The Discipline of God

This week in our Wednesday morning Bible class we began studying the 12th chapter of

Hebrews. There is so much to absorb from this chapter that we could spend the better part of a

month on it. Starting in verse three, the writer begins to talk about God’s discipline. He compares

it to that of our earthly father. We can all remember times as children when we messed up and

had to be disciplined. At the time, it was unpleasant but as we grew older, we began to

understand that our parents disciplined us because they loved us. As parents, you discipline your

children not because you want to cause them pain or grief, but because you love them and want

what is best for them. We have a clear picture of what we want and expect from our children.

God does too. He gave that to us through His word and He expects us to follow it. When we

don’t, there are consequences. One of which is Hell. We don’t like to talk about it put our

punishment for sin is hell. It is separation from God. Believe it or not, if God was not willing to

send us to Hell for our sin, that would mean He did not love us. That sounds harsh but it is true.

Fortunately, according to 2 Peter 3:9, He is willing that not of us should parish, but all have

eternal life. That is where grace comes in. God loves us enough to discipline us but also enough

to forgive us when we have done wrong. No loving parent would walk away from their child just

because they did wrong and neither will God. He loves us and wants us to do right, but

understands that we will fail. That is why He sent His son to die in our place. The beauty is if

Hell is real then so is Heaven. Heaven is the reward for doing right and following Him. Heaven

is the reward for obeying the Gospel and following its commands. Praise God for Heaven! So,

when you fail and have to “face the music” remember God still loves you. We do too!

Eric

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