As in the Old Testament, the standard for reward and punishment is still God's character, His faithfulness. The remarkable development in the New Testament is that reward/punishment in this life is a foretaste of that which will be experienced at the end of time. Blessing and reward come to those who live life in accordance with the reality of the kingdom of God ( Matthew 5-7 Mark 10:41 Luke 10:7 John 9:36 ). In fact, the wage earner is a profound image for the life of Jesus' disciple. The New Testament also affirms that humans are rewarded and punished by God in this life ( Galatians 6:7-8 ). Humans cannot determine the causes of suffering and should never overlook God's patience, forgiveness, and mercy. It is dangerous to interpret all suffering as punishment. The Book of Job, however, issues a proviso to such a mechanical view of God and suffering in this life. The Psalms affirm that the same process occurs on an individual level that occurs on the corporate. Even Israel, because of her failure to place her trust in God, experienced the judgment of Exile. Pharaoh and all Egypt incurred God's judgment for not yielding to God's will. However, banishment from Eden, the flood, and multiplication of languages followed on the heels of sin. Israel, if they heard and obeyed God's word, would be blessed ( Deuteronomy 6:1-9 ). Abraham's obedient response to God's call resulted in his being blessed and becoming the mediator of blessing to all the world ( Genesis 12:1-3 ). Both sides of divine retribution can be detected in the history of ancient Israel. Though the exact phrase “divine retribution” does not occur in the Old Testament, the idea is quite prevalent: people will be repaid in this life for what they do-blessing for good, punishment for evil. These questions, in turn, call to mind other issues such as suffering, evil, and God's justness. The notion of divine retribution involves questions concerning time (when will one be judged?) and method (on what basis will judgment occur?). “Divine retribution,” however, involves both reward and punishment, blessing and curse. Thus, many (incorrectly) think that “divine retribution” means only an expression of God's wrath. Retribution involves the act of paying someone back according to their behavior. Print Article Process of God's meting out merited requital-punishment for evil or reward for good.
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