From Eternally Family
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We hear your heart regarding this burden about punishment, consequences, and whether to resist and not grant opportunity, and we bring this before the Lord together in Jesus' name.
We understand there is a desire to see justice done concerning the one you mention and those following in those same footsteps across time and place and among many languages and peoples. It is right to care about justice and consequences, for God Himself is just. Yet we must be careful about a demand for punishment coming from our own hands or hearts, because Scripture is clear that vengeance belongs to the Lord and not to us. As it is written, Don't seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God's wrath. For it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. Romans 12:19. And again, For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil. Ecclesiastes 12:14.
We also hear your question about whether one must resist and not grant an opportunity. The answer according to Scripture is yes, we are called to resist evil and not give it a foothold. We are taught, Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7. And, Don't give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:27. We are not to follow in the footsteps of those who do evil, but to follow Christ. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps. 1 Peter 2:21. To resist and not grant opportunity to sin or to those who would lead others into sin is not hatred, it is obedience and wisdom. We are also told, Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21.
You ask are there consequences for them all in time and place and languages. We believe yes, God sees all peoples and all places and no one escapes His knowledge or His justice, yet He is also merciful and patient. Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7. It is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment. Hebrews 9:27. That judgment is not limited by time or language or location, for God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4. His justice will reach every person, but so does His offer of mercy through Jesus Christ.
We notice your request does not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to gently remind you that it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and that any prayer is heard. As Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14:6. And, There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12. If we demand punishment without seeking Christ's mercy and forgiveness, we place ourselves under that same judgment, for we all have sinned. We encourage you to place your trust in Jesus Christ, believing that He died for our sins and rose again, so that we may receive forgiveness and eternal life.
We pray together for you and for this eternally family you mention and for the man you referenced and for all who may be following in harmful ways.
Father in heaven, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son. We ask for Your righteous justice to prevail and for Your mercy to be made known. You see all things across time and place and every language and people, nothing is hidden from You. We ask that You would bring conviction where there is sin, and that You would turn hearts toward repentance and truth. Give us wisdom to resist evil and to not give opportunity to sin, to stand firm in Your truth while overcoming evil with good. Help us not to harbor a spirit of vengeance, but to entrust all judgment to You, and to love and pray even for those who do wrong, that they may come to repentance through Christ. We pray for this family that longs for eternity together, that You would root them in Your Word and lead them to follow only the steps of Jesus. Grant peace, discernment, and a heart that seeks Your will above our own demands. We ask for salvation, healing, and restoration where needed, and that Your name would be glorified in all consequences and in all mercy. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
We encourage you to continue to seek the Lord, to commit justice to Him, to resist what is evil while praying for the salvation of all involved, and to walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ.
We understand there is a desire to see justice done concerning the one you mention and those following in those same footsteps across time and place and among many languages and peoples. It is right to care about justice and consequences, for God Himself is just. Yet we must be careful about a demand for punishment coming from our own hands or hearts, because Scripture is clear that vengeance belongs to the Lord and not to us. As it is written, Don't seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God's wrath. For it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. Romans 12:19. And again, For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil. Ecclesiastes 12:14.
We also hear your question about whether one must resist and not grant an opportunity. The answer according to Scripture is yes, we are called to resist evil and not give it a foothold. We are taught, Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7. And, Don't give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:27. We are not to follow in the footsteps of those who do evil, but to follow Christ. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps. 1 Peter 2:21. To resist and not grant opportunity to sin or to those who would lead others into sin is not hatred, it is obedience and wisdom. We are also told, Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21.
You ask are there consequences for them all in time and place and languages. We believe yes, God sees all peoples and all places and no one escapes His knowledge or His justice, yet He is also merciful and patient. Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7. It is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment. Hebrews 9:27. That judgment is not limited by time or language or location, for God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4. His justice will reach every person, but so does His offer of mercy through Jesus Christ.
We notice your request does not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to gently remind you that it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and that any prayer is heard. As Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14:6. And, There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12. If we demand punishment without seeking Christ's mercy and forgiveness, we place ourselves under that same judgment, for we all have sinned. We encourage you to place your trust in Jesus Christ, believing that He died for our sins and rose again, so that we may receive forgiveness and eternal life.
We pray together for you and for this eternally family you mention and for the man you referenced and for all who may be following in harmful ways.
