Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” The Speaker in the Book of Hebrews is not known, but he is believed to be a Christian Jew because of his knowledge of the Old Testament. In the opening sentences of Book 1, he directly quotes from the Old Testament. It is fitting, since he is speaking to a group of Hebrews.
Hebrews 12:6 is no exception; the speaker is believed to be actually quoting Proverbs 3:11–12 and then some, in which Solomon says, “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” It is neither unusual nor inappropriate that the idea of God’s disciplining us is tantamount to a parent disciplining his child. Do not many parts of the New Testament refer to its readers as something along the lines of ‘my little children’? And Proverbs 3:11-12 makes a direct comparison.
How does God discipline us? In terms of the NT, although God has the power to discipline anyone, as He’s done in the OT, he does so through his son Jesus. Romans 5:5 says, “…God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Well, as with a parent-child relationship, love encompasses imposing discipline as well that the child, ergo us, may be and continue to be upright.
Well, how is that discipline administered? Does the Holy Spirit in Romans 5:5 cane people by the use of a rod on their backs? Considering all we know from a Biblical standpoint, since the idea of the Almighty disciplining us through the Holy Spirit, which is the spirit of Jesus, such an idea has some degree of support. We don’t know exactly what that support is, but by virtue of eliminating the absurd thoughts on the matter, the only thing left is that the holy spirit feeds on our conscience and it is a person with such a conscience involving the responsibility of imposing discipline on whoever they’re in charge of and may love, that the person would be the one imposing such discipline. If such is not the case, then unless the Holy Trinity takes matters into its own hands, it would be like the Pope without an army.
The point is that God’s discipline, and chastening if you will, comes from somewhere. Without such discipline, how long can mankind exist? We’ve seen incidents of whole peoples, who do not believe in God, fall by the wayside. Has anyone run into a Peloponnesian lately? Or a Philistine?
We the people who believe in the God of the Bible have been around for millennia. In that time, the metaphorical divine rod of discipline has always been around and used when needed to the extent of the love that God and we give for each other.
Hebrews 12:6 is no exception; the speaker is believed to be actually quoting Proverbs 3:11–12 and then some, in which Solomon says, “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” It is neither unusual nor inappropriate that the idea of God’s disciplining us is tantamount to a parent disciplining his child. Do not many parts of the New Testament refer to its readers as something along the lines of ‘my little children’? And Proverbs 3:11-12 makes a direct comparison.
How does God discipline us? In terms of the NT, although God has the power to discipline anyone, as He’s done in the OT, he does so through his son Jesus. Romans 5:5 says, “…God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Well, as with a parent-child relationship, love encompasses imposing discipline as well that the child, ergo us, may be and continue to be upright.
Well, how is that discipline administered? Does the Holy Spirit in Romans 5:5 cane people by the use of a rod on their backs? Considering all we know from a Biblical standpoint, since the idea of the Almighty disciplining us through the Holy Spirit, which is the spirit of Jesus, such an idea has some degree of support. We don’t know exactly what that support is, but by virtue of eliminating the absurd thoughts on the matter, the only thing left is that the holy spirit feeds on our conscience and it is a person with such a conscience involving the responsibility of imposing discipline on whoever they’re in charge of and may love, that the person would be the one imposing such discipline. If such is not the case, then unless the Holy Trinity takes matters into its own hands, it would be like the Pope without an army.
The point is that God’s discipline, and chastening if you will, comes from somewhere. Without such discipline, how long can mankind exist? We’ve seen incidents of whole peoples, who do not believe in God, fall by the wayside. Has anyone run into a Peloponnesian lately? Or a Philistine?
We the people who believe in the God of the Bible have been around for millennia. In that time, the metaphorical divine rod of discipline has always been around and used when needed to the extent of the love that God and we give for each other.
