I am reminded of the story of the man who lived in a home for the mentally ill. So I see in this passage the precious teaching that God reigns over the hazards of our circumstances and over the health of our bodies and over the hostility of our adversaries and He designs all of life ultimately as a loving father's discipline. When you find yourself in difficult circumstances, seek to discern through the Word and prayer whether your suffering is from nature, from God, or from Satan. the We realized that they were interested in our welfare, and we paid them respect. ALSO GOD'S DISCIPLINE? Moody Press, Notes and quotes on suffering and trials - 1Peter 1:6-, Exposition on how God uses suffering in the life of a saint - 2 Cor 12:9-, Exposition on present pain versus future joy - Matthew 5:10, 11, 12-, faint - He 12:3,4; Josh 7:7, 8, 9, 10, 11; 2Sa 6:7, 8, 9, 10; 1Chr 13:9, 10, 11, 12, 13; 15:12,13; Ps 6:1,2; 2Co 4:8,9; 12:9,10, Shows Father's love and Christ's love for us - Heb 12:6, Christ = Re 3:19, Produces endurance, "perfection" (having reached the intended goal); "completion" (perfectly sound) Jas 1:3, 4-, To let us know what is in our heart Dt 8:2 (note that Dt 8:2 describes God's testing as discipline), Proves we are His legitimate sons (& His heirs) He 12:8-, Way of life (reproofs for discipline) Pr 6:23, Being Subject to God's discipline yields true "life", life indeed (Jn 10:10 type life!, cp Christ our life Col 3:4) He 12:9-, Removes foolishness from our heart - Pr 22:15, Allows us to share God's holiness - He 12:10-, Peaceful fruit that is the result of a righteous life He 12:11-, That we may not be condemned along with the world - 1Cor 11:32 (Note the effects of taking the Lord's Supper without confession - weak, sick, sleep - 1Cor 11:30), Tested proven faith results in praise and glory and honor at Christ's return 1Pe 1:7-, He who regards reproof will be honored. He said, "My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. —D. (Ru 1:13-note). BDAG has these secular uses of paradechomai… Receive erroneous teachings…Take back a wife who was dismissed for adultery Hm 4, 1, 8a; pass. Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for me; sanctification is God’s idea of what He wants to do for me, and He has to get me into the attitude of mind and spirit where at any cost I will let Him sanctify me wholly (O. It is a massive statement about the gracious sovereignty of God over the evil that befalls his people. BUT IF YE BE WITHOUT CHASTISEMENT, WHEREOF ALL ARE PARTAKERS, THEN ARE YE BASTARDS, AND NOT SONS" (Hebrews 12:6-8). In affliction, look to Jesus as our Forerunner, who was Himself so tried; to God as our Father, who has appointed the trial, as the safeguard against fainting. 12:5–8. "It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons.". Is God perfecting you? 1:2, 7f; 3:11; 4:1, 13; 5:12; 6:23; 8:10; 10:17; 12:1; 13:18; 15:5, 10, 32f; 16:17, 22; 17:8; 19:20, 27; 22:15; 23:12; 24:32; 25:1; Isa. This chastening is not always because we have sinned. To refute (prove wrong by argument or evidence, 4) show to be false or erroneous). As some flowers before shedding their fragrance require to be crushed, so does your God think it suitable to bruise you. Later he came to them and stilled the storm; but the entire experience revealed to the men how weak their faith really was. Hebrews 12:6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES. I have noticed among the youths of our church that the teenagers who have inclinations toward tobacco, drugs, and alcohol are usually those who come from homes where there is little discipline. The successful runner must exercise discipline and submit to training. His justice must be avenged, His law must be honored, and His commands must have their dignity maintained. His wonders to perform; This was vividly illustrated in the history of the children of Israel: God "chose them in the furnace of affliction," and many and bitter were their trials ere they reached the promised land. Of course, plenty of faithful believers have experienced severe financial hardship, and many have even died from exposure, thirst, hun­ger, disease, and worse. So that their offspring might show them reverence (respect) and obey what they command. In other words, God has a purpose and a design in what is happening to us. I'm sure the caller didn't either. Yet we respected them for their efforts which we recognized were meant for our good. On the one hand, the difficulties and sufferings come from man; on the other hand, they could not be happening unless God permitted them and therefore they come from Him. In his later years, when he had grandchildren, he went to see his daughter and they were having tea in their home. Even now, He is working on us. Praise God, He trains us in love, not as a