In the New Testament, Jesus makes it clear that human afflictions and death are not necessarily a punishment for personal sin. When He came upon a man who was blind from birth, His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, was it this man’s sin or that of his parents that caused him to be born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither. It was no sin, either of this man or of his parents. Rather, it was to let God’s works show forth in him.” At another time, when He was told about Galileans who had been slaughtered by Pilate as they were offering sacrifice, Jesus denied that there is any exact equivalence between sin and misfortune in this life, but He did say that sin will ultimately bring its just retribution:
“Do you think that these Galileans were the greatest sinners in Galilee just because they suffered this? By no means! But I tell you, you will all come to the same end unless you reform. Or take those eighteen who were killed by a falling tower in Siloam. Do you think they were guiltier than anyone else who lived in Jerusalem? Certainly not. But I tell you, you will come to the same end unless you reform.”
But Jesus’ denial of an exact correspondence between sin and suffering did not prevent Him from predicting that great misfortunes were to come upon the people of Jerusalem because they would not heed His call to faith and repentance. We must therefore beg God to help us amend our lives.
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
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