God’s Discipline
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2025 · 16 February 2025
Starting in verse 4, Hebrews 12 says, “In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, 6 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.
7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline—which all receive[e]—then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness. 11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees,
13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead. Remember Matthew 18, where we have our Lord giving us the pattern for church discipline, it is to confront each other in the church, and to confront sin, and sometimes to even to put the person out of the church because of the influence that they’re having for evil.
And so, our Lord says, “Remember that where two or three of you are gathered together, there am I in the midst.” And that refers to the two or three witnesses engaged in a discipline situation. So, when we do discipline, we’re reflecting what our Lord desires for His church. We do on a one-to-one basis in the life of the church, what our Lord is doing in the lives of all who are His children.
When they became believers, or when they associated with the believers, persecution was immediate. Some of them literally lost their property. They were pressured to go back into Judaism. Persecution is difficult for new believers, and it’s very threatening those who are only considering whether or not to identify with Christ. He says, “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence.”
Because at the end of that, there is “a great reward.” So, here you have an illustration of people who have made an external commitment to Christ. They have come together to assemble with a believing group of Christians, some genuine and some only in consideration of Christ. The threat is then to drive some of those who are considering Christ away because the price is too high.
Some even questioning their suffering, asking why it is, now that I’ve come to Christ, that I am so suffering. Well, they need to understand that they have to live by faith. And if you will continue to live by faith, there is a great reward. The words of our Lord are, “In this world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” We have to live by faith.
In Hebrews 11 we saw people who did not receive what they hoped for in life. All the promises to the patriarchs were not fulfilled in their life; all the promises to Moses were not fulfilled in his life; all the promises to and through the prophets were not fulfilled in their life. They didn’t even see the great promise of all promises, the coming of the Messiah, the one to provide salvation.
Now, we have the promise fulfilled in Christ, but we too live for a future hope in the glory that is to come. In Hebrews 12, the writer turns to this community of believers and says, “Now I have showed you that salvation has always been by faith. And I call on you to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Having said all of that about the life of faith, living the life of faith, being courageous in the life of faith, He then comes to the question, “Why is it that if we come into the kingdom by faith, why is it if we have confessed Jesus as our Lord, if we acknowledged Him as the one who died and rose again on our behalf, why is it that life is still for us so hard? Why is it so hard?
And the answer comes in verses 5 - 11: it is the discipline of God. When you have difficulties and challenges in your life, don’t look to Satan. Satan’s not your father. He used to be your father. Jesus said, “You’re of your father the Devil,” to unbelieving Jews. We’re not under his sovereignty. In a very real sense, he’s been placed under our feet. We have been delivered form his power.
The issues that come into our life that challenge us, that call for our courage and our faith to be strong, the struggles, the trials, the suffering, the pain is not the work of Satan in the life of a believer. It’s part of our training; it’s part of our father’s discipline for us. It also is not just protection, but it is instruction with a view to producing virtue, aiming at the increase of our character.
The purpose of discipline is to produce virtue, and discipline is only for a temporal season. In discipline, God is the Father. In discipline, the objects are His children. In punishment, condemnation is the goal; in discipline, righteousness is the goal. There are three reasons for the Lord’s discipline, three reasons that things in our lives come along that cause us to struggle, and to suffer.
Reason number one is correction. Scripture is for correction – 2 Timothy 2. God is in the business of correction. Every branch He prunes. That’s a painful slicing away. We have sins in our lives that need the discipline of correction. For example, in 1 Corinthians 11, correction reached the point where some people were sick because of the way they came to the Lord’s Table.
But when you look at your own life, and you begin to see that God is correcting you. This is not punishment for your sin, having been born by Christ, this is correction you in love. And so, you consider the chastening of the Lord in your life as being related to the sins in your life, having a corrective purpose. First Peter 5:10 says, “After you have suffered a while, the Lord make you perfect.”
There’s a second reason for discipline, and that’s prevention. Sometimes God’s discipline is to prevent sin. The Lord fences you in and tells you to put a guard on your mouth and a guard on your eyes and a guard on your ears, and be careful what you expose yourself to. The Lord demands that you stay away from evil company because evil company corrupts good morals.
