Our Father’s Discipline

Hebrews 12:4-11 speaks about the discipline of our heavenly Father. Modern man, loaded with money, boasts about individual freedom and hates the idea of discipline. In fact, some ministers teach that because Jesus kept the law, we do not have to, and, thus, we do not have to be disciplined. I suppose they could also say that it is all right to lie, to commit adultery, to murder, and to steal because Jesus kept the law for us. How foolish such people are!

What is God’s purpose in saving us from his wrath by the sacrifice of his Son? He did not do it to make us healthy, wealthy, and famous in this world. Paul writes, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight . . . For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Eph. 1:4; Rom. 8:29, italics added). Peter admonishes, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy'” (1 Pet. 1:14-15).

In Hebrews 12:14 we are told without holiness no man can see God. This beatific vision is the ultimate covenant blessing that we as redeemed creatures will experience. God’s purpose in saving us is to make us holy so that we can experience such holy communion with him. This will be our everlasting happiness. As sinful people we cannot experience fellowship with the thrice-holy God. But when Jesus saves us from our sins, he makes us perfect in holiness. Justification, then, necessarily leads to sanctification. As believers, we will deal with enemies, including the devil and this wicked world, until our deaths. But we must also remember that we are our own worst enemies because sin still dwells in us. Let us examine this idea of the Father’s discipline, which God uses to make his authentic children holy.

What Is Discipline?

First, we want to look at the biblical definition of discipline. The Hebrews were becoming weary and lazy in their minds. They were manifesting a revolt against maturity. They were developing the habit of not assembling together to hear God’s word and worship him. They were in danger of fainting and quitting Christianity altogether because of the sufferings and persecution they were experiencing. In this passage the author explains the disciplinary nature of sufferings to encourage these people to persevere in their Christian lives.

Who likes discipline in this world of great economic development and global trade? We do not need God; we have money! Even the poorest in this country are richer than most people in the world. Christian families are also not in the habit of disciplining their children.

But God has not abandoned his plan of making us holy and blameless. He still disciplines his children to achieve that goal. Ours is not a chance universe. God ordains sufferings for his people to form holy character in them. All pain that we experience, whether physical, psychological, or spiritual, is ordered by God for our good. Whether our suffering comes from sickness, natural disasters, persecution, poverty, death of loved ones, divorces, rebellious children, enmity in families, or even martyrdom, God is in control. He uses all these things to administer pain to his people for their everlasting profit.

Therefore, God disciplines his people through painful sufferings. The word paideia(discipline) appears about eight times in this passage. Paideia is God teaching and training his children in his ways. It is God enforcing his teaching through rebuke, correction, and remedial punishment so that we can grow up as men and women who are loyal to his covenant. He wants us to worship and serve him only so that we will enjoy covenant blessings, not covenant curses. Paideia is bringing a sinful child to maturity through the necessary devices of correction, direction, instruction, and compulsion in the form of chastisement to turn him away from wandering byways into the right way.

The goal of all divine education is to produce a man who lives in obedience to the will of God. Such a man will be truly happy and prosperous. The goal of God’s discipline is to drive out godlessness from us and to impart godliness in us. The goal of our Father’s discipline is to drive out foolishness and impart wisdom to us. Discipline, therefore, is an essential element in our relationship with God.

God disciplines us through his delegated agents, beginning in the home through the father. Paul exhorts, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). The word “training” here is also paideia. Christian fathers are to bring up their covenant children in the discipline of the Lord. The Lord disciplines our children through us. We are to act in God’s behalf. If a father fails to discipline his children to become godly, this text tells us that he essentially hates his children. Such a father sins against God, the church, and society.

The Bible, especially the book of Proverbs, is filled with teaching on discipline. Let us look at a number of texts:

• Proverbs 13:24: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” The function of the rod is to drive out foolishness and impart wisdom by enforcing God’s teachings.
• Proverbs 19:18: “Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.” If parents do not discipline their children biblically, they are in some way responsible for their eternal damnation. This is a serious charge.
• Proverbs 22:15: “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.” Folly means godlessness, not mere stupidity. A fool says in his heart there is no God. We are conceived in sin, born in sin, and practice sin daily. We need the expulsive power of the rod to deal with our sin.
• Proverbs 23:13-14: “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.” Do not be emotional or insecure about disciplining your children. How many insecure parents do not discipline their children for fear the children may cry! But there is no greater punishment than the eternal death of a person; judicious parental discipline helps save a child from eternal death.
• Proverbs 29:15: “The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.” The rod drives out godlessness and imparts wisdom. When we fail to administer the Lord’s discipline, our children will disgrace us.
• Deuteronomy 6:6-7: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children.” We ourselves first have to love God and his word. It is to be on our hearts. If we do not love God’s discipline, we can never impart it to our children.
• Deuteronomy 11:18-19: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children.” We have television, the Internet, video games, and so many other distractions. We need godly parents to speak to their children about God and his word.
• 1 Kings 1:5-6: “Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, ‘I will be king.’ So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never interfered with him by asking, ‘Why do you behave as you do?)'” David, like Eli before him, failed to discipline his sons, and it resulted in tragedy.
• Revelation 2:20-23; 3:19-20: Though earthly fathers may not discipline their sons, God disciplines his. Note the serious statements that Christ, the head of the church, makes about the church of Thyatira: “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds” (Rev. 2:20-23). The principle behind this discipline through suffering is found in the Lord’s words to the church of Laodicea: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:19-20).
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped every good work.” To be thoroughly equipped for every good work simply means to fully obey God. Notice that at least half of the actions in this verse, rebuking and correcting, can be construed negatively. Many modern Christians do not like such negativity! Such “sensitive” people would say we must always smile and never say anything negative. However, that is not what this text says.

