Look at verse 4. The writer to the Hebrews says, “Struggle against sin; you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” He’s just been telling them about Jesus. Jesus endured opposition from cities up to the point of shedding his blood on the cross. “He is our motivator, and you’ve not even got to death yet.” The church of the Hebrews that he was writing to had not yet resisted to the point of shedding their blood in their struggle against sin.
In verse 5, he says, “Have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son?” Yes, they had not yet shed their blood, but things were hard for them. The writer to the Hebrews wants to remind them that there is encouragement for them, there is hope for them in their suffering. What is that hope? Well, it’s in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 11 and 12: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you.” In verse 6, he goes on, “Because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
The frame narrative of the book of Proverbs is a father speaking to his son. It’s a book that is applicable not just for sons and fathers, but for every Christian. The way it’s told, however, is through the story of a father and his son, which points us to the Lord Jesus and his Father. It also points us to the way to wisdom, which is to realise that every Christian is a son of the Father, brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ—fearing the Lord Jesus Christ, and obeying our Father.
The advice that comes at the beginning of the book of Proverbs, written by Solomon—who understood this from his own father, David, who understood it from his own heavenly Father (as well as his Dad Jesse)—was that part of what it means to be a Christian is to not make light of the Lord’s discipline. It’s not to treat casually the idea that the Lord is bringing suffering into your life. On the other hand, don’t make light of it and say, “Oh, there’s nothing happening here.” It’s a big deal. It’s important that suffering has come into my life.
On the other hand, don’t lose heart when he rebukes you. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t feel that it’s all over. The hope in both those situations—the hope for the one who wants to treat suffering casually and the hope for the one who is losing heart in his suffering—is that the Lord disciplines the one he loves. Suffering has come into your life, dear Christian, because the Father loves you. He is chastening you because he accepts you as his son.
It’s the adoption that we talked about on Sunday morning at the baptism. If you’re suffering as a Christian, as these Hebrew Christians were, then it is because you have a heavenly Father who loves you. He’s chastening you, he’s disciplining you, he’s rebuking you, but that’s not punishment; it’s discipline.
The answer here comes in verse 7, and how we should deal with suffering that comes into our lives: this struggle against sin—endure it. The writer to the Hebrews says, “It’s hardship, but it is discipline. God is treating you as his children.”
What a privilege! What child is not disciplined by their father? And here comes the principle in verse 8: “If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.” The idea is that there are some professing Christians who have a very easy life, who are not suffering in any way that would suggest they’re Christians, according to the writer to the Hebrews. But Christians do suffer. Every Christian suffers, just like every child suffers whose parents love them.
Verse 9: “Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them for it.” There’s a normal amount of discipline that comes about, especially through a father, through parents—mothers and fathers—but especially fathers have that role of rebuking, of chastening, of disciplining. The writer to the Hebrews appeals to that normal thing in the life of families. If you’ve been raised by a father who disciplines you, you are thankful for it; you respected them for it.
The writer to the Hebrews is telling the church to apply that then to their relationship with God: submit to the Father of spirits and live. He’s the Father of all our souls. Submit to him. The discipline in your life is because he loves you and he wants your best, just like your father did (if you had an earthly father who disciplined you)…
Verse 10: “They disciplined us for a little while, as they thought best.” So the writer to the Hebrews acknowledges that they weren’t perfect, but God disciplines us for our good in order that we may share in His holiness. It’s an even greater and infinitely greater aim. God disciplines us for our good, and he knows what our ultimate good is. What’s more, his desire is that we may share in His holiness. What an extraordinary thing—sharing in God the Father’s holiness!
But remember verse 11: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time.” No one enjoys being disciplined—whether that’s a child being rebuked by their father, or a Christian going through suffering. It’s not pleasant, it’s not enjoyable, it’s painful, it hurts. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. It’s the same for a Christian…
A Christian is suffering as a result of God disciplining them, and yet what comes is righteousness. They have a more righteous character, they’re more at peace with God because they’re being given reasons not to sin. They’re being reminded why they should not sin. They’ve been trained by it, and yet that is a key instruction that comes there: make sure you are trained by the discipline; otherwise, you are wasting your time. Otherwise, you’ve completely missed the whole point of the discipline coming into your life.
Therefore, the writer to the Hebrews says, “Strengthen your feeble knees.” Again, this goes back to the idea that some may be feeling they’re going to lose heart in the rebuke coming from God. Their feeble arms, their weak knees—no, strength in them! This is for your good. This suffering is coming for your good. Make level paths for your feet. Again, this is a quote from Hebrews, now chapter 4, verse 26: keep going in the Christian life. And the reason is, so that “the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”
The Father wants to bring suffering into your life so that you may become stronger. No father wants to rebuke his child forever. It is to be a short, sharp rebuke, which is then moved on from, and it’s the same for God. The aim is for your healing.
So, it’s a very important concept: God disciplines his children. It brings context to why suffering is important, why suffering matters, why suffering happens for the Christian. We’ve been saying it’s not as bad as it could be, although it might get as bad—you might end up dying for your faith—but remember the word of encouragement: the Lord’s discipline has come to make light of it on the one hand, and yet don’t lose heart in it on the other. You’re being disciplined because God loves you, you’re being chastened because you are accepted as God’s son.
So, know that you are privileged. Children are disciplined by parents. That’s what children go through; that’s a normal thing. (And that’s a side note for parents: if you’re not disciplining your children, then you’re not parenting them in the most loving way. You’re not parenting them in a godly way. Your children respect you for it if you discipline them.) But the main lesson for all of us is that the Father of spirits must be submitted to. “Do what you see as best, Father. You are disciplining me for my good, in order that I may share in your holiness.”
That’s the aim. That sin might be put to death, and that holiness might abound. I’m not going to enjoy suffering, and you’re not to be one of those weird Christians who somehow enjoys suffering. No, it’s meant to be painful. But the aim at the end of the road is a harvest of righteousness and peace—peace with God, more righteousness being produced in you, if you’re trained by it. And keep on remembering that you’ve got to be trained by it.
So, feeble arms, be strengthened. Weak knees, be strengthened. Don’t become permanently spiritually-disabled by the discipline coming into your life. Now, make level paths for your feet. Keep walking the Christian life. And God’s aim is for you to be healed.
The thing is, what Jesus went through on the cross was not discipline. That was punishment. He not only struggled against our sin to the point of shedding his blood, but he fully, fully was crucified and didn’t just die, but suffered hell—suffered the wrath for our sins.
But it’s an extraordinary thing that he went through that for us. He was punished so that we, whenever discipline comes into our lives, it’s just that… it is mere discipline. It is not true punishment. Jesus was punished; there’s no more hell left for us to pay.
So, remember Jesus on the cross. That’s the main thing, really. And then it puts all other suffering into perspective…
Remember Jesus. Look to Jesus.
