Biden fell off bike

[Albion]

Answer my question: who does punishment for punishment's sake benefit?

You appear to have framed the discussion in order to be able to say what you just did. There wasn't any "punishment for punishment's sake" suggested or implied anywhere.

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

Yes, there was:

Great if they repent, but that does not negate the punishment appropriate to their deeds.

 

[Fritz Kobus]

Answer my question: who does punishment for punishment's sake benefit? If a man repents of his deeds and strives to do God's Will, that's all that is necessary for forgiveness of his past sins. Retributive punishment of those who truly repent is not something good.

The question of what does punishment for punishment's sake benefit is one I will leave up to God who has told us that evildoers are to be punished:

Romans 13:4 "For he [the ruler] is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

Romans 12:19b "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

If someone has gravely wronged us, perhaps killed our child by drunk driving, or with a gun while robbing them, we should be willing to forgive that person, and even to help them to rehabilitate themselves, but also we should not just drop the charges, but leave it for the state, acting as God's agent to provide appropriate punishment. Vist them in jail, provide assistance to their family who will be in need because he is no longer able to work being in jail. Show the person that we love them regardless of the crime. If the state proceeds with the death penalty, we can still offer them words of comfort and help the family. But we do not want to circumvent God's rightful justice.

 

[tango]

If someone has gravely wronged us, perhaps killed our child by drunk driving, or with a gun while robbing them, we should be willing to forgive that person, and even to help them to rehabilitate themselves, but also we should not just drop the charges, but leave it for the state, acting as God's agent to provide appropriate punishment. Vist them in jail, provide assistance to their family who will be in need because he is no longer able to work being in jail. Show the person that we love them regardless of the crime. If the state proceeds with the death penalty, we can still offer them words of comfort and help the family. But we do not want to circumvent God's rightful justice.

Largely what I was thinking. God will forgive us and take away eternal spiritual consequences for what we have done. That doesn't mean that earthly secular consequences necessarily go away. If anything it may be that we show true repentance by freely submitting to secular consequences, maybe turning ourselves in to the police if we've done something particularly wrong.