(4) Our Father's discipline

Hebrews 12: 5 says, "And you have completely forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with sons, My son, do not make light of the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when reproved by Him." The word discipline in this verse points to some kind of punishment. Verse 6 continues, "For whom the Lord loves He disciplines and scourges every son whom He receives." To scourge here means to whip. Most of us received some kind of scourging from our parents when we were children. In like manner, our Father scourges His children.

Verse 7 says, "It is for discipline that you are enduring; God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom the father does not discipline?" A father will scourge his own children, not the children on the street. For God to scourge us does not mean that we lose our eternal security. The more a child is disciplined by his parents, the more secure he is. Verse 8 says that "if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are bastards and not sons." I am afraid that if God the Father would not discipline me, it would mean that I am a bastard, not a son.

Verse 9 says that "we have had the fathers of our flesh as discipliners and we respected them; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?" Being in subjection to the Father of spirits gives us more life. Verse 10 says, "For they indeed disciplined us for a few days as it seemed good to them, but He for our profit that we might partake of His holiness." To partake of His holiness means to partake of His holy nature. This implies the growth in life. The discipline that we receive of our Father helps us to grow. (Life-Study of Hebrews, Message #24) http://ministrybooks.org/life-studies.cfm

父的管教
希伯來十二章五節說，『你們竟全然忘了那勸勉的話，就是對你們如同對兒子所講論的，說，『我兒，你不可輕看主的管教，被祂責備的時候，也不可灰心。』』這裡的『管教』是指著某種的懲罰。六節說，『因為主所愛的，祂必管教，又鞭打凡所收納的兒子。』我們許多人小時候都被父母打過。照樣，我們的父也鞭打祂的兒女。

七節說，『為了受管教，你們要忍受。神待你們如同待兒子；那有兒子是父親不管教的？』父親鞭打的是自己的孩子，而不是街上的孩子。神鞭打我們，不是說我們失去了永遠的穩妥。一個越受管教的孩子，就越穩妥。八節說，『只是你們若不受眾子所共受的管教，就是私生子，不是兒子了。』若是父神不管教我，我恐怕就是私生子，不是兒子了。

九節說，『再者，我們曾有肉身的父管教我們，我們尚且敬重他們，何況萬靈的父，我們豈不更當服從祂而得活著麼？』服從萬靈的父，乃是叫我們得著更多的生命。十節說，『肉身的父是在短暫的日子裡，照自己以為好的管教我們，惟有萬靈的父管教我們，是為了我們的益處，使我們有分於祂的聖別。』有分於祂的聖別，就是有分於祂聖別的性情。這含示生命的長大；我們從父所受的管教，要幫助我們長大。(摘自『希伯來書生命讀經』第二十四篇) http://www.lsmchinese.org/