Divine Discipline-Heb. 12:4-13

I heard a preacher once say something that stopped me dead in my tracks. In a message on a passage similar to the one we will be looking at today, he made the following comment, “I wonder how often when we pray we are asking for God to remove something that He, in fact, intended for our lives.” What made this idea even more shocking was when he continued by saying, “Sometimes, when we believe we are praying against Satan/evil, we may in fact be praying against what God has allowed for our own growth.” His point for us in that message was instead of praying for escape from a hardship, we might do well to pray for growth in the midst of a hardship. A similar sentiment will be reached as we look at Hebrews 12:4-13 and learn about God’s program of discipline in the lives of believers. So often, especially in our “feel-good culture” in which nearly everything exists to make us more comfortable and alleviate any and all pain imaginable, at the first sign of difficulty, adversity, or tribulation, we ring up God and say, “Get me out of here!” or “Remove this from me!” And yet, many times we fail to recognize that God has allowed that very situation in the first place for our benefit. If we are not careful, we can squander an opportunity for God to teach us something or make us more into His image by forfeiting from a situation rather than learning to endure it. In Hebrews 12:4-13, we learn how not to waste the discipline that God administers in the life of believers. To this end we will be looking at four groups of statements made in this very important passage.

The Recollections-12:4-5

Drawing from the truth represented in the last three verses, the preacher continues his encouragement to the congregation by calling the people to recollect what Jesus has done on its behalf. In 12:1-3, Jesus’ suffering was considered as a motivation to persevere for those who were enduring hardship in the world as believers. However, though parallels can be drawn between the suffering of Christ and the suffering of His followers, it is not at all congruent. As the preacher begins in verse 4, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.” In other words, though this church was persecuted and was made to face all kinds of trials, nothing they faced up to this point was close to what Jesus faced as He sacrificed Himself for the world. Therefore, though they could gain strength from knowing that Jesus suffered like them and yet was able to endure, they could also be encouraged by reminding themselves that Jesus suffered far worse than they had.

With this perspective in mind, the preacher continues by referencing an ancient encouragement from Proverbs 3:11ff., “and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives’” (12:5-6). These words remind the mature believer that when hardship strikes, they should accept it as God’s method of training. Not only that, but these should look on such trials as a token of God’s parental love for them.

Because of my love for my children, I hold them to a high standard. This necessarily leads to discipline, sometimes of a painful sort. My intention in this discipline is for my children to know what to say and what not to say, where to go and not go, and what to do and not do. The special love that I have for my children is witnessed, though it may not feel like it at the time, In sharp remarks made and the slaps on the hand administered. I do not discipline other people’s kids in part because they do not belong to me and are therefore not objects of my special parental love.

If last we looked ahead for motivation to run the race of life, today we look around for motivation to live the life God has called us to live.  There, we find that our pain, suffering, trials, and tribulations are not without purpose. Even in our struggles, God in His discipline is working to make us more into His image, ready to inherit what is coming our way. From this we learn that God provides both future hope and present sanctification as motivation to persevere.

The Realizations-12:7-8

This realization is exactly what the preacher reveals next in verses 7-8. In verse 7 the preacher continues by saying, “it is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?...”. In the ancient world a father would spend much care and patience on the upbringing of a trueborn son whom he hoped to make a worthy heir. The family name and the continuance of tradition played a much larger role in that day. Therefore, such a son might have to undergo much more irksome discipline than an illegitimate child for whom no future of honor and responsibility was envisaged.

“but if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (12:8). Undergoing discipline in the Christian life is one of the proofs of salvation. Without the presence of discipline, one might need to question one’s legitimacy in the family of God. Why? Because as this verse teaches, discipline is to the child of God as endurance is to the long-distance runner. The two go hand in hand.

When this is kept in mind, one is able to maintain a more hopeful and redemptive perspective on whatever life throws his or her way. If adversity is understood in the Christian life as God’s discipline, then when tragedy strikes or bad news comes, so too does an opportunity to learn something and grow more like Christ as a result. Such an opportunity in the midst of hardship is not awarded to those outside the family of God. Though the world as a whole is loved by God, only His children receive His special tough love that makes them more like Him.

The Reminders-12:9-11

Next, the preacher reminds his congregation of how trustworthy the discipline of the God is toward His children by setting up a simple argument from the lesser to the greater in verse 9, “furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?...”. In the ancient world, before a young man or woman came of age, he are she generally subjected themselves to the discipline of his or her father. These accepted such discipline knowing that it was the parent’s province to impose standards and their subsequent duty to respect it, follow it, learn from it, and adapt to it. If this is how the discipline of earthly parents was generally respected within the family unit of the first century, how much more, the preacher argues, should believers willingly subject themselves to the discipline of their heavenly father?