Paul has an agonizing experience of false teachers. It is so severe that in 2 Corinthians 12 he says it’s like a sharp stake rammed through my flesh. And so, he goes to the Lord and says, “I prayed three times that the Lord would take away my agony and my pain, and the Lord didn’t do it.” The Lord said this, “I’m allowing this to happen to keep you from pride, to protect you from feeling too confident.
There’s a third reason for God’s discipline; that’s education. It’s designed to teach you the experiences of life that lead to deeper fellowship with God. There are things that come that just educate you toward God. I think of Peter in Luke 22 where Jesus says, “Satan’s desired to have you that he might sift you like wheat but, after you are turned around, you will strengthen the brethren.”
You can’t become an educator to strengthen others unless you’ve been through the trials they’ve been through. Part of the discipline of God is to raise the level of your sympathy and to raise the level of your comfort. What was the purpose in Job’s suffering as far as Job was concerned? It was education. This is what he says, “I had heard of You with my ear; now my eye sees You.”
The end result of what happened to Job was a clear vision of God. And four verses later, he says, “And now I pray for others.” So, Hebrews 12:5 says, “And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him.” Paul says, “Let me prove I’m an apostle,” and he gives testimony to his pain and suffering.
Look at Proverbs 3:11-12! “Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; 12 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” How important is it to quote to these Jewish people from the Proverbs that say you should expect it. Proverbs 3 will see that this discipline comes from the Lord.
Now, I want to show you two perils in discipline, and two proofs in discipline, and the products in discipline. Two perils in discipline. Don’t misjudge its urgency; it’s important. Do not treat it lightly. Whatever troubles come into your life, whatever trials come into your life, view them as the discipline of God. Like Israel in the wilderness, you can complain all the time.
You can also treat them lightly by simply seeing them as some kind of unjust act. You can treat them lightly by failing to change, being obstinate. You don’t want to take a shallow look at the trials of life. Take a deep spiritual look. Secondly, it says in Proverbs 3:11, “Nor faint when you’re reproved by Him.” This is just as bad. This is to sink down in some level of despondency. This is when you get discouraged.
There are also two proofs in discipline. Look at verses 6–8, “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son whom He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, which all receive, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
There are two things that are proven by discipline. One, God’s love; two, your son ship. Two wonderful realities are proven. First, whom a Lord loves He disciplines. That’s why you don’t ignore or despise the discipline of God. It all proceeds from His love. The pains of life that drive you to Him; that purge your soul; it’s the pains of life that make you a better believer, and a more sympathetic teacher.
Revelation 3:19 says “As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.” Were we not chosen by sovereign love? Ephesians 1 says, “In love, having predestinated us.” Wasn’t it love that redeemed us? Did not God love us when we were enemies? Is it love that effectually calls us? Jeremiah 31:3 says, “In lovingkindness I have called you.” It’s all motivated by love.
Secondly, it proves you’re His children. Verse 6 says, “He scourges every child whom He receives.” Verse 7, “God deals with you as with children; what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline? If you’re without discipline, of which all of you have become partakers, then you’re illegitimate children and not sons.” All of our Father’s children are going to experience discipline.
Proverbs 19:18, “Chasten your son while there’s hope, and let not your soul spare for his crying.” Proverbs 22:15, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will drive it far from him.” Proverbs 29:15, “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame.” Certainly our world is full of testimonies to that, right?
Finally; two things that God produces. Verse 9, “Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?” We give honor to our earthly father for the discipline that he gives to us out of love and because we’re His children. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?
Second thing, verse 10, “For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness.” So, we get a full, rich life and holiness. We’ll have eternal life, and we’ll have eternal holiness, but this is talking about here and now. You receive the promise of eternal holiness when you put your faith in Christ.
Discipline contributes to how much you enjoy this life and all its riches in Christ and how you progress down the path of godliness and holiness. And the two concepts are inseparable. Because really living is connected to living a life of virtue and obedience. And the Lord keeps up the discipline throughout our lives to accomplish these ends. And He acknowledges that.
Verse 11, “No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” When you’re going through the agony and the pain, whether it’s an illness or a job loss or an economic stress, or trouble with your children, or trouble with your spouse, it doesn’t seem joyful at the time.
“Yet to those who have been trained by it” If you’ll see it for what it is - training, correction, protection, education it will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Your life will be filled with the products that righteousness produces. We go through a terrible time grieving over them. For the moment it’s not joyful, but “afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Let us pray.