God's discipline

[IAMABELIEVER1979]

A lot of Christians tell me that it is wrong to obey God out of fear of judgement and Wrath. In Hebrews 12 it talks about the discipline that God gives. And I was wondering, can fear be used to draw people into repentance? Remember Ananias and Sapphira when they were killed for lying to the Holy Spirit? The whole church feared. And remember when Jonah disobeyed God and God sent that storm to get Jonah to comply to his commands. Isn't these fear tactics to get people to repent? Didn't God warned Nineveh to repent or he will destroy them?

The question is doesn't God use fear as discipline to get people to repent?

 

[2Timothy2:15]

A lot of Christians tell me that it is wrong to obey God out of fear of judgement and Wrath. In Hebrews 12 it talks about the discipline that God gives. And I was wondering, can fear be used to draw people into repentance? Remember Ananias and Sapphira when they were killed for lying to the Holy Spirit? The whole church feared. And remember when Jonah disobeyed God and God sent that storm to get Jonah to comply to his commands. Isn't these fear tactics to get people to repent? Didn't God warned Nineveh to repent or he will destroy them?

The question is doesn't God use fear as discipline to get people to repent?

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

A lot of Christians tell me that it is wrong to obey God out of fear of judgement and Wrath.

Well,

it is interesting, isn't it, that those who disobey God are judged and condemned by His Word - like Jesus said to
everyone after / about/ the tower of Siloam fell on some killing them: "UNLESS you each repent, you will all likewise PERISH" ....

< shrugs > so the choice is PERISH, or repent.... the feelings don't matter , do they?

(oh, God will give joy and peace and righteousness along with SALVATION
after turning to Him,
so don't worry about the fear, the devastating feelings , and so on --- those will pass away)

 

[friend of]

It sort of made me realize just how bad those things were though. But I get the question. Is it genuine repentance when people repent just so they won't be punished?

At first, maybe not. But over time I think if God is chastising someone they'll come to understand what sin accomplishes in our day to day life from a higher perspective and then we'll genuinely desire to avoid it as consciously as we can.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Is it genuine repentance when people repent just so they won't be punished?

No, not always. Remember when a country passed a law that said

you must be "xxxxxxx" or die (or flea (sic) haha) (c? 'flee') )
so many
people said okay i am "xxxxxxx" just so they would not be executed or have to flee.

They knew or did not know that "xxxxxxx" was the wide road to death... and just took temporary measures to survive (whether they later turned to the One True God in Jesus Grace by Faith or not to be truly saved, even if they were immediately murdered)

 

[friend of]

it was a rhetorical question

 

[IAMABELIEVER1979]

But I think it's a question I need to ask myself friend of. I think I need to examine my own heart.

 

[IAMABELIEVER1979]

Well,

it is interesting, isn't it, that those who disobey God are judged and condemned by His Word - like Jesus said to
everyone after / about/ the tower of Siloam fell on some killing them: "UNLESS you each repent, you will all likewise PERISH" ....

< shrugs > so the choice is PERISH, or repent.... the feelings don't matter , do they?

(oh, God will give joy and peace and righteousness along with SALVATION
after turning to Him,
so don't worry about the fear, the devastating feelings , and so on --- those will pass away)

I just always wonder what God's discipline looks like.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I just always wonder what God's discipline looks like.

It is WONDERFUL, REFRESHING, INVIGORATING, RESTORING, RESTORATIVE,

ENLIGHTENING, ALWAYS BRIGHT and TRUE, GENTLE yet STRICT,

and not punishment ! (we have no fear of punishment in CHRIST JESUS),

no - it is TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS _-

basic TRAINING,

perfect TRAINING,

over and over and over again, daily, DOING what HE SAYS,

not practicing , but DOING what HE SAYS. (in HIS WORD).

DOING what HE SAYS,

as if , for example, we had an exercise trainer or a DRILL SEARGANT teaching us

how to jog, how to paint a building, how to do jumping jacks, how to breath,

everything concerned with LIFE and SALVATION -

everything we ever need ---

"discipline" ---- training , perfect time, perfect training, pure training, gentle training , repeating training (like repeating a VERSE to ourselves 40 times out loud, so we remember it without tryint to --- MEDITATING on HIS WORD) ....

HE TRAINS US /// disciplines us -- perfectly ! all of us...

 

[Phil 1:21]

I just always wonder what God's discipline looks like.

Look at the world around us. God created all of it, including what we think of as "natural" consequences. There's a reason why a lot of people turn their lives over to God once they've hit rock bottom.