Bible Answer: Thanks for your kind email. Even though you may disagree with my article, I'm glad that it got you to study the Word of God. I have received quite a bit of mail and calls over my articles. Most of them were positive, but a few were not.

Let me say in response to your email: God does punish us as Hebrews 12 says, but not "according to the flesh" like our dads did by spanking us, but He punishes us spiritually because He is the "father of our spirits" (Heb. 12:9). He punishes us according to the Word. The Word of God is God's paddle, not lung disease.

God did not cause your lung to collapse, your smoking did. You reaped what you sowed. The fact that God warned you to stop smoking shows that God was trying to protect your from becoming sick. Can't you see that He wanted you well, just like you want your children well?

Concerning Ananias and Sapphira falling dead because they lied to the Holy Spirit, notice that the Bible does not say that God struck them dead. So don't read more into that passage than what the Bible actually says.

Concerning Herod being struck by an angel: God has a right, and in fact, an obligation to protect His people from harm. Herod was killing Christians, and God was correct to exercise defense for His children. If someone tried to kill my wife and children, I would be well within my rights to protect my family even if it meant using force to do it. This is what God did with Herod. That is far different than claiming that God makes His children sick.

Concerning 1 Corinthians 3:10-18, that Scripture is talking about judgment after we die.

Finally concerning 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, notice that the sinful man is handed over to "Satan, so that his flesh may be destroyed." Why didn't God destroy the man's flesh Himself? Why did God have to hand him over to Satan to have his flesh destroyed? Because God is not a destroyer.

I hope I've satisfied your questions.