Is God punishing me?

For many, when they hear the word discipline, they also get scared. They think immediately of punishment. Are you one of these people? Bad things that have happened in life or are currently happening in life mean that God is surely punishing them for their sin. What they are going through serves no higher purpose other than retribution on God’s part. God wants to get them back, to watch them squirm. But, nothing could be farther from the truth. God is not getting you back; for He has punished His own Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, with the punishment that was rightly due to you and me.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” The Lord’s wrath against sin was unfurled on the shoulders of Jesus, as He endured the scourging, mockery, and finally being crucified upon a cross as punishment for the sins of the world.