reduce expenses.
7. tr. Falling in love for pure hobby or boasting.
8. tr.ant. Warn, prevent, teach.
9. prnl.ant. Make amends, correct yourself, abstain.
Note that in addition to the fact that punishment is not linked to hatred, in some contexts punishment is synonymous with correction, although Frank Morera contrasts both concepts as exclusive by maintaining that God does not punish but corrects. Understood in its own way, God would certainly not punish, because God is love and in HIM there is no hate, but that is not the meaning of the word punishment. The error that other people make is even more serious, because it is no longer based on a misunderstanding of the term, but on the frontal denial of divine justice, finding it incompatible with his mercy.
Divine Punishment in Scripture
In both the Old Testament and the New Testament we find the notion of divine punishment, but in this case we must distinguish between temporary punishment, whose character is medicinal and seeks the correction of the sinner so that he is converted and saved, and the eternal punishment which is part of divine justice as retribution for the definitive rejection of God’s love.
Eternal punishment
That there is an eternal punishment imparted by God is something that cannot be doubted at the expense of denying practically the entire Bible and the Magisterium of the Church. Jesus Christ says it clearly regarding those who condemn themselves: “And these will go to eternal punishment, and the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46). Some will say that it is not God who punishes but the person who punishes himself, but this is also incorrect. The person effectively chooses his eternal destiny based on his own decisions, but it is God who, as supreme legislator, dictates the sentence and establishes the penalty: “Because of the hardness and impenitence of your heart you are storing up anger against yourself for the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will give to each according to his works: to those who, by perseverance in good, seek glory, honor and immortality: eternal life;but to the rebels, indocile to the truth and docile to injustice: anger and indignation. ” (Romans 2:5-8) “For we must all be exposed before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil according to what he did during his mortal life..”(2 Corinthians 5:10); “For we know him who said: Vengeance is mine; I will give what is deserved. And also: The Lord will judge his people.”(Hebrews 10:30); “in the midst of a flame of fire, and take revenge on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. ” (2 Thessalonians 1,8)
Temporal or medicinal punishment
In the Bible, temporal punishment is frequently seen as a medicinal means to purify the sinner or invite him to conversion. The Church itself, in its discipline of excommunication, punished with a merciful and medicinal nature, excluding from ecclesial communion those whose faults warranted conversion. We see an example in the first epistle to the Corinthians where Saint Paul punishes one of the members of the Church who was living in adultery with excommunication: “You only hear about immorality among you, and an immorality such that it does not occur even among the Gentiles, to the point that one of you lives with his father’s wife… Well, for my part, physically absent, but present in spirit, I have already judged, as if I were present, the one who did this: that in the name of the Lord Jesus, you and my spirit gathered together, with the power of Jesus our Lord, that individual may be handed over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, toso that the spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord. ” (1 Corinthians 5,2-5), however in his next letter Saint Paul explains that the punishment sought his conversion and invites him to forgive him: “It is enough for that guy punishment inflicted by the community, so it is better, on the contrary, that you forgive him and encourage him lest he be plunged into excessive sadness..”(2 Corinthians 2:6-7). Another example is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church where a distinction is made between the punishment of the condemned and the temporal punishment that the souls in purgatory receive: “The Church calls Purgatory this final purification of the elect, which is completely different from punishment of the condemned.”(CEC 1031)
The Old Testament abounds with examples of punishments from God that have both a medicinal nature and the purpose of giving God’s just retribution for sin. Among them we can mention the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Flood, the threat of the destruction of Nineveh, the plagues of Egypt, the punishment of David for his adultery and murder of Uriah the Hittite, etc.
The New Testament is no exception. Saint Paul, for example, speaks of how those who received the Eucharist unworthily were punished with illness and even death: “For whoever eats and drinks without discerning the Body, eat and drink his own punishment. Therefore there are among you many sick and many weak, and not a few die..”(1 Corinthians 11:29-30). The punishment of Herod for not having recognized the glory of God, remaining sick until death, is also mentioned: “On the appointed day, Herod, dressed in royal vestments and sitting on his platform, harangued them, while the people shouted: Voice of God, not of man! Suddenly the angel of the Lord struck him because he had not recognized the glory of God, and he died, eaten by worms..”(Acts 12:21-23). There is also the punishment of Ananias and Sapphira for having lied to the Holy Spirit: “A man named Ananias, in agreement with his wife Sapphira, sold a property, and kept a part of the price, his wife also knowing it; He brought the other part and laid it at the feet of the apostles. Peter said to him, “Ananias, how did Satan fill your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep part of the price of the field for yourself? Is it that while you had it it wasn’t yours, and once it was sold you couldn’t have the price? Why did you determine in your heart to do this? You have lied to us men, but to God.”When Ananias heard these words, he fell and died. And great fear took hold of all who heard it. The young men got up, shrouded him and took him to bury him. About three hours later his wife came in, unaware of what had happened. Peter asked him, “Tell me, have you sold the field in the meantime?”She replied: “Yes, at that.”And Peter replied: “How have you agreed to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, here at the door are the feet of those who buried your husband;”They will take you.”Instantly she fell at his feet and expired. When the young people entered, they found her dead, and took her to bury her next to her husband..”(Acts 5:1-10)
It is so absurd to deny that God punishes, which implies denying the divine commandments themselves, since in them God mentions the clear possibility of punishing those who disobey them: “You will not pronounce the name of the Lord your God in vain, because He will not leave unpunished the one who utters it in vain” (Exodus 20:7).