Discipline in Hebrews 12

No doubt the recipients of this epistle were familiar with the biblical view of discipline. But they were getting tired of God’s discipline and weary of suffering for the gospel. To encourage them, the author spoke in the previous chapter about the heroes of the Old Testament who by faith persevered to the end, including those who died cruel deaths for their faith at the hand of their tormentors. These Hebrew Christians were to learn from them and persevere, inspired by this cloud of witnesses surrounding them. They were also told how the Son of God endured the shameful death of the cross and the opposition of sinful men, scorning all shame for the joy that was set before him. They were to fix their eyes on Jesus that they may not become weary in their Christian lives (Heb. 12:1-3).

Now the author tells them that their struggle is nothing compared with the martyrs of the past and especially compared to Jesus’ death on the cross (Heb. 12:4). He says they have not yet shed blood for their faith, meaning such a possibility existed in the future. Therefore, the author admonishes, they must grow in strength in their struggle against sin. The figure is changing: he stops speaking about a footrace and now refers to a wrestling match, which was one of the games in the Panhellenic pentathlon.

Our struggle against sin is a wrestling match. The author was saying we must become strong to be victorious even through martyrdom. To grow in strength, we must pay attention to the Scriptures, especially God’s view of discipline as stated in Proverbs 3:11-12. We become spiritually weary when we are not drawing strength from the Scriptures. If we neglect the word of God, we are like a corked, empty bottle thrown into a river of clean water. We can be in the church and listen to all the preaching, yet profit nothing.

Paul writes, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4). The Hebrews had completely forgotten God’s exhortation about his fatherly discipline of his children. In Proverbs 3:11-12, God is addressing his children of every generation. We are beloved children of God, but God shall never spoil or indulge us.

God’s purpose is to make us holy and blameless. Because he loves us, God disciplines us to form his character in us that we may be qualified for eternal fellowship with him. God loved us from eternity with an everlasting love. He disciplines us because he loves us, not because he hates us.

It is difficult for sinners like us to make the link between love and chastisement. The devil tells us these are opposites, but the Scripture tells us they belong together. If we are born of God, we will understand that God loves us, so he disciplines, rebukes, corrects, instructs, and punishes us with his rod to drive out godlessness and impart godliness. I pray that we will embrace this truth for our everlasting comfort.

The Hebrews, however, had forgotten this teaching. As a result, they were not receiving any comfort from Scriptures. Those who do not hear the word grow weary and lose out. (PGM) They will misinterpret their sufferings and not profit by them.

We are warned not to forget God’s benefits. The Holy Spirit cautioned the children of Israel, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Deut. 6:12). The psalmist writes, “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel. . . . They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt” (Ps. 106:13, 21). These Hebrews forgot God and his Scriptures. We forget the Lord when we do not pay attention to his word. The reason we forget is our arrogance. When we forget God’s teaching, we respond wrongly to God’s discipline.

There are two ways we respond wrongly to discipline. First, we may despise it: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline” (Heb. 12:5). Some people treat sufferings as nothing. Have you ever heard children say after they are disciplined, “It did not hurt”? They are treating their sufferings as nothing and they go and misbehave again. They see God only in prosperity, not in sufferings.

C. S. Lewis said in The Problem of Pain, “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” I would adjust that to say sufferings are God’s megaphone to rouse his deaf church. We must not despise the discipline of the Almighty. “Blessed is the man whom God corrects” (Job 5:17).

The second wrong response to God’s discipline is to become depressed and say it is too heavy: “And do not lose heart when he rebukes you” (Heb. 12:6). We either treat discipline as nothing, or we say it is too much, that God is punishing us beyond what we can bear. We say that hat he does not care for us or that he is hard. But if we give way to depression and fail to respond correctly to God’s painful discipline, we shall not profit from our sufferings.

What, then, should be our proper response? We should rejoice when God disciplines us and draw comfort from the biblical principle: “The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son” (Heb. 12:6). We can reason thusly: “I am experiencing painful discipline; therefore, I can conclude that God is my heavenly Father and I am his son. God loves me with an everlasting love. I am not an illegitimate son.” Roman fathers would support their children by their concubines, but they would not discipline them. These fathers disciplined only the sons of the legal wife so that they could be their heirs. Only disciplined children had privileges and communion with the father.

