--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not possible that a just God should…" description: "\"It is not possible that a just God should forgive people who are wicked because another person who was good endured agony by being nailed to a cross.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/rebecca-west-1248_agony_it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-shoul_1337938.jpg" --- # It is not possible that a just God should forgive people… ![“It is not possible that a just God should forgive people who are wicked because another person who was good endured agony by being nailed to a cross.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/rebecca-west-1248_agony_it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-shoul_1337938.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/rebecca-west-1248_agony_it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-shoul_1337938.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/rebecca-west-1248_agony_it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-shoul_1337938.jpg) > “It is not possible that a just God should forgive people who are wicked because another person who was good endured agony by being nailed to a cross.” [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A just deity cannot reconcile forgiving wickedness with the suffering of the innocent. **In simple terms:** Divine justice seems contradictory. Key Takeaway Question the consistency of divine justice. Themes theology morality justice suffering Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical theological When to use this quote - debates on forgiveness - theodicy discussions - religious counseling Key Concepts philosophy ethics Questions to Reflect On - Can suffering be reconciled with divine love? - What alternative explanations exist for divine forgiveness? A Different Perspective Assumes a monolithic view of God, ignoring diverse theological perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) [Crosses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crosses/) [Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive/) [Forgive People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive-people/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [God Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-forgive/) [Just God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-god/) [Nailed Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nailed-cross-727810/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Wicked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wicked/) ## Related quotes > [The best of what we do and are, Just God, forgive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-best-of-what-we-do-and-are-just-god-forgive/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [Forgive people so that God may Forgive you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/forgive-people-so-that-god-may-forgive-you/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“So Allah has to deny perfect justice in order to be merciful. There’s no penalty for wrongdoing if you have done enough good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gregory/so-allah-has-to-deny-perfect-justice-in-order-to-be-merciful-there-s/) [David Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gregory/) > [For all those who make such stories which are not true, I only say God forgive all these people. I feel sorry for them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/for-all-those-who-make-such-stories-which-are-not-true-i-only-say-god/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Since I only got one life to ive, God forgive me for my sins, let me make it and i'll never steal again, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/since-i-only-got-one-life-to-ive-god-forgive-me-for-my-sins-let-me/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Believe in Him and not trust in Him? You might as well say, the Jews did love Him when they nailed Him to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/believe-in-him-and-not-trust-in-him-you-might-as-well-say-the-jews/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If Jesus had been a hunchback, they could hardly have nailed him to the cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/if-jesus-had-been-a-hunchback-they-could-hardly-have-nailed-him-to/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [The neurotic is nailed to the cross of his fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/the-neurotic-is-nailed-to-the-cross-of-his-fiction/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [“Of all the gods nailed to the cross, Discord was the most beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-labiner/of-all-the-gods-nailed-to-the-cross-discord-was-the-most-beautiful/) [Norah Labiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-labiner/) > [Jesus is a half-naked guy, hanging, nailed to a cross, and then people wear that around their neck, and then those are the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/jesus-is-a-half-naked-guy-hanging-nailed-to-a-cross-and-then-people/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [Mistakes are teachers of life, Trials are molders of the strong, Defeats are coaches of the brave, Hope gives you chances and above all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mistakes-are-teachers-of-life-trials-are-molders-of-the-strong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“No men can save himself, that's why Jesus was nailed on the cross.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evans-biya/no-men-can-save-himself-that-s-why-jesus-was-nailed-on-the-cross/) [Evans Biya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evans-biya/) > [At the cross God wrapped his heart in flesh and blood and let it be nailed to the cross for our redemption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/at-the-cross-god-wrapped-his-heart-in-flesh-and-blood-and-let-it-be/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [God is Love. We eventually have to ask ourselves the question; why was Love nailed to a cross?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/god-is-love-we-eventually-have-to-ask-ourselves-the-question-why-was/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [Easter was when they nailed Him to the cross. And He never said a mumbling word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/easter-was-when-they-nailed-him-to-the-cross-and-he-never-said-a/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Rebecca West > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“There is, of course, no reason for the existence of the male sex except that sometimes one needs help with moving the piano.