CRAFTED

What if I were to say that God, in his infinite wisdom and might, punishes the believer by and through the sin of others?

Groundwork:

Hebrews 12: 3 says: ‘Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted’.

The book of Hebrews was written to believers who were under grievous cultural attack. In that time Christians were living among a culture that was very antagonistic and violent towards Christ and His teachings. Because of this believers were being put in prison, having their possessions stolen from them, and having the right to buy and sell taken away. It was undeniably a very difficult time. But the writer of Hebrews implores Christians to not lose heart because the very strife they are enduring is the same Christ himself endured.

Verse 4 continues: ‘In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood’.

The writer sympathizes with the believer, but to a point. He says that even though they have indeed suffered, they have yet to suffer as Christ has suffered. Christ had to shed his blood in his struggle against sin and the author’s audience had yet to bear that burden.

As blatant as the statement is, there is more depth to it than it seems. Whose sin are they struggling against?

They are not striving against their own sin, but the sins of others!

It gets heavier.

In verse 5 it says: ‘And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.”’

Discipline here is not meant to be translated punishment but training.

It gets even heavier.

Verse 6 says: ‘For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. ‘

Quite literally the writer just said that the sinful acts of others put upon believers were ultimately the action and decision of God. Some translations use the word scourge instead of chastise, which makes this word even weightier. In other words, God trains the one he loves, and scourges those whom He receives.

But why?

Hebrews 12:7-11: ‘It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.’

God disciplines us because we are his children and he is our Father.

As a father I know it is necessary to discipline my son. For all his acting out and disobedience I constantly need to remind myself that it is because he is begging me for boundaries. He needs to be given a framework of right and wrong and it is my responsibility as a parent to provide those examples and show him how to properly use them. If I don’t discipline him how will he ever know that I love him?

In the same way, God disciplines us because he loves us. And who are we to question how he chooses to do so? If it is in the will of God for us to suffer because of the sins of others we should accept it as good for our sake so that we might grow in Him. It may be painful for a time, but it will yield peaceful fruit of righteousness. 

c.