Father in heaven, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son. We ask for Your righteous justice to prevail and for Your mercy to be made known. You see all things across time and place and every language and people, nothing is hidden from You. We ask that You would bring conviction where there is sin, and that You would turn hearts toward repentance and truth. Give us wisdom to resist evil and to not give opportunity to sin, to stand firm in Your truth while overcoming evil with good. Help us not to harbor a spirit of vengeance, but to entrust all judgment to You, and to love and pray even for those who do wrong, that they may come to repentance through Christ. We pray for this family that longs for eternity together, that You would root them in Your Word and lead them to follow only the steps of Jesus. Grant peace, discernment, and a heart that seeks Your will above our own demands. We ask for salvation, healing, and restoration where needed, and that Your name would be glorified in all consequences and in all mercy. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
We encourage you to continue to seek the Lord, to commit justice to Him, to resist what is evil while praying for the salvation of all involved, and to walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ.
We've read your note carefully and hear how much you are wrestling with what justice should look like, whether actions will have consequences across time and place, and whether you should stand firm and not give opportunity for harm to continue. Wanting wrongs to be made right is a deeply human response, and it makes sense you would be asking these things.
One thing that has helped others in a similar place is to separate what you can entrust to God from what is yours to do today. You cannot carry every outcome across every language or place, but you can seek wisdom for the one step in front of you, whether that means setting a clear boundary, seeking counsel, or choosing not to follow a path you believe would lead to harm.
It may help to talk this through with a trusted pastor or mature believer who knows your situation and can help you think clearly about what resisting looks like in practice, and to bring these specific names and concerns to the Lord in honest prayer. You do not have to sort all of this alone.
Father, we lift this burden to You. Give clarity where there is confusion, peace where there is turmoil, and wisdom for each decision ahead. Guide every step and guard hearts in Your care. In Jesus' name, Amen.
One thing that has helped others in a similar place is to separate what you can entrust to God from what is yours to do today. You cannot carry every outcome across every language or place, but you can seek wisdom for the one step in front of you, whether that means setting a clear boundary, seeking counsel, or choosing not to follow a path you believe would lead to harm.
It may help to talk this through with a trusted pastor or mature believer who knows your situation and can help you think clearly about what resisting looks like in practice, and to bring these specific names and concerns to the Lord in honest prayer. You do not have to sort all of this alone.
Father, we lift this burden to You. Give clarity where there is confusion, peace where there is turmoil, and wisdom for each decision ahead. Guide every step and guard hearts in Your care. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Spurgeon
Beloved of All
Your cry concerning justice and punishment and whether consequences must follow in every time and place and tongue has been heard, and it is right that the soul should feel the weight of wrong and long for righteousness to be done.
Hear this truth first, that vengeance and forgiveness meet together at the cross and are not divided as men divide them. The day of vengeance is in the heart of God, and the year of His redeemed is come, and the two are married in the work of substitution. Justice demanded the penalty and love supplied it. Vengeance did smite our Surety's head. Legal claims are fully met, Jesus paid the dreadful debt, and therefore the day of vengeance for the believer is past and gone more than eighteen hundred years ago when Christ, the Just for the unjust, suffered that He might bring us to God. If you bleed for sin and mourn because of it, look there, for God has made the cross bitter to us that Christ might become sweet, and that bitterness helps to sanctify us.
For this reason you must not take vengeance into your own hands nor cherish a demand for punishment after the manner of men. It is written, vengeance belongeth unto the Lord. One effect of truly feeling the bitterness of your own sin against Christ is to take away all bitterness against your fellow men. After you have seen how much you offended God and how freely He forgives, you will say, how can I be other than sweet and gentle and tender and forgiving towards others. The most splendid vengeance you can ever have is to do good to them that do you evil and to speak well of them that speak ill of you. This is to overcome evil with good, and saints first learn to overcome evil and then they learn the way to overcome goodness itself with the tears of repentance.
You ask, must one resist and not grant an opportunity, and should one follow in those footsteps. You must indeed resist. Give no place to sin and make no provision for it. Do not follow the footsteps of any man where those steps lead away from holiness, whether in this time or that place or in any language under heaven. To grant opportunity to sin is to open a door which will be hard to shut. Rather resist the devil and he will flee, and walk in the way that is narrow and clean.
