What does retribution theology teach? Is it biblical?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Retribution theology is the belief that suffering is always the direct result of personal sin and that prosperity always proves righteousness. While the Old Testament sometimes connects obedience with blessing and disobedience with judgment (Deuteronomy 28), the Bible makes clear that this is not a universal rule. A prime example of this wrong view held by some is Job’s friends’ insistence that his suffering meant he had sinned. However, God declared they were simply wrong (Job 42:7). Jesus likewise corrected His disciples when they assumed a blind man’s condition was caused by sin (John 9:1–3). These accounts show that life’s hardships are not always tied to personal guilt.

At the same time, the Bible records moments of judgment directly tied to sin. In Corinth, Paul noted that some believers had become weak or even died because they abused the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:30). Similarly, Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying (Acts 5:1–11). So, while we cannot treat all suffering as retribution, God sometimes does punish sin immediately. Retribution theology oversimplifies God’s justice. Scripture shows that suffering can have many purposes, from testing faith to displaying God’s glory.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The Old Testament sometimes links obedience with blessing and disobedience with judgment. For example, Deuteronomy 28 outlined blessings for Israel if they kept God’s commands and curses if they did not. This arrangement between God and Israel can make it seem like every hardship is the result of sin, and every blessing the result of obedience.
• However, the book of Job challenges this assumption. Job is described as blameless (Job 1:1), yet he suffers devastating loss. Using a form of retribution theology, his friends insisted he must have sinned. But at the end of the book, God rebukes them, saying they were wrong (Job 42:7). Job’s story makes clear that suffering cannot always be traced back to personal guilt.
• The Psalms wrestle with the same tension. In Psalm 73, Asaph wrestles with why the wicked were prospering while the faithful suffer. He admitted that this, indeed, seemed unfair until one considered God’s ultimate justice. In this example, it seemed like there was no retribution for sinning. However, earthly circumstances do not always reflect God’s final judgment.
• Solomon adds to this discussion. He observed that “there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous” (Ecclesiastes 8:14). What he was saying was that sometimes the righteous suffer as if they were wicked, and sometimes the wicked prosper as if they were righteous. This observation shows how messy life can be and warns against drawing quick conclusions.
• The prophets also struggled with this. Jeremiah asked God directly: “Righteous are you, O LORD, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?” (Jeremiah 12:1). Habakkuk likewise cried, “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:13). Neither of these men altogether despaired because they knew that God’s justice is not absent, just that it doesn’t come as quickly as humans want. Retribution theology cannot account for the waiting and complexity built into God’s timing of blessing and judgment.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The New Testament also rejects the idea that suffering is always the result of personal sin. In John 9, we read that Jesus “saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him’” (John 9:1–3). While the disciples had a form of retribution theology, Jesus corrected them, dismantling retribution theology by showing that suffering can serve purposes unrelated to guilt.
• Another example is in Luke 13. There, people told Jesus about Galileans killed by Pilate and apparently about others in Siloam crushed when a tower fell. Many assumed these tragedies marked the victims as terrible sinners. Jesus denied that conclusion, replying, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5). His point was that all people are sinners and all people die and thus there was nothing retributive about those particular individuals’ deaths.
• At the same time, the New Testament records instances where God did directly punish sin. For example, in Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira sold a house and claimed to give all of the money to the church. However, they lied about how much they received for the sale of the house and were struck dead. In another example, speaking about the Lord’s Supper (communion), Paul said, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. … That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Corinthians 11:27, 30). These events remind us that God sometimes immediately judges sin, meaning some suffering is the result of sin.
• Sin does ultimately lead to death (James 1:13–15). So it should not surprise us when the natural results of our own sin are unpleasant. That is not necessarily direct judgment from God so much as it is the reality of reaping what one sows (Galatians 6:8).
• Even so, the reality of suffering in any individual’s life is not always directly correlated to their sin. Though God is just and does judge sin, and though sin does naturally bring about negative ends, God is also patient and gracious. Also, living in a world tainted by sin means living in a world of suffering irrespective of our own personal choices. We are affected by the sin of others as well as the general reality of living in a world marked by death (Genesis 3; Romans 1). In fact, sometimes it is the very act of living righteously that brings about suffering at the hands of the world system (Matthew 5:10–12; John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 3:13–17).
• Some suffering is a result of divine discipline. This is distinct from punishment or retribution. Rather, it is God’s training work of sanctification for His children (Hebrews 12:3–11).
• Whatever the specific cause of suffering, it can serve redemptive purposes. Paul explained that trials produce endurance and character (Romans 5:3–5), describing hardships as opportunities for God’s power to be displayed in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). James said to “count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4). Peter used Jesus’ example of suffering, saying “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus, being perfectly righteous, suffered!

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Retribution theology is tempting because it offers simple explanations: if something goes wrong, someone must have sinned. But Scripture warns us against making these assumptions. Like Job’s friends or the disciples with the blind man, we risk misrepresenting God when we reduce His justice to a formula.

For you, this means two things. First, do not interpret your own hardships as automatically meaning you are being punished. God may use trials to refine, teach, or show His power in ways not immediately visible. Second, do not rush to assume others are suffering because of their sin. Such judgments wound people rather than help them.

At the same time, remember that God does discipline His people (Hebrews 12:6). The stories of Corinth and of Ananias and Sapphira remind us that He is holy and that sin is serious. Therefore, we should be quick to obey. We should also be quick to willingly submit to His training in whatever form it comes, knowing that He produces righteousness in us for our good (Hebrews 12:11; Romans 12:1–2). Most importantly, we must keep in mind that ultimate justice is found in Christ. On the cross, He took the judgment we deserved, so that by faith we are no longer condemned (Romans 8; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21). Because of Him, we can trust that any suffering we face is not a sign of God’s rejection but Him growing us and accomplishing His purposes in us.

UNDERSTAND

• Retribution theology wrongly links all suffering to sin and prosperity to righteousness.
• God sometimes punishes sin directly but not always.
• Suffering is not automatically a sign of God’s rejection.

REFLECT

• How might your own struggles be shaping your faith?
• When facing hardship, do you tend to assume guilt for yourself or others? How can you allow biblical truth to shape your perspective of hardship?
• How can you seek and trust God’s purposes even when suffering doesn’t make sense?

ENGAGE

• How can we understand the biblical principle of reaping and sowing and the truth that God does discipline those He loves without claiming that all suffering is God’s punishment?
• How does retribution theology oversimplify God’s justice, and what examples from Scripture challenge it?
• How can suffering serve higher purposes beyond punishment, and what does that reveal about God’s character?