Illegitimate sons are not disciplined by God, but we are. When we submit gladly to his discipline, we will become like our Father in heaven. This discipline qualifies us to enjoy eternal happiness of fellowship with God. It will make us perfect, even as our heavenly Father is perfect. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5: 8). We will see God one day.

Micah exhorts, “Heed the rod and the one who appointed it” (Micah 6:9). We are not to despise or be depressed but to heed all discipline that comes to us. Peter says, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God” (1 Pet. 5:6). That means when God disciplines us, we must humble ourselves. Paul encourages us, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13). Elsewhere, Paul writes, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. . . . For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17).

“Endure hardship” (Heb. 12:7). Respond to hardship correctly and draw proper conclusions from it. We do not seek sufferings, but they do come, and usually when we least expect it. But it is through those sufferings that our Lord disciplines us. It is the Lord who “whips us”-that is the word used in verse 7. He uses his agents: parents, pastors, teachers, bosses, magistrates, and so on. But it is the Lord who is disciplining us. Therefore, let us respect and submit to God’s agents, and worship God for his loving discipline.

Our Father’s Beneficent Discipline

There are benefits to discipline, both from our earthly fathers and from our heavenly Father. It is a father’s duty to teach and discipline his children in the way of the Lord that they may grow up to make wise decisions in life. How many young people make foolish decisions! But the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The ability to make decisions for the glory of God comes through discipline. It is the father’s duty to impart the fear of the Lord to his children so that they become like the man of Psalm 1. Such children will refuse to associate with evil people; they will not walk, stand, or sit with them. Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water whose leaves shall not wither and who bring forth fruit in their season. Whatever they do shall prosper. That is one purpose of God’s discipline.

A father is to impress upon the hearts of his children the covenant law. It is his duty to love his children and teach them God’s ways so that they may become godly. It is the children’s duty to submit to their father’s discipline. The Hebrews writer says our earthly fathers discipline us for a short while, though not always perfectly (Heb. 12:10). Yet our sovereign God uses imperfect agents to discipline us. And the writer says that if we submit to and respect our earthly fathers, how much more ought we to submit to and respect our heavenly Father who disciplines us in perfect wisdom with a grand design that is our eternal happiness. Therefore, we must submit to and revere our God that we may live (v. 9), meaning that we may have eternal life. The ultimate covenant blessing is eternal life. Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28).

God disciplines us for our eternal good. We may not understand it as we undergo suffering. God knows that every discipline is painful. The text says it is not joyful. But God, like a good father, is not very concerned about our feelings; rather, he focuses his attention on the good future outcome of having us share in his holiness. So that we can become holy as he is holy, he prunes us as a gardener prunes a vine. Pruning is painful to the branch but it causes the branch to produce more fruit. Therefore, our heavenly Father keeps on pruning us through discipline. Do not rebel against God’s pruning. We can rejoice, knowing there shall be an abundant harvest of righteousness and peace and joy later on.

Consider Joseph, whose own brothers put him into a pit and sold him as a slave. From Potiphar’s house, he was thrown into a prison where he stayed many years. After all his sufferings, he understood God’s purpose, and told his brothers, “You intended to harm me but God intended it for good” (Gen. 50:20). Paul writes that all things work together for good. Discipline is for a good purpose-the salvation of our souls.

Therefore, do not rebel against hardship but endure it. “Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). The benefit of holiness comes to those who are trained by discipline to endure to the end. It is a universal truth that every son is disciplined; thus, every true child of God sooner or later will undergo the Father’s discipline. A believer who hates holiness is not a child of God, but a hell-bound child of the devil.

The cure for our rebellious, stubborn, disobedient wandering is divinely given affliction. The psalmist writes, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word . . . It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Ps. 119:67, 71). In Psalm 94:12 we read, “Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law. You grant him relief from the days of trouble.” James writes, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. . . . Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (Jas. 1:2-4, 12).

Even the pagan Aristotle says, “The roots of discipline are bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” Aquinas declares, “Outwardly discipline holds sorrow as it is endured, but inwardly it holds sweetness because of the good end, the good purpose, that is intended.” Guido De Bres, the author of the Belgian Confession of Faith was executed for his holy faith on May 31, 1567. Just before he was executed, he wrote, “O my God, now the time has come that I must leave this life and be with you. Your will be done. I cannot escape from your hands. Even if I could, I would not do it, for it is my joy to conform to your will.” Luther proclaims in his hymn,

That Word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth; the Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still; his kingdom is forever.

We are God’s sons, so he disciplines us that we may share in his holiness and be with him forever in eternal joy. His own Son knew no sin, but learned obedience by the things he suffered. His purpose, as revealed in Hebrews 2:10, is to bring many sons to glory. The sufferings of Christ are unique because they are redemptive. Therefore, let us look to Jesus, who endured the cross and sat down at God’s right hand.

Are you weary? Look to Jesus. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:18). Look to Christ and the Scriptures. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16). God gives us grace as we are tried, and he is with us. “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him because he always lives to intercede for us” (Heb. 7:25). Let us respect all God’s agents who administer discipline to us for our good. Let us say with Paul, “Dying, and yet we live on. . . . sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:9-10).