That is why I insist before continuing that it must be clear that temporal punishment does not exclude but includes correction, as is clear in Scripture:
“By punishing guilt you educate man, and you gnaw their treasures like a moth. “Man is nothing more than a breath.” (Psalm 39:12)
“Just as he uses mercy, so also punishes;“He judges a man according to his works.” (Ecclesiasticus 47,13).
“Punishment and rebuke they carry wisdom;but the boy abandoned to his whims is the confusion of his mother.” (Proverbs 29:15).
“Because the Lord punishes those he loves, and on whom he has his affection, as a father has his children.” (Proverbs 3:12).
“Although when we are, the Lord punishes us like children lest we be condemned along with this world.” (1 Corinthians 11:32).
“But you have already forgotten the words of comfort, which God addresses to you as to children, saying in Scripture.my son, do not despise the correction or punishment of the Lord, nor lose heart when he rebukes you. (Hebrews 12:4).
“Because the Lord punishes those he loves;and whoever he accepts as his son, he scourges and tests him with adversity.” (Hebrews 12:5).
Furthermore, this punishment that God imposes on the sinner is not only a corrective or intimidating means, but also pursues the atonement of the offense inflicted on God and the restoration of the moral order disturbed by sin.[3].
Punishment in the early Church
The early Church similarly interpreted eternal punishment as retribution for uncontrite sinful actions by divine justice and temporal punishment as a medicinal correction to invite the sinner to conversion. Saint Clement of Rome, who was ordained a priest by Saint Peter himself and was also bishop of Rome, writes in his epistle to the Corinthians an exhortation where punishment is directly linked to correction and discipline.
Clement of Rome – (year 107)
“Let us accept the correction and discipline, by which no one should feel upset, beloved. The admonition we give to each other is good and highly useful;because it unites us to the will of God. Because this is what the holy word says: The Lord certainly punished me, but it did not save me from death. Because the Lord rebukes the one he loves, and he scourges every son whom he receives. Because the righteous, it is said, He will punish me in mercy and rebuke me, but let not my head be anointed for the mercy of sinners. And he also says: Blessed is the man whom God correct, and does not despise the correction of the Almighty. Because he is the one who makes the wound and he will bind it up; He wounds and his hands heal. In six tribulations he will deliver you from affliction;and in the seventh no evil will touch you. In famine he will save you from death, and in war he will deliver you from the arm of the sword. He will keep you from the scourge of the tongue, and you will not be afraid of the evils that are approaching. You will laugh at the evil and the unjust, and you will not be afraid of wild animals. Well the wild beasts will be at peace with you. Then you will know that there will be peace in your house;and the habitation of your tent will not fail (fail), and you will know that your descendants are numerous, and your offspring are like the grass of the field. And you will come to the tomb ripe like a sheaf harvested in season, or like the heap on the threshing floor, gathered in its due time. As you can see, beloved, great is the protection of those who have been disciplined by the Lord;because being a good father, he punishes us so that we may obtain mercy through his just punishment.” (Clement Romano, Epistle to the Corinthians, LVI)
The Shepherd of Hermas – (year 141 – 155)
The “Shepherd of Hermas” is a book that was highly appreciated in the early Church, to the point that some of the Holy Fathers came to consider it canonical. Thanks to the Muratori Fragment (a scroll from the year 180 that lists inspired books, discovered and published in the 15th century), we know that it was composed by a certain Hermas, brother of Pope Pius I, in the city of Rome. In this work that reflects the most primitive Christian thought, we find how temporal punishment is also related to the correction that seeks conversion.
