In Hebrews 12:5 Paul asks his readers if they had forgotten what the Scriptures say about the value of the Lord’s discipline. Paul then quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 in an effort to show that the Lord loves them and treats them as his children (Hebrews 12:5-6). Paul is implying that his persecuted brethren were beginning to question God’s love for them, because of how ill they had been treated by the Jewish authorities and everyone else at their behest. But, Paul claims the opposite would be true, for, if they weren’t persecuted, they would have reason to believe the Lord had no real interest in their lives. The Lord is interested in character, not keeping us from all harm. What sort of fighting force would a nation have, if its military didn’t know what it was like to suffer hardship?
The KJV translates verse-7… “if you endure chastening, God deals with you as sons…” but this couldn’t be so. Believers are the sons of God, because they have trusted in Christ. How one endures the Lord’s discipline has no bearing on his relationship with God. Rather the phrase should be rendered something like: “Endure your suffering as discipline…” (NET) or “Be patient, then, while correction lasts…” (Vulgate) or “Persevere under discipline…” (DRB). Why? because the Lord is dealing with you as sons. So, Paul is not telling his readers that they are the sons of God only if they endure persecution. Rather, he is encouraging his readers to endure persecution because the Lord is treating them as his children. What kind of father isn’t concerned about his child’s character? Wouldn’t that be a father who sired an illegitimate son by a harlot? Such a child would have had no right to an inheritance in the first century AD, according to the Law (Hebrews 12:8)?
In Hebrews 12:9 Paul went on to contrast the believer’s human father with his heavenly Father. His argument is: if he revered his human father and submitted to his discipline, how much more is he obligated to revere his heavenly father and submit to him under his discipline?[1] For, our human fathers exercised their discipline upon us for a period of time, and everything they did was done for their own profit, that is, according to their desire, or what they considered important. On the other hand, the Lord disciplines his children for their profit, so that they might partake of something far above their ability to even imagine (1Corinthians 2:9). That is, they are invited to enjoy and partake of the Lord’s holiness (Hebrews 12:10).
In other words, believers are called to be as the Lord is (cp. 1John 3:1-2), that they might have the same kind of character as God (Leviticus 19:2; 1Peter 1:15-16; Ephesians 5:1; cp. Genesis 1:27; 2Corinthians 3:18). Nevertheless, it is understood that no disciplinary activity is welcome at present, but painful. However, afterward it yields the fruit of an upright, prepared life for those who are willing to be trained thereby (Hebrews 12:11).
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[1] Paul contrasts “fathers of our flesh” with “Father of spirits” in verse-9. Scholars have disputed what this contrast really means. Does it contrast one’s physical life with that of one’s spiritual life, or perhaps the old man with the new man etc.? However, I personally believe “our flesh” refers to what we call our fleshy body (animal type existence), which bears the marks (DNA if you will) of our human fathers. We derive our bodies from him through our mothers, and we revere him and submit to his discipline. However, we have a greater responsibility to the Lord to revere him and to submit to him, because, while our human fathers have given us our human bodies, our heavenly Father has breathed life into us and made us a living soul (Genesis 2:7; Job 33:4). He is the Father of all the spirits of mankind (Numbers 16:22; 27:16). While our human father offers us participation (feeling etc.) in this world, our heavenly Father offers us consciousness and awareness, of a kind of life that exceeds animal consciousness and awareness, so that we are not only of this world (cp. 1Corinthians 2:11a) but of the next as well (1Corinthians 2:11b).
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