Continuing with this argument, the preacher goes on to say, “for they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness,…” (12:10). In other words, the discipline of one’s heavenly Father should be respected, even more than one’s earthly father was in the early years of life, for the following reasons. First, the heavenly Father’s discipline is eternally fruitful, not temporarily useful. While an earthly father disciplines for a short time before a child reaches adulthood, the heavenly Father’s discipline is life-long and eternally significant. Second, while the discipline of earthly fathers was conducted in ways that seemed “best to them,” the discipline of the heavenly Father is perfect. Third, while the discipline of earthly fathers may yield respectful members of society and proud members of a family line, the discipline of the heavenly Father yields holiness! For all of these reasons, the discipline of God should be respected, followed, and even embraced.

However, this is no easy charge, especially considering that “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful;…” (12:11).

When I slap my son’s hand after he tests me by touching something I’ve repeatedly told him not to touch, he does not smile and tell me “thank you.” When I scold my daughter for disobeying me, she does not embrace me in that moment exclaiming, “What a wonderful dad I have who loves me enough to yell at me when I’m not behaving! I’m so blessed!” NO! Instead, they whimper, cry, hide themselves, or, in many cases, run to mommy. Why? Because discipline hurts and it is human nature to react to pain with sorrow.

The same is true of spiritual discipline. No one gleefully anticipates hardship and smiles through grief and loss. However, “to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (12:11). In other words, the spiritually mature are able to appreciate the lessons learned and spiritual maturation accomplished within the struggles that God allows in their lives. Such a mindset requires a more sophisticated kind of living that is only accomplished by those with the Holy Spirit. Those controlled by the Spirit (children of God) are those who can be trained by adversity, not overwhelmed by it.

As a result of such training, children of God witness the fruit of righteousness. The discipline of God is not wasted on His people; it generates Christ-likeness.

The Revelations-12:12-13

So then, what is the believer’s responsibility in lieu of God’s perfect discipline in his or her life? The preacher says, “therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight the paths for your feet” (12:12-13a). If discipline and the Christian life go hand and hand, one should prepare adequately for it so that it can have its desired affect—training in righteousness. To this end, the believer ought to do his or her part to strengthen his/herself and straighten up his or her act. In so doing, the believer partners with God in His program of sanctification and grows instead of caves under the pressure.

It does my heart good to see my children strengthen their resolve to obey me or straighten up their act following an episode of discipline that either I or their mother administer. When I no longer have to remind my kids to do or not do something or worry so much that they are going to get into this or that, I know that discipline is having its desired effect. The same is true in our relationship with God. Positive and corrective changes in our lives—i.e. when we strengthen our hands that are weak, knees that are feeble, and make straight the paths for our feet—is pleasing to the Lord.

However, there is another option that one could take. It is the option that the preacher is preaching against in this verse—“so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed” (12:13b). One can either respond to the discipline of God with strength and straightening or with painful sprains. The words used here are quite graphic, in fact. Those who do not prepare for the discipline of God run the risk of spraining a leg (spiritually speaking). This, to be sure, might be necessary at times for the victim to learn his or her own limitations and subsequently his or her dependency on God. However, it can be prevented if in the face of discipline, one strengthens his/her hands and knees and straightens the path of his/her feet.

The result of God’s discipline in the life of a believer can lead either to pain or to healing—that is spiritual healing toward righteousness. The former is the result of an undisciplined and unprepared life. The latter is the result of a mature life that welcomes and embraces the lessons God wants to teach.

So What?

One of the most encouraging verses in all of the Scriptures that reiterates many of the points made in this short passage is found in Romans 8:28. It says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” This timeless principle extends to the discipline that God allows in the life of a believer. If, as Hebrews 12:4-13 teaches, God disciplines those He loves, then even the painful trials one faces that prove sorrowful for the moment, can be redeemed of God for good. Specifically, as it pertains to the Christian life, God’s discipline can bring about sanctification and the fruit of righteousness. 

Therefore, believers would do well to take a mature and spiritual approach to the difficulties they face—understanding that God is at work even in the midst of heartache. With this mindset, believers ought to welcome even the tough love of God and, as a result, prepare accordingly by strengthening their weak hands and feeble knees and straightening the path of their feet. Then, and only then, will the discipline of God bring healing and not a painful sprain. We must not fail to appreciate and even welcome God’s program of discipline in our lives. When we do this, we waste the opportunity to be made more like Him in this life in preparation for the next.