“But, Hermas, do not bear any longer a grudge against your children, nor allow your sister to do whatever she wants, so that they may be purified from their former sins. Because they will be punished with just punishment, unless you hold a grudge against them yourself”
The Shepherd of Hermas, Second Vision, Sixth Parable, III (7)
“For a man is tormented for as many years as there are days he has lived in self-indulgence. You see, then,” he told me, “that the time of self-indulgence and deception is very short, but the time of punishment and torment is long. ”
The Shepherd of Hermas, Fifth Vision, Sixth Parable, IV (64)
Epistle of Barnabas – (year 130)
This early Christian treatise has been attributed since the beginning of the Church to Barnabas, the collaborator of Saint Paul. It warns that God will punish with condemnation those who die in serious sins, such as idolatry, adultery, murder, theft, etc.:
“But the path of the “Black” is crooked and full of curses, because It is the path of eternal death with punishment, in which are the things that destroy the soul of those who follow him: idolatry, recklessness, arrogance of power, hypocrisy, double-heartedness, adultery, murder, theft, pride, transgression, deceit, evil, arrogance, witchcraft, magic, greed, lack of fear of God”
Epistle of Barnabas, XX,1
Martyrdom of Polycarp – (year 156 – 177)
Early Christian writing that narrates the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp, who was a direct disciple of the apostle Saint John. In it he narrates how Christians preferred to die rather than suffer divine punishment:
“And heeding the grace of Christ, they despised the tortures of the world, buying at the cost of an hour being delivered from eternal punishment. ”
Martyrdom of Polycarp,III
Conclusions
The notion that God does not punish is based in some cases, either on a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word punishment, or on a superficial and deficient notion of God’s love. As Saint Thomas explains, God is love and wants everyone to be saved, but he is also just and as such he also wants to punish those who sin. Both things are not excluded: “God wants with antecedent will to save every man; with consistent will, and by his justice, he wants to punish some.” (Saint Thomas, Summa Theologica, L.1, Q.19, a.7). God can punish to correct us, not out of hatred but precisely out of love, as we do with our children, and as Saint Augustine exemplifies: “Nor is there any other way in which we punish our children, that is, angry and indignant;but We wouldn’t punish them if we didn’t love them. ” (Saint Augustine, Sermon LXXXII, 2). It is Jesus Christ who warns each of us: ““That servant who, knowing his master’s will, has not prepared anything or acted according to his will, will receive many lashes.” (Luke 12:47). Isn’t this punishment?some will say “correction”.I say, in this case, both are the same.
Update:
In response to this article, some readers have asked me if all illnesses, natural disasters or accidents are punishments from God. To this we must answer NO.
Although God can punish, it does not follow that all natural disasters, diseases or accidents are punishable, although God can resort to some of these events to punish in a certain circumstance if his will so determines. In the gospel, for example, Jesus is asked if a person’s blindness was a punishment for his or his parents’ sin, and Jesus answers neither: “He saw, as he passed, a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind?”Jesus answered: “Neither he nor his parents sinned; It is so that the works of God may be manifested in it.” (John 9:1-3). In another text, however, it is seen that the illness that led Herod to death was a punishment for his sin (Acts 12:21-23). If it is not through a special revelation, it can be known whether a certain illness is a punishment from God or simply a fact of another nature.
Author: José Miguel Arraiz
NOTES
[1] Pope Benedict XVI said in this regard: “If we look at history, we are often forced to see the coldness and rebellion of incoherent Christians. As a consequence of this, God, although never failing to fulfill his promise of salvation, has frequently had to resort to punishment.”
(Homily of His Holiness Benedict XVI, Inauguration of the XII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, October 5, 2008)
[2] HH John Paul II explains: “The very story of Jerusalem is a parable that teaches everyone the choice that must be made. God has punished the city because he could not remain indifferent to the evil done by his children. But now, seeing that many have been converted and transformed into righteous and faithful children, he will still manifest his merciful love (cf. v. 10).
Throughout the entire song of chapter 13 of Tobit this conviction is often repeated: the Lord “punishes and has compassion…he has punished you for your injustices, but he has compassion on all of you…he punished you for the deeds of your children, but he will again have mercy on the righteous people” (vv. 2. 5. 10). God resorts to punishment as a means to call sinners who are deaf to other calls to the right path..However, the last word of the just God remains that of love and forgiveness; His deep desire is to be able to embrace again the rebellious children who return to him with a repentant heart. ”
General audience of His Holiness John Paul II, Wednesday August 13, 2003
[3] The punishment that God imposes on the sinner is not only a corrective or deterrent means, as B. Stattler (1797) and J. Hermes (1831) taught, but above all seeks the expiation of the offense committed against God and the restoration of the moral order disturbed by sin: Deuteronomy 32:41: «I will repay my enemies with my vengeance, and I will give their due to those who hate me»; Romans 12:19: «It is written: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord”». The penalty of hell, because of its eternal duration, can only have a vindicatory character for the damned (Mt 25:41 and 46). On the other hand, the vindicatory character of divine punishments must not be exaggerated, as if God were obliged by his justice not to forgive sin until demanding complete satisfaction, as H. Tournely (1729) and Fr. X. Dieringer (1876) taught, following the example of Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1109). Since God, being sovereign and universal Lord, does not have to answer to any higher power, he has the right to be merciful, and this means that he is free to forgive repentant sinners without their offering congruous satisfaction or any satisfaction at all. Ludwig Ott, Manual of Dogmatic Theology, Editorial Herder, Barcelona 1966, p. 41
