All sound fundamental Christian teachers of the Bible believe that God chastises His children. In Hebrews 12:5-11 we have a word of warning concerning us. Verses 5 and 6 say, “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; for whom the Lord loves He disciplines and scourges every son whom He receives.” This word mainly refers to God’s discipline in this age. Are you a son of God? If you are, then you may be scourged. 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?” When this book was written, the Hebrew believers were suffering chastisement. God was dealing with them as with sons. Although I have disciplined my own children, I have never disciplined the children on the street, because they are not my children and I have nothing to do with them. Verse 8 continues, “But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are bastards and not sons.” If we are without the Father’s discipline, then we must be bastards, not sons. I certainly would not want to be a bastard. “Furthermore, 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? 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” (vv. 9-10). Since holiness is God’s nature, to partake of God’s holiness is to partake of His nature. It was common, unholy, for the Hebrew believers to remain in Judaism. They needed to be separated to God’s new covenant that they might partake of God’s holy nature. For this purpose, persecution was aroused to discipline them that they might be separated from the common to the holy.
Although all the fundamental teachers of the Bible believe that God chastens His children, nearly all of them would say that His chastisement is only in this age, not in the coming age, claiming that God will never chastise us after we die. But I cannot find such a teaching in the Bible. Luke 12:45-48 reveals clearly that when the Lord Jesus returns, He will chastise His unfaithful servants. At the judgment seat of Christ, all the believers will be judged concerning how they have lived and what they have done after they were saved. Then the judgment will be made whether they will receive chastisement or not. This is similar to the end of the school year when the children present their parents a record of their grades, and the parents decide whether the children will receive a prize or a punishment. At the Lord’s coming back, we all will present our record to Him, and He will decide what we shall receive. God’s discipline is not only in this age but also in the coming age. As we have pointed out, the next age will still belong to the old heaven and the old earth. Thus, even the coming age of the kingdom will be a time for the Father to deal with His children.
What is mentioned in 10:27-31 as a warning does not refer to eternal perdition for the unbelievers but to God’s dispensational punishment of His children who do not obey His word. We must be assured that once we have God’s salvation, we shall never lose it. However, if we do not care for God’s word, we shall be punished. To be punished by God is not to be hated by Him. Rather, it is a sign that God the Father loves us. He disciplines whom He loves, not treating them as bastards but as dear sons. Surely the Father will discipline us.
How we must thank the Lord that He has opened His economy to us and that He has given us the warnings that we might go along with His economy! If we do not heed God’s warnings, we shall be punished. The time of our punishment is altogether up to Him, not us. It is the parents who determine what is the best time to deal with their children. They decide whether to deal with them immediately or to wait. Likewise, our Father knows the right time to deal with us, whether it is in this age or in the coming age. Luke 12:45-48; 19:22-26; Matthew 24:48-51; and 25:26-30 reveal clearly and definitely that when the Lord Jesus comes back, He will deal with His unfaithful servants.
By now we should be clear that the salvation which we have received from God is eternally secure. Nevertheless, we must be careful regarding our way of going on with God after we have been saved, especially after receiving the full knowledge of the truth as it has been given to us in these messages on Hebrews. If these messages do not help you to go on, then they will be unprofitable as far as your welfare is concerned. If we know the Lord’s will and yet do not do it, we shall be beaten more. But if we are ignorant of the Lord’