You ask, are there consequences for them all in time and place and languages. Assuredly there are, for God is not mocked and He will judge righteously in every land and in every tongue. Judged by ourselves on the ground of absolute justice, none of us could stand before His judgment seat without condemnation. Yet hear the whisper which drives away despair, there is forgiveness with Him that He may be feared. It is a divine forgiveness, I even I am He that blotteth out thy transgressions. It is a surprising forgiveness, so surprising that the Lord repeats, I even I, lest any should doubt it. It is a complete forgiveness, as when a creditor forgives the whole debt to one who has nothing to pay. It is an eternal forgiveness, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Where God draws no limit, do not you draw any. There is forgiveness, and there was forgiveness, and there will be forgiveness as long as life lasts, but it is only to be obtained from God through Jesus Christ His Son. If you have been the chief of sinners, you may have the chief of sinners forgiveness, and God can bestow it now. If you tremble and shake for fear and with a penitent heart desire forgiveness, come and put your trust in Christ and the Lord promises oblivion to all your debt.
Therefore I would pray for you and for Mr. ### of whom you speak, not that God would bless any wrong way, but that He would bring conviction of sin and repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom alone is salvation. May the Lord help you to leave just punishment in His hands, to resist every opportunity for sin, to forgive as you have been forgiven, and to seek that forgiveness which is with God, freely given for Christ's sake, daily and eternally, to every soul that turns from sin and looks to the bleeding Saviour.
Hear this truth first, that vengeance and forgiveness meet together at the cross and are not divided as men divide them. The day of vengeance is in the heart of God, and the year of His redeemed is come, and the two are married in the work of substitution. Justice demanded the penalty and love supplied it. Vengeance did smite our Surety's head. Legal claims are fully met, Jesus paid the dreadful debt, and therefore the day of vengeance for the believer is past and gone more than eighteen hundred years ago when Christ, the Just for the unjust, suffered that He might bring us to God. If you bleed for sin and mourn because of it, look there, for God has made the cross bitter to us that Christ might become sweet, and that bitterness helps to sanctify us.
For this reason you must not take vengeance into your own hands nor cherish a demand for punishment after the manner of men. It is written, vengeance belongeth unto the Lord. One effect of truly feeling the bitterness of your own sin against Christ is to take away all bitterness against your fellow men. After you have seen how much you offended God and how freely He forgives, you will say, how can I be other than sweet and gentle and tender and forgiving towards others. The most splendid vengeance you can ever have is to do good to them that do you evil and to speak well of them that speak ill of you. This is to overcome evil with good, and saints first learn to overcome evil and then they learn the way to overcome goodness itself with the tears of repentance.
You ask, must one resist and not grant an opportunity, and should one follow in those footsteps. You must indeed resist. Give no place to sin and make no provision for it. Do not follow the footsteps of any man where those steps lead away from holiness, whether in this time or that place or in any language under heaven. To grant opportunity to sin is to open a door which will be hard to shut. Rather resist the devil and he will flee, and walk in the way that is narrow and clean.
You ask, are there consequences for them all in time and place and languages. Assuredly there are, for God is not mocked and He will judge righteously in every land and in every tongue. Judged by ourselves on the ground of absolute justice, none of us could stand before His judgment seat without condemnation. Yet hear the whisper which drives away despair, there is forgiveness with Him that He may be feared. It is a divine forgiveness, I even I am He that blotteth out thy transgressions. It is a surprising forgiveness, so surprising that the Lord repeats, I even I, lest any should doubt it. It is a complete forgiveness, as when a creditor forgives the whole debt to one who has nothing to pay. It is an eternal forgiveness, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Where God draws no limit, do not you draw any. There is forgiveness, and there was forgiveness, and there will be forgiveness as long as life lasts, but it is only to be obtained from God through Jesus Christ His Son. If you have been the chief of sinners, you may have the chief of sinners forgiveness, and God can bestow it now. If you tremble and shake for fear and with a penitent heart desire forgiveness, come and put your trust in Christ and the Lord promises oblivion to all your debt.
Therefore I would pray for you and for Mr. ### of whom you speak, not that God would bless any wrong way, but that He would bring conviction of sin and repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom alone is salvation. May the Lord help you to leave just punishment in His hands, to resist every opportunity for sin, to forgive as you have been forgiven, and to seek that forgiveness which is with God, freely given for Christ's sake, daily and eternally, to every soul that turns from sin and looks to the bleeding Saviour.
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