Sin comes under the judgment of God, in that it contradicts his nature and opposes his purposes.
God's judgment on sin
God is the judge of sin
Isaiah 26:21 See also Psalm 99:8; Isaiah 13:11; Amos 3:14; Zephaniah 1:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:6
For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
God's judgment is certain
Romans 2:12 See also Psalm 37:38; Proverbs 11:21; Hebrews 9:27
All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
God's judgment is in proportion to the seriousness of the sin
Jeremiah 21:14 See also Deuteronomy 25:2; Isaiah 59:18; Matthew 7:1–5; Luke 12:47–48; Romans 2:5–6
I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in your forest that will consume everything around you.’”
God's judgment under the Sinaitic covenant
Exodus 20:5 parallel Deuteronomy 5:9 The Sinaitic covenant makes references to the judgment of future generations for the sins of their parents but, as a principle, this is abolished by later prophets. Leviticus 26:14–39; Deuteronomy 28:15–68; Jeremiah 31:29–30; Ezekiel 18:1–32
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
John the Baptist and Jesus Christ warn of judgment
Matthew 3:10 parallel Luke 3:9 See also Matthew 3:12, Matthew 7:19, Matthew 12:36–37; Mark 9:42–49
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Ways in which God judges sin
God causes sin to bring evil to the sinner
2 Chronicles 6:23 See also Deuteronomy 19:19; Esther 7:10; Psalm 7:15–16; Isaiah 30:13
then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
God abandons people
Isaiah 64:7 See also Deuteronomy 31:17–18; Joshua 7:11–12; Lamentations 4:16; Ezekiel 39:23–24
No one calls on Your name or strives to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
Unrepentant sinners to be expelled from the church
Matthew 18:17 See also 1 Corinthians 5:1–13
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
God exercises judgment through a country's legal system
1 Peter 2:14 See also Romans 13:3–4
or to governors as those sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.
Untimely death is God's judgment on all sin
Genesis 2:17 See also Leviticus 20:1–17; 1 Chronicles 10:13; Proverbs 11:19; Romans 1:32; 1 Corinthians 11:29–30
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
Sinners are excluded from the kingdom of God
Revelation 22:15 See also 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians 5:9–21; Revelation 21:27
But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Occasions of God's judgment on sin
OT examples
Genesis 3:16–24 expulsion from Eden; Genesis 6:1–7:24 the flood; Genesis 18:20–19:29 Sodom and Gomorrah; Deuteronomy 9:1–5 The Canaanites (the Anakites were earlier inhabitants of Canaan).; 2 Kings 17:7–23, 2 Kings 24:10–20
The destruction of Jerusalem
God's final judgment of the world
Revelation 21:8 See also Isaiah 66:24; Matthew 25:31–46; 2 Thessalonians 1:8–9; 2 Peter 3:7; Jude 1:7
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.