Northgate Christian Community

Chris Parker Continuing with the Kingdom Culture series, Pastor Chris taught that the culture of the kingdom is not about divine retribution but is instead about the manifestation of the kingdom on earth as in heaven. Divine retribution (or retribution theology) is the idea that people receive from God, whether good or bad, what they deserve. While we might reject this as being inconsistent with the character of God we see revealed in Jesus, we often hear and sometimes think that tragedies (such as natural disasters, illnesses, car accidents, etc.) are in some way a judgement for sin. Basically, if you’re asking the question, “What did I do to deserve this?” you are assuming a theology of retribution. This is not only a common way of thinking in our day, but it also permeated the Jewish worldview of Jesus’ day. Jesus’ disciples encounter a man who was born blind and ask, “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:3). Jesus rejects the retributive theology that assumes someone is at