You wrote: "If we are forgiven, it's because Jesus was punished for our sins...". This is not the case. Jesus was not punished for our sins, Jesus willingly sacrificed for us, but that wasn't punishment. Jesus' resurrection showed that neither sin, nor death had a permanent hold on Him or anyone who follows Him. If we follow Jesus, those sins are forgiven. If the sins are forgiven, then there is no need for punishment of us (or of Jesus) for those sins. Jesus was not punished in our stead, because there was nothing to be punished for, the sins were forgiven (wiped out as if they had never happened).
You ask why the two punishments were fundamentally different, but there aren't two punishments. There is only one. Since Jesus wasn't punished, and since believers' sins are forgiven, the only comparison is the comparison between those who are not believers and those who are. Scripturally, those who are not believers are punished.
The question about just punishments for different sins was to make a point that I may have missed. All sin is sin, there is no greater or lesser sin. If someone has sin, the consequence is, according to scripture, eternal punishment. If someone's sin is forgiven, however, then there is no punishment. As I wrote before, it is binary, not a graduated scale. You may disagree with that, but as you said, you aren't God (and neither am I).
As to your example of your children, let's not suggest that God is torturing these souls. The punishment is known and out there, but they are choosing it themselves. Your statement that you wouldn't torture your children is good, but the story in my prior post addresses that. The father didn't wish for the daughter to suffer, she chose her suffering. The father didn't torture her, but the torture was the result of her choices. Similarly, God doesn't want any of us to be punished, eternal punishment is the result of our choices.
Re: What God is offering
You wrote: "If we are forgiven, it's because Jesus was punished for our sins...". This is not the case. Jesus was not punished for our sins, Jesus willingly sacrificed for us, but that wasn't punishment. Jesus' resurrection showed that neither sin, nor death had a permanent hold on Him or anyone who follows Him. If we follow Jesus, those sins are forgiven. If the sins are forgiven, then there is no need for punishment of us (or of Jesus) for those sins. Jesus was not punished in our stead, because there was nothing to be punished for, the sins were forgiven (wiped out as if they had never happened).
You ask why the two punishments were fundamentally different, but there aren't two punishments. There is only one. Since Jesus wasn't punished, and since believers' sins are forgiven, the only comparison is the comparison between those who are not believers and those who are. Scripturally, those who are not believers are punished.
The question about just punishments for different sins was to make a point that I may have missed. All sin is sin, there is no greater or lesser sin. If someone has sin, the consequence is, according to scripture, eternal punishment. If someone's sin is forgiven, however, then there is no punishment. As I wrote before, it is binary, not a graduated scale. You may disagree with that, but as you said, you aren't God (and neither am I).
As to your example of your children, let's not suggest that God is torturing these souls. The punishment is known and out there, but they are choosing it themselves. Your statement that you wouldn't torture your children is good, but the story in my prior post addresses that. The father didn't wish for the daughter to suffer, she chose her suffering. The father didn't torture her, but the torture was the result of her choices. Similarly, God doesn't want any of us to be punished, eternal punishment is the result of our choices.
-- continued (darn 4300 character limit)
-- Jeff