Judgment

Most people think that God is a God of love & grace but not of justice!  They believe that no matter what they do, in the end, the good outweighs the bad & they will experience the love & grace of God but not judgment.
They couldn't be more wrong! One brief look at Hebrews 2:2-3 ought to convince anyone otherwise. The writer's point is this: Since the Old Testament makes it clear that transgression and disobedience met with severe and just punishment, how much more so will equal or greater punishment be rendered under the New Testament, which was revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself? Both the Old and New Testaments confirm that angels were instrumental in bringing the law (Deut. 33:2; Acts 7:38). The law the angels spoke, primarily the Ten Commandments, was steadfast. This means if someone broke the law, the law would break the lawbreaker. The law was inviolable; punishment for breaking  it was certain.

Transgression [strong's # 3847]refers to stepping across a line—a willful, purposeful sin.
Disobedience, [strong's # 3876/3878-inattention; neglect to hear] however, refers to imperfect hearing—the sin of shutting one's ears to the commands, warnings, and invitations of God. It is a sin of neglect or omission, doing nothing when something should be done.

Hebrews 2:2 also puts to rest the notion that God is not fair. The writer says every sin received a "just recompense" [compensation].
God, by His very nature, is just. Every punishment He meted out to those who defied Him was a deterrent to the sin He wanted to stop.
God severely punished the nation of Israel because they knew better. That leads to the important principle that punishment is always related to how much truth one knows but rejects. The person who knows the gospel, who has intellectually understood it and believed it, yet drifts away will experience the severest punishment of all.
This has given me a greater appreciation of the punishment He has saved me from!  That is why I share what I have learned and am continuing to learn.  I want those I know to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus & those who are already walking with the Lord to grow---exponentially!
~Christ's attitude toward those who know the truth yet rebel against it:
Matthew 11:20-24, wow!  Everyone [even unbelievers] has heard of Sodom [But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”] 12:38-42, and Luke 12:47-48 

All my life I have heard "To whom much is given, much is required" but in reference to being a teacher.  After reading & studying, I realize it is much more than just teaching God's word properly & correctly.  It is about knowing the gospel, intellectually understanding it & at one time having believed it but drifting away from it.  Thank God He continued to woo me to Him even using circumstances in my life that I thought were undesirable.  I pray today that you will examine your heart & life & see if you are where you need to be with God.

***As always, I would love to hear your comments [even if you disagree!] & if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask & if I don't know the answer, I will get it for you!***