Q2. Glory and Judgment

[Ganti Vivek]

Gods glory is associated with judgement and consuming fire sometimes because when we don't obey His words and keep grumbling and doing wrong against God. For example 10 spies who reported pople accepted the bad report not the good one.

Willful disobedience to God is sin and his Glory will come to destroy for example in the case of rebellion of Korah.

Gods holiness and sin cannot co-exist, because sin has no place in Holiness.

[Jwmk]

Q2. Why do you think God’s glory is associated with judgment and consuming fire? What happens when people willfully disobey God and his laws? Why can’t God’s holiness coexist with sin?

God is who He is and we must abide by His Will otherwise judgment follows and with it comes punishment.

Disobedience has consequences.

An encounter with God results in transformation so sin ceases to exist. When we are unwilling to be transformed then we have no communion with God

[Uncle Dave]

Why do you think God's glory is associated with judgment and consuming fire?

What happens when people willfully disobey God and his laws?

Why can't God's holiness coexist with sin?

This set of questions have taken much thought as to how I would spell out my answer. Maybe I’m just not that great at putting things into words, but my answer has not changed since the beginning. Why is God’s glory associated with judgement and consuming fire? To say it’s God’s way or the highway would put many at odds with the way it is. God gives us much freedom but at the same time it needs to be remembered that such freedom needs to be within the realm of His system of order. Just because you have freedom, it doesn’t mean that you can do harm to your neighbor without expecting some sort of punishment. Nobody wants their neighbor to raid their house, so why would one even think about doing the same to someone else? That is why God has laws that which make it wrong to hurt your neighbor. The consuming fire reducing the rebellious to no longer being capable of doing bad deeds could be compared to a good sweeper picking the dirt up from a rug- that which does not belong is removed. Maybe that is why God allows things to happen to us which are uncomfortable, that is, so we might understand what happens when you have a system with no structure.  Who would want to exist eternally without order? It just wouldn’t work. I believe God has something beautiful for all who pursue it but whoa to those who don’t!

To those who see fit to willfully disobey God and his laws, if you thought it was tough in this life you have no future to look forward to. The Bible states in more than one place that there is a furnace ready and waiting. I always refer to this as the “goat cooker”. I get this term from the 2^nd half of Matthew 25.

Holiness can’t coexist with sin because, in the way that God’s glory is associated with consuming fire, you could think of sin as a flammable gas which would be consumed by fire leaving no trace behind.

[Andi59]

Q2. Why do you think God’s glory is associated with judgment and consuming fire? What happens when people willfully disobey God and his laws? Why can’t God’s holiness coexist with sin?

 

I'm not sure about consuming fire but light shone in dark corners does banish the darkness bringing into stark relief that which is in the light. Where there is Light there can not be darkness. If it takes consuming fire to banish darkness then there is a presumption of light burning away darkness. 

Man has always used fire to banish light so it is not too far a leap to see fire burning away the darkness. Especially with visions of God's appearance as burning light, fire, blinding whiteness.

 

What is in the darkness that is so scary to Man? It is the fear of the unknown that is threatening to Man. Light gives a guiding light however sometimes the journey into the Light is a journey into the unknown as well so it stands to reason that Man would be fearful of the dark and of the light. However it can be argued that in the Light you can see where as in the dark - well it is just dark and unknown.

 

Wilful disobedience of children is punished by parents who care about the development of their children however these days punishment comes more in the form of discipline leading to self discovery - is this the way of the Light or does it burn furiously like a bush fire sweeping all away before its path?

God will not give you more than you can bear: I've heard this from a few sources and believe it to be a way of understanding some of the heavy burdens some people bear and without any clue as to why other than it is God's will it is beyond my current understanding as to why this is so.

 

We can't re-enter Eden so co-existance with sin is a constant battle between God and Satan until we either ascend to God's heaven or descend into hell - the battle for our souls. Paid for by the death of Jesus for those who give themselves to God, the Way of the Light we have a way of entering the Kingdom of Heaven. 

