Linda:

Rosebud3:

As Do Go Be Man and I said in the other thread, your husband is misrepresenting God. God doesn't hate sinners; he hates sin. The proof? Jesus died on the cross "while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8) He loved us so much that he took the punishment we deserve for our sins and gave us a way to have a relationship with him despite the fact that we can never live up to his standards of holiness. So he is a God of love even while he is a God of justice; he maintians a perfect balance between the two.

God wants his followers to hate sin but to love and support each other. Believers are described in the Bible as "the body of Christ," and each is each given specific gifts and talents that keep the church healthy and work for the good of everyone. (Romans 12:4-21) Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body, where each part has a function which is important to the rest of the body (toes are not elbows, but each is important to the body and needs to be healthy for the good of the whole body.)  Believers are instructed to live in unity, being "completely humble and gentle...patient, bearing with one another in love." (see Ephesians 4:2-3)

Paul tells the Ephesians to "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." And when he specifically tells wives to submit to their husbands, he also tells husbands to love their wives "just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" -- in other words, the husband is to love his wife sacrificially and as his own body. (see  Ephesians 5:21-33). Without getting into the whole "submit to husbands" issue here, my point is that believers are to submit to each other (for each other's good) and husbands are to cherish and nurture their wives.

The Bible does address some cases of Church discipline toward its members, as when Paul told the Corinthians that they should not associate with people who claim to be Christians but who are sexually immoral, greedy, idolaters, slanderers, drunkards, or swindlers. (1 Cor 5:9-11) The context is that a church member was having sex with his father's wife, and the church members at Corinth didn't seem to have a problem with this. Paul made the point that immorality within the church would spread and damage it. But in his next letter to the Corinthians, Paul instructs them not to punish someone too severely but to, "forgive and comfort" the person after administering the church's discipline (2 Corinthians 3:4-11).

Rosebud3, I don't see your husband's style of "Christianity" in the Bible.

     Thank-you for taking the time to write this. Both my husband and I know these scriptures through and through. He had been under a lot of job pressure and I think when these things come up our weakness shows up. I am also considered clinically depressed so my perception of things is magnified to the negative. I also wanted to say that my children are grown and are doing well as can be. So, though my daughter and husband have a clash of wills, stubborn etc. it is not right under this roof.  It was odd the other day when I was dealing with this a Baptist man showed up at my door and I never answer my door. He just tapped lightly and he was shining with the Holy Spirit so I discussed a few of these issues with him and he also had some helpful scriptures.It was a brief talk, but quite meanngful for me.

I think I sometimes have an issue with seeing God as an angry man and also I just can't believe my beloved friends who are not christians,and have died ,are in hell.

God sees the big picture and his justice is flawless. I have to belive that he knows what he's doing -- whether or not we understand what he's doing.

Christians are often guilty of overly dwelling on one side or another of God's character. Christian Scientists (& others) go far overboard when they presume against God's desire for justice by declaring "God is Love" in a manner that excludes His right & responsibility to judge. A judge who does not judge would be a disgrace to his robes & quickly removed from office.          

I'm sure there are many who would say that I dwell too much in the other extreme, but I say we've got to accept our guilt before a perfect & holy God before we can even begin to truly understand love. "God is love" is found in 1John 4:8, & while CSists may shout this phrase from the rooftops, I can promise you the three subsequent verses will only elicit whispers in the basement from them.   

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1John 4:8-11            

They, as well as others, ignore the rest of the story because that ugly three letter word-sin- is therein. Mercy is a derivative of love, but if sin is not real, & so there is no judgment, how is God therefore merciful? In 1John 4:10, God in fact defines the term "love" for us by pointing us to His Son's willing acceptance of the cross. The Father re-directed His necessary judgment for our sin to His only Son- the only perfect man to ever tread this earth, & so the only one capable of bearing our judgment. The thief on the cross next to Jesus knew he was only bearing man's judgment for his sin; he knew God's judgment was still in waiting. That is why he rebuked the other thief’s arrogance & cried out to Jesus for mercy.The measure of God's love in Christ for His children is always equal to the measure of His children's sin.       

So I say- in order to know the measure of His love for you, you must comprehend the measure of your sin against Him. And in the presence of His perfect holiness- all sin- is sin against Him.          

“Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.” Romans 11:22-23    

zoarean