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-of-course-no-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-male-sex-except/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“At the top of a hill our automobile stuck in a snowdrift. Peasants ran out of a cottage near by, shouting with laughter because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/at-the-top-of-a-hill-our-automobile-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-peasants-ran/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [We all drew on the comfort which is given out by the major works of Mozart, which is as real and material as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/we-all-drew-on-the-comfort-which-is-given-out-by-the-major-works-of/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Christianity must be regarded not as a final revelation but as a phase of revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/christianity-must-be-regarded-not-as-a-final-revelation-but-as-a/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Art and propaganda have this much connection, that if a propaganda makes art impossible, it is clearly damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/art-and-propaganda-have-this-much-connection-that-if-a-propaganda/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The American struggle for the vote was much more difficult than the English for the simple reason that it was much more easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-american-struggle-for-the-vote-was-much-more-difficult-than-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ Like all bad drivers, he \[Henry Andrews\] thought he was the best driver in the world... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/like-all-bad-drivers-he-henry-andrews-thought-he-was-the-best-driver/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The childhood of the individual and the race is full of fears, and panic-stricken attempts to avert what is feared by placating the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-childhood-of-the-individual-and-the-race-is-full-of-fears-and/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Humanity is never more sphinxlike than when it is expressing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/humanity-is-never-more-sphinxlike-than-when-it-is-expressing-itself/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [a good oyster cannot please the palate as acutely as a bad one can revolt it, and a good oyster cannot make him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-good-oyster-cannot-please-the-palate-as-acutely-as-a-bad-one-can/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or stand up to Him. I often have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-there-is-a-god-i-don-t-think-he-would-demand-that-anyone-bow-down/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/any-authentic-work-of-art-must-start-an-argument-between-the-artist/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-has-never-been-a-period-in-history-when-there-have-been/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) [Explore all 264 Rebecca West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## More Agony quotes > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“aaron would not come out aaron entered into agony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/aaron-would-not-come-out-aaron-entered-into-agony/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [As we look upon that agony and those tearful prayers, let us not only look with thankfulness; but let that kneeling Saviour teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/as-we-look-upon-that-agony-and-those-tearful-prayers-let-us-not-only/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Love masters agony; the soul that seemed Forsaken feels her present God again And in her Father's arms Contented dies away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keble/love-masters-agony-the-soul-that-seemed-forsaken-feels-her-present/) [John Keble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keble/) > [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [The cure is in the house, not brought by other hands from distant places, but by its own, in agony and blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-cure-is-in-the-house-not-brought-by-other-hands-from-distant/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [The young man shivered. He rolled the stock themes of fantasy over in his mind: cars and stockbrokers and commuters, housewives and police, agony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-young-man-shivered-he-rolled-the-stock-themes-of-fantasy-over-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Being ill like this combines shock - this time I will die - with a pain and agony that are unfamiliar, that wrench me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/being-ill-like-this-combines-shock-this-time-i-will-die-with-a-pain/) [Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/) > [One often learns more from ten days of agony than ten years of contentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/one-often-learns-more-from-ten-days-of-agony-than-ten-years-of/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [There’s been a problem, a problem eating away at me from the inside out. I’ve become weak, I’ve shown human compassion, and it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/there-s-been-a-problem-a-problem-eating-away-at-me-from-the-inside/) [Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/) > [Pay special attention to their agony so I might take some pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/pay-special-attention-to-their-agony-so-i-might-take-some-pleasure/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Die, enemies of Ra!" Sekhemet yelled. "Perish in agony!" "She's almost as annoying as you," I told Horus. "Impossible," Horus said. "No one bests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/die-enemies-of-ra-sekhemet-yelled-perish-in-agony-she-s-almost-as/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) [Browse all 813 Agony quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not possible that a just God should forgive people who are wicked because another person who was good endured agony by being nailed to a cross.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-should-forgive-people-who-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agony" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-should-forgive-people-who-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/rebecca-west-1248_agony_it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-shoul_1337938.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/rebecca-west-1248_agony_it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-shoul_1337938.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/rebecca-west-1248_agony_it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-shoul_1337938.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is not possible that a just God should forgive people who are wicked because another person who was good…” — Rebecca West", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rebecca West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is not possible that a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-should-forgive-people-who-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/it-is-not-possible-that-a-just-god-should-forgive-people-who-are/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```