duty-bound policeman. Third, we will ask if it has a purpose or design and what is it? It is always for our profit. But when I look back through the wisdom of years, But He has to get me into the state of mind and spirit where I will allow Him to sanctify me completely, whatever the cost (1Th 5:23, 24-notes). “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth;” it is a token of his favour to us that he takes the trouble to remove our love of sin by sharp and bitter pain. The positives, “to live sensibly, righteously, godly.” All of this because, Titus 2:14, “God redeemed us to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” And Titus 2:15 says, “Don’t let anyone get around this truth. So I’m simply going to give up on everything." Courage, brothers, these are small matters to faint about! You simply become a fatalist and say, "Well, I'm having trouble. How much more should we accept the discipline of our God, Who makes no mistakes and Who aims at enabling us to share His own perfect character! Pain is fraught with precious results (Heb. Despite persecution, and what felt … Some may have even endured a great fight of afflictions. He masterminds His bright designs Yet through it all--dark days or bright-- Paideia is a broad term, signifying whatever parents and teachers do to train, correct, cultivate, and educate children in order to help them develop and mature as they ought. The guide raced after him, tackled him, and dragged him back to the path. Is it bereavement that has swept your heart and desolated your dwelling? God's Own Only begotten Son was literally scourged (John 19:1). But he has told you what you need to know: it is the love of an all-wise Father to a child. —Bowring Yet, hail each blow; for each sting and smart cries to thee that thou art being received into the inner circle of love. We all need to remember the warning in Heb 2:1 (note). In Context Parallel Compare. 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? We can become callous and unteachable if we do not learn from pain. Every tender point touched- sickness, bereavement, poverty- perhaps all of these. I’ve had the heartbreaking experience of counseling families torn apart by the unexpected pregnancy of a young daughter. The enemy of our souls does not want us to know the truth about God's love and that even discipline from the hand of the Almighty is a definite manifestation of His love (Heb 12:6) and has incredible benefits now and throughout eternity (cp 1Ti 4:7, 8-note). They must cut them back sharp to get sweet clusters.The Lord does thus with His beloved. 3, no. We ought to be in subjection. Every trial comes from God as a call to come away from the world to Him, to trust Him, to believe in His love. Aged Jacob exclaimed at first, "All these things are against me;" but at last he had a calmer and a more just verdict, "His spirit revived!". Chastisement evidences our Divine sonship. An attitude of indifference or arrogance places us on dangerous spiritual footing. There is also peace instead of war-"the peaceable fruit of righteousness." No, it proceeds from God's goodness and faithfulness, and is one of the greatest blessings for which we have to thank Him. Delighting in our words of praise, When we think about disciplining our children, it would be a lot easier if they would just submit to a grounding with an “okay, Dad. In divine chastisement, God acts as a Father. Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for me; sanctification is God’s idea of what He wants to do for me, and He has to get me into the attitude of mind and spirit where at any cost I will let Him sanctify me wholly. If we believe an earthly father should continue disciplining his children—knowing that from time to time his discipline will be unjustified or imperfectly administered—how much more supportive should we be of a perfect, omnipotent, heavenly Father who disciplines His children? 2:12; 18:35; 50:17; 119:66; Pr. Proverbs 10:17 He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who forsakes reproof goes astray. They are not a sign of His displeasure, but a sign that He regards us as genuine children…(Hebrews 12:9, 10, 11) adduce a second reason for patient endurance: our earthly fathers disciplined us when we were children, even though they doubtless made mistakes. When "the Beloved" comes down from the Mountain of Myrrh and the Hill of Frankincense to His Garden on earth. Absolutely no compromise is possible. Notice he says, “He scourges every son whom He receives.” …, A scourge was a leather whip or a stick used to discipline slaves and criminals. Just think what would happen if we acted like this in any other area of our lives! If we are not careful, we will interpret God’s discipline for the opposite of what it really is. 5:3; Da. And even though the offense may be confessed and put away, so long as affliction lasts there is a subdued temper of heart and mind, which is most favorable to religious growth. Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, But he who regards reproof will be honored. Hebrews 11:1 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] Hebrews 11:1, NIV: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Jowett explains: "The purpose of God's chastening is not punitive but CREATIVE. Charles Stanley rightly reminds us that "The writer of Hebrews knew all too well our tendency not to take the discipline of God as seriously as we should. So the suffering in view is mainly persecution in various forms, short of martyrdom. I would conclude that you are reading in the NIV version of the Bible, and thus are referring to Hebrews 12:6: NIV Hebrews 12:6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." We are to take it seriously: “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord” (Heb. 12:11). More purity give me, more strength to o'ercome, God's chastening is proof that we are indeed His children! It’s the grace of God that instructs us, that is the same grace that sets us free in Galatians. In others, homes which were as full of merry voices as the woods in spring of sweet-voiced choristers are empty and silent. Note, in the sixth verse, that we are to expect sharp blows from God’s chastening hand. We find that an alienation had been widening the breach between God and our souls, which, if it had proceeded further, must have involved moral ruin. My Father, Lord, my King. When the disciples got away from the land, a fierce storm arose and almost sank the ship. Beware above everything, in your Christian life, of casting away your boldness, of becoming impatient, of losing courage. With exquisite features and teeth of pure pearl, If we respected our imperfect earthly fathers when they disciplined us, how much more should we respect our heavenly Father? They are not to be welcomed or favorably received but in fact ignored by turning a deaf ear, in so doing protecting the reputation of the elder from false accusations. Jesus had fed more than 5,000 people and they wanted to make him king. - Alistair Begg, "Discipline begets abundance. In this chapter, the writer of Hebrews wants them to understand their position and relationship with Christ. He brought Jonah within an inch of his life. Disciplining my children did not cause them to turn against me. They cannot imagine a loving God inflicting pain on His children. Paradechomai in some contexts conveys the sense of to delight in. Is there a limit to the adversity He might send? Hebrews 12:5-7 - Here is a little variation in the subject. Consider Him. 2). One of the reasons we fall into sin so easily is that we forget God will discipline us when we step out of bounds. a. As the Lord looks and finds something to rebuke, He then uses the rod on every one of us. And learn from it. There is nothing capricious in His dealings. In Corinth, Christians died under the chastening hand of GOD while out of fellowship . Lord, reveal Thyself to us! This is always the result of an undisciplined spiritual nature.—Oswald Chambers, You can judge the quality of their faith from the way they behave. (McGee, J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson) (Listen to Dr McGee's Mp3's on Hebrews 12). A person who can practice sin, live in sin, enjoy sin and prosper therein without the chastening hand of GOD upon him, has never been truly born into GOD's Grace by the power of the Blood of JESUS CHRIST. If we respond to our Father's chastening hand, we can enjoy a life without regret. Through out its life he could punish it as he chose. (You have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons. But his end could only be reached at the cost of untold sorrow, even unto death. But it is not yet martyrdom, though that could come. The Lord is never "against us," not even when He chastens us (Heb 12:5, 6). Teach you manners!" Only now they were but a hard, dull laying on until the stick broke. He proved this by wonderfully providing for her and Ruth after they returned to Israel. That is not discipline. The first chapter of Hebrews begins by pointing out that God does, in fact, speak to His people. emptying me from vessel to vessel! Able to absorb water through the nicks and scratches they acquired on their downhill plunge, they finally begin to grow. Real wholeness is not easy, but it is rewarding. Why do persecution, testings, trials, sickness, pain, sorrow, and trouble come into the life of the believer? The darkness, thank God, passes. "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest," Jesus said in Mt 11:28. And some of His special favorites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than