 

 

[Annie343]

With God's glory we will be accountable for doing His will and with judgment we are looked upon in terms of when we obey God.  He judges our character and deeds.  The purpose of consuming fire is to purify us of sin and therefore we are able to give God glory and to be in His presence. When people willfully disobey God and His laws there is judgment, we are accountable to God which shows our obedience to God and wanting to please Him.  God's holiness can not coexist with sin because He is Light and all that is good.  Sin is darkness and comes from the soulish part of man.

[Ms. Joanne]

On December 16, 2016 at 11:23 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q2. Why do you think God’s glory is associated with judgment and consuming fire? What happens when people willfully disobey God and his laws? Why can’t God’s holiness coexist with sin?

God's glory is Gid himself showing up to let the people he is there and is saddened or angry with their misdeeds.  He wants them to know he is there and he alone will meet out their punishment.  If we willfully disobey God and his laws, we will be forgiven, but at the same time God will be sad and may let circumstances occur to show his displeasure..  God is holy and pe felt, sin is not that's why they cannot coexist.

[Commissioned]

Q2. Why do you think God’s glory is associated with judgment and consuming fire? What happens when people willfully disobey God and his laws? Why can’t God’s holiness coexist with sin?

God’s glory is associated with judgment and consuming fire because it comes to make holy the thing upon which it settles (consumes).  When the presence of God is feld there is an immediate acknowledgement of judgement.  Inherent in all human is the knowledge of right and wrong.  If one is in a state of righteousness and the glory of God appears, they enter into a euphoric state and they enjoy His presence.  On the other hand when a person is in a state of sin, darkness; the glory of God brings conviction to the heart of the individual and the sin is judged with the consuming fire of God. 

When people willfully disobey God and his laws they remove themselves from under the pure light of God's holiness and enters into the dark world of Satan's sinful nature. 

God’s holiness is pure light, sin is associated with darkness both cannot.

[Paul Irving]

On 12/16/2016 at 1:23 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q2. Why do you think God’s glory is associated with judgment and consuming fire? What happens when people willfully disobey God and his laws? Why can’t God’s holiness coexist with sin?

Because things that can make it through fire are put to the utmost test and are purified.   God’s been judging people from the beginning of creation, so He knows exactly what He is doing, He always has.  He knew Lucifer was going to try and take over Yahweh’s Kingdom, and that there was going to be a battle in Heaven between the Holy angels with Michael leading them and the dragon and his angels.  As we know Lucifer was defeated by Michael and it really wasn’t even close.  When you look at a statue of Michael and the devil or a painting, Michael the great prince is treading down the wicked one smashing him into the ground.  God punishes those that don’t obey His commandments and statues.  He has done that from the beginning of creation to the end, or the alpha to the omega.  Sometimes people get away from His wrath or so they think or it seems that way.  However there will be a day of judgement where everyone will be judged according to their works and if they have accepted Jesus Christ into their souls.   Jesus Christ is the only way to God being the Son of God.  If people don’t repent or accept Jesus Christ then they will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.  A place made as punishment for the devil and his angels,

but God is kind to the evil and unthankful as Jesus Christ said.  God is so Holy there cannot be any sin anywhere close to Him, that’s why no flesh can ever see Him.  There’s no sin in God whatsoever, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost now and forever be dominion and glory and power beyond our imaginations.

 

[Zanele Tlhakanelo]

God has repeatedly told us as His people to worship Him alone. But like Pharaoh, we keep on hardening our hearts and not want to fully trust Him. Judgment and consuming fire are as a result of unrepentant hearts and not trusting that our God is the Creator of everything. The Word of God says "The world is the Lord's and all that is in it". Therefore as human beings we want to challenge that and do what we think and not what God expects us to do. He is indeed a jealous God hence judgment and consuming fire.

When we willfully disobeys God and His laws, we subject ourselves to condemnation and judgment. We cannot want the things of God but disrespects His commandments. We need to be open to what God commands us to do all the times.

God is indeed Holy and cannot coexist with sin. That is why when He saw mankind fall into deep sin and because of His love for us, He sent His only begotten Son, Lord Jesus, to die for our sins. God hates sin and not the sinner hence the Blood of Jesus Christ had to cleanse us.