Hebrews: Discipline of the Lord
Hebrews 12:4-6; Proverbs 3:11-12; 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - God loves us even more than a Father loves his children.
“You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.””
Hebrews 12:4-6 NASB1995
The author of Hebrews reminds the wobbly believers that they have not yet resisted sin and the corrupt ways of the world to the point of shedding blood. The exhortation given here is from Proverbs 3. Here is the original passage:
“My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His reproof,
For whom the Lord loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”
Proverbs 3:11-12 NASB1995
Striving against sin will make believers unpopular in the world. This was true in Biblical times and it is even more true now. This battle requires discipline from the Lord; He reproves those that He loves to correct them on their path of sanctification. In the AI image that Steve had created, at the top, a father corrects a son that he loves dearly. God our Father loves us and wants us to respond to His discipline not with animosity and pleas of victimhood and anger, but with a return of that love and understanding that He only wants what is best for us to grow spiritually.
Pastor Steven Cole has an excellent sermon excerpted on Precept Austin on striving against sin; the editorial comments in brackets are included and are from the author of Precept Austin:
The author personifies sin as our opponent. It opposes us in two ways:
A. Sometimes the enemy is the evil in the world, opposed to the people of God.
The author has just chronicled some of the terrible things that happened to God’s Old Testament saints: mockings, scourgings, chains, imprisonment, being stoned, sawn in two, and put to death with the sword (Heb 11:35, 36, 37). All of these things happened because evil men hated those who lived and proclaimed God’s righteousness.
As John (John 3:20) explained, “For everyone who does (present tense = continually) evil hates the Light [ED: THIS IS A DESCRIPTION OF AN UNBELIEVER!], and does not come to the Light, for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
If you live in obedience to God, your life reflects the light of Christ onto others’ sinful lives. You will not be Mr. or Ms. Popular! Jesus plainly warned (John 15:19) “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”
B. Sometimes the enemy is the evil in me, opposed to the holiness of God.
Paul explained (Gal 5:17+) “For the flesh (present tense = continually) sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”
Peter exhorts us,”Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain (while not a command but a call to continual action see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) from fleshly lusts which wage war (strateuomai in present tense = continually) against the soul” (1Pe 2:11+)
[ED: ONE CAVEAT -- YOU MAY FEEL AT PEACE IN YOUR SOUL AS YOU READ THIS BUT BE FULLY AWARE THAT YOU ARE NOT AT PEACE WITH THE FALLEN FLESH WHICH EXERTS AN ALL OUT STRATEGIC AND CONTINUAL ASSAULT ON YOUR HEART AND MIND!]
Even though we become a new creation through faith in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), the powerful sinful desires of the flesh are not eradicated. The Hebrews were especially in danger of the sin of turning away from faith in Christ in the face of persecution. We all face that temptation, along with other sinful desires. But the point is, the Christian life is not a Sunday School picnic! It is an intense conflict with the forces of evil, both without and within.
C. My responsibility is to resist and strive against any source of evil, even if it means shedding my blood. [ED: WHILE I AGREE, I WOULD ADD THE CAVEAT THAT WE ARE NOT TO RESIST IN OUR OWN STRENGTH, BUT IN THE STRENGTH OF THE SPIRIT -SEE our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey].
Jesus plainly stated that the call to salvation is a call to lose your life: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34,35+).
Remember, taking up your cross did not mean wearing a piece of jewelry. The man who took up his cross was on the way to execution. So Jesus was warning us up front that the call to follow Him was a call to engage in combat that at the very least meant putting to death our sinful flesh. It could also entail suffering even unto a martyr’s death. The idea of resisting and striving against sin to the point of shedding blood clearly refutes the teaching that “if you’re striving, you’re not trusting.” This teaching says that any effort on your part is your flesh. Life in the Spirit is a matter of passively letting go and letting God. Obviously we must trust God and do battle in His strength, but at the same time it is we who must resist and strive (Titus 2:12+). There is no room for laziness or passivity in the conflict. Israel had to trust God, but also they had to go into battle and fight against the enemy. So we must trust God but also resist and strive against sin. You can’t strive passively!
D. To endure the struggle against evil, put your trial in perspective.
The author is saying, “In light of those who were stoned, sawn in two, and put to death with the sword, along with the Lord Jesus, who was crucified, your situation could be much worse than it is! It may come to shedding your blood, but at this point, you’re not there. If you abandon faith in Christ under your present trials, what will you do when the blood starts flowing?”
There is a practical lesson for us in this. Unless you are being horribly tortured and are facing execution for your faith, you can always find those who have it much more difficult than you do. If they endured in worse circumstances, then you can endure in your circumstances.