anyone else." For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." He lovingly chastens His children so that they will produce the fruit of righteousness (Heb. Man's sin has put not himself only, but the whole course of nature into collision with the will and law of God; so that it groans and travails in its pains. God has punished them already in the person of Christ; Christ, their substitute, has endured the full penalty for all their guilt, and neither the justice nor the love of God can ever exact again that which Christ has paid. There is power and vitality in it: it quickens the divine life- awakens the spirit of prayer- strengthens and purifies faith- enthrones Christ supremely upon the heart- and though 'at present not joyous, but grievous, yet afterward it yields the fruits of righteousness unto those who are exercised thereby.' We may be sure of it, all that is most precious in a Christlike character--the virtues that were perfected in Him through suffering, the meekness and lowliness of heart, the gentleness and patience and submission of the Lamb of God, will come to us too if we will but consider Him. As noted it has the root idea of calling to one side to give aid and thus represents an act of encouragement or comfort. Still again, divine chastisement is sent as a preventative, to hinder pride, to save us from being unduly elated over success in God's service. They shall have such blows that each one of them shall have to cry out, “I am broken in sunder, my heart is smitten and withered like grass.” And this is to be the treatment for every son whom God receives; not for some of them, but for all. Thomas Brooks - He who has deserved a hanging—has no reason to charge the judge with cruelty—if he escapes with a whipping! Our heavenly Father understands our resistance but isn’t swayed by it. The grace of God, one, has appeared bringing salvation to all men. The Roman father possessed absolute authority. We hear of meetings where people are healed and where they talk of great victories. It is not the main one, and it is not the decisive one. The upshot then is this: if it is more difficult for God to govern the hostility of sinners against His people, and yet this passage teaches that He does just that, then why would we even think of denying the less difficult act of God's rule over natural things like hurricanes and sickness? The soul that, be it amid effort and failure, begins and gives itself to consider Jesus in separate acts of faith will be led on, and in due time receive this deeper blessing--a heart in which by the Holy Spirit looking to Jesus is its spontaneous and meet natural exercise. God’s correction is for our welfare. Now, he says that we must bear hardship and affliction because they are sent to us as a discipline from God and no life can have any value apart from discipline. Chastening is the evidence of the Father’s love. MacArthur says: The key word of Hebrews 12:4-11 is discipline, used both as a noun and a verb. Look beyond the rod, to the all-wise hand that wields it! The παράκλησις is cited from Proverbs 3:11, and includes Hebrews 12:5-6. Whether Old Testament saints or New Testament believers, the only way to access this free and eternal gift from the Father is to trust in His Word and believe in His Son. The Spirit’s coming would result in heightened conviction among unbelievers concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. So I went to Him that second time and cried, "Lord, why in the world did You let this happen to me? It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame." Why does God chasten us? Afterward we see it was worth the pain. Hebrews 12:6 - The Greek word is a strong one, and means, “whom the Lord tenderly loveth —. That’s not the biblical view of God. Then Paul changes the figure, and says, “You are the sons of God, and that is the reason why you are admitted to the arena where these sacred strugglings take place, and as you are the sons of God, you must endure the chastening rod as a part of your training.” Dear brethren in Christ, will not each one of you thankfully accept it, and say, “As this is one of the evidences of my sonship, I will thank God for every cut of the rod, and bless his holy name for every twig of it.”. The adverse circumstances of life who heeds instruction, discipline is for you to take drastic with! May result in heightened conviction among unbelievers concerning sin, but training through persecution because. Children to suffer that he suffered like you, but all things are possible coming would in. Show someone that they will produce the fruit of righteousness ( Heb 12:5 ), tlb: and he every. 12:5 ), 2 ) to convince Him that believeth to do what seems good to those have... 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