Are natural disasters a result of God judging people’s sins?
As we witness so many disasters in our day, I’ve heard many people say that God is now judging countries for their sins. And perhaps you feel the same way, but I’d like to challenge that line of thinking, so read on as I lay out Scriptural truth. I share the truth with you out of love for you and a passionate desire to see God for who He really is in all His glory and grace.
Even before the Old Covenant, God sent disasters into the world to show people He hated sin. The flood, Sodom and Gomorrah are prime examples. After the Covenant of the Law was given through Moses, God required obedience from people before He blessed them. And if they couldn’t obey, then God promised all sorts of nasty things to punish their sin and turn them around to Him. (See Deut. 28.) Hence, people feared God – and who wouldn’t? But God had other plans to deliver people from that old way – it’s called the New Covenant.
Galatians 3:23-25 states, “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore, the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Hebrews 8:13 also says, “When God said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” Hebrews 10:20 calls the New Covenant a “new and living way.”
This new and living way is the gospel which is that God punished ALL our sins in the body of Jesus; therefore, we are totally forgiven of all our sins – past, present, and future. Jesus took the punishment we all deserved for our sins upon Himself, and He rose from the grave, never to die again, as proof that our sins have been dealt with. When Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished,” that meant the penalty for our sin was paid in full. Out of God’s great love for us, that’s what He did to set us free and enable us to have eternal life.
If you truly believe and understand that truth, then it means God cannot and is not punishing sin ever again under the new covenant. If God were punishing people’s sins right now by sending natural disasters, then it would negate the perfect work of Christ on the cross. To see God as sending punishment now is to think somehow that Jesus’s sacrifice for our sin was incomplete, not good enough, and will not last for eternity.
Yes, when Jesus returns a second time, God will judge the world one last time, but as Hebrews 9:28 declares, “Christ will appear a second time, apart from sin, (not to deal with sin, not even in reference to sin) for the full salvation of their (those who believe in Christ) bodies and souls.” When Jesus returns, the judging won’t be in reference to sin because sin has already been fully dealt with. The last judgment will be about who you believe in for your salvation. Paul has much to say about God’s judgment in Romans chapter 2 which I don’t have room to go into all of it here. But Paul says in Romans 2:16, “So this judgment will be revealed on the day when God, through Jesus Christ, judges the hidden secrets of people’s hearts. And their response to my gospel will be the standard of judgment used in that day.”
Therefore, if you believe that Jesus took all your sins, paid for them, and took the punishment you deserved, then you pass from judgment into life. But if you are trusting in your good works, your own merit to earn you a spot in heaven, then you will not get into heaven. That’s what the last judgment is all about.
All that said, we don’t know everything this side of heaven. 1 Corinthians 4:5 states,
“Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of people’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” If you read 2 Peter 3, you will see that judgment day “is coming” but it’s not here yet. God is patient and hasn’t brought the last judgment because He doesn’t want anyone to perish but for all to know Him and be saved. If you think God has given up on the earth and removed His protection in any way, that’s not the truth. I can’t think of a time in history that so many people are being saved right now! The Holy Spirit hasn’t given up on the earth nor removed His power to protect; rather, He is being poured out on all people. So many people are hearing the gospel like never before and putting their trust in Christ for salvation.
Sure, we experience consequences for our sin, and our poor choices, etc. And some of our natural disasters may be caused by not paying closer attention to how we use our resources. However, Jesus predicted all these things would happen as the world winds down. (See Matthew 24.) But we can’t blame God for our bad choices, nor say God is judging us. (Read Luke 13 for more of Jesus’ perspective on tragedies.)
Yes, sin brought decay and disasters to the world, but now creation awaits Christ’s return just as we do. Romans 8:19-23 makes it clear: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”
Remember the man who was born blind that Jesus gave back his sight? The disciples believed he was blind because of either his sin or his parent’s sin. That’s what I was talking about earlier – the Old Covenant brought people into that way of reasoning – that God authored sickness and disasters. (The book of Job explores this in great depth.) But Jesus set it straight when He told the disciples that man’s blindness wasn’t because of anyone’s sin but God’s glory would be revealed in the miracle. (See John 9.) The glory is that no matter what crisis we find ourselves in, Jesus has all the grace and mercy to heal, deliver, help, and bring us out of it. Mercy means we don’t get what we deserve, and the gospel is that Jesus got what we deserved – death for our sins. He paid the wages we deserved and now offers us life instead of death. Psalm 103:10 reiterates that “God has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.”
The devil is the ruler in this world and the one behind tragedies, not God. Ephesians 6:12 states, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The devil tempted Adam and Eve, and therefore they sinned. When Jesus came 2000 years ago, Satan pulled out all the stops to prevent Him from taking away our sins. Demons came out of the woodwork to taunt Him, sickness ramped up as Jesus healed, and the devil even tempted Jesus in the wilderness. And so, as Christ’s return is closer and closer as time passes, the devil is ramping up evil.
Never blame God for tragedy or evil. God is not the author of calamity. And if we ever think that God is punishing sin now, we had better include ourselves and not point fingers at anyone else’s sin. (See Romans 2:1-3.) We did nothing to earn our forgiveness – it came by grace alone.
I realize this only scratches the surface of this topic, which is as old as time. But I sincerely hope it directs you to our perfect redeemer – Jesus Christ! Hebrews 12: 2 says, “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The finished work of Jesus on the cross and out of the grave is where our confidence resides. Think highly of our loving Father who authored our salvation! “For God SO loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).
Receive from Jesus 