E. The motivation for striving to the point of shedding blood is to consider the Savior who died for me.
The author has just said, “Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb 12:3).
Jesus did not deserve any suffering, much less death, in that He had no sin. By way of contrast, all of us deserve far more suffering than we actually receive, were God to repay us for every sin that we commit. So rather than complaining or shaking your fist at God for what you’re suffering, consider Jesus, who suffered innocently on your behalf. Consider what you deserve, if God were to give you perfect justice. (Read full message God’s Loving Discipline)
Reread the practical lesson in this sermon for all believers - Unless you are being horribly tortured and are facing execution for your faith, you can always find those who have it much more difficult than you do. If they endured in worse circumstances, then you can endure in your circumstances. The trials and sufferings that we endure can help us counsel and pray for others when they have similar sufferings.
The idea of discipline from a Heavenly Father who loves us is not the subject of very many sermons, although this word is used quite often in this passage today and the verses to come in Hebrews 12. Let’s do a word study from the Blue Letter Bible lexicon:
Discipline comes from the Greek noun παιδεία or paideia (Strong’s G3809), with the following Biblical usages:
the whole training and education of children (which relates to the cultivation of mind and morals, and employs for this purpose now commands and admonitions, now reproof and punishment) It also includes the training and care of the body
whatever in adults also cultivates the soul, esp. by correcting mistakes and curbing passions.
instruction which aims at increasing virtue
chastisement, chastening, (of the evils with which God visits men for their amendment)
This chastisement or discipline concept is also used effectively in 2 Timothy 3 in describing Scripture:
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB1995
Since there is much more coming about discipline, I’ll end this with one more excerpt from commentary. This is from Enduring Word:
a. You have forgotten: One great reason for the discouragement among these Jewish Christians was because they saw no reason why God would allow difficult times to arise. They forgot principles regarding the chastening of the LORD.
i. Much difficulty in the Christian life comes from those three words: you have forgotten. Perhaps it is some principle we remember in the mind, but have forgotten in the heart – and we must remember it again.
ii. In times of trial or stress many Christians forget some of the basics. They seriously wonder if God is still in control or if He still loves them. We must admit that God does allow every thing that happens; so He must at least passively approve of it, because He certainly has the power to stop bad things that happen.
iii. Of course, God can never be the author of evil. But He does allow others to choose evil, and He can use the evil choice another makes to work out His ultimately good purpose, even if only to demonstrate His justice and righteousness in contrast to evil.
b. Which speaks to you as sons: The quotation from Proverbs 3:11-12 reminds us that God’s chastening should never be taken as a sign of His rejection. It is rather a sign of His treating us as His children.
i. Only the most proud Christian would claim they are never in need of correction from God. No one is above this training.
c. Do not despise the chastening of the LORD: When chastening comes it is an offense to God when we despise it. Chastening is His loving tool of correction and we should receive it gratefully. This is the training we need to run the race we must run with endurance (Hebrews 12:1-2).
i. “I have often heard a father say, ‘Boy, if you cry for that you shall have something to cry for by-and-by.’ So, if we murmur at a little God gives us something that will make us cry. If we groan for nothing, he will give us something that will make us groan.” (Spurgeon)
ii. Chastening should not be regarded as the only reason God allows difficult times, but it is an important one. For example, we know that God allows difficult times so that we can, at a later time, comfort someone else with the same comfort God shows towards us in our crisis (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).
iii. This is why James recommends a prayer for wisdom in the context of enduring trials (James 1:2-5). We need to know how to react differently when God does different things.
I love that Spurgeon quote! I remember my Dad telling me to stop crying or he would really give me something to cry about (and he was a very kind man who hated to discipline me when I was growing up). When I see the minor things that a few people are obsessing about in the intercessory prayers that we receive, I usually pray for them to be calm and peaceful in those circumstances so that they can build that endurance for worse trials. Remember that God is in control, but we also have free will and an enemy that will try to trip us up.
My next devotional examines Hebrews 12:7-11 - Much more on discipline
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I understand that Your loving discipline and the trials that I may face are for my own good and spiritual growth and I know that You love me. Amen.
Credits and Citations:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
“G3809 - paideia - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB95).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 13 Feb, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3809/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/>.
Precept Austin was accessed on 02/13/2026 to review commentary for Hebrews 11:8-12. Within the Precept Austin commentary, the Steven Cole sermon is from this source:
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-45-god%E2%80%99s-loving-discipline-hebrews-124-6 Copyright @2004 Steven Cole.
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. WI thin the Enduring Word commentary:
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon The New Park Street Pulpit, Volumes 1-6and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)