Last post mentions God's standard to get into heaven is to be perfect. Matthew 5:48 says Therefore, be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect......We know that we cannot earn our way into heaven because Ephesians 2:8-9 says For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is gift from God, NOT BY WORKS, so that no one can boast. ....... Now on to this posts subject..............God is merciful; therefore, he does not want to punish us. 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. Often we here all about God's love for us and yes this is true. The first part of Jeremiah 31:3 says that God has an everlasting love for us.... We should be truly grateful. But, many people have a false concept of God by only focusing on his love for us. We have heard many times God wouldn't send good people to hell or God wouldn't do that, "MY" God wouldn't punish, etc........the last one where the person says "MY God" would probably be right.... "HER OR HIS" god wouldn't do that, but the problem with that is, their god doesn't exist except in their own mind. That person has CREATED a god with their own imagination, according to their own liking. This is considered idolatry(worshiping a false god). 2nd of the 10 Commandments........So when people say God would never do that!!! We should say what god would not do that? The God of the Bible?

Yes the Bible says that God is merciful and loving, but the same Bible also says that God is just, therefore he MUST punish sin. In Exodus 34:7b it states that the guilty will not go unpunished. Ezekiel 18:4b the soul who sins will die. In Habakkuk 1:13 it says of God....your eyes are too pure to approve evil. Now, there appears to be a problem here. God is merciful and loving, etc. however, God is just and MUST punish sin. God solved this problem in the person of JESUS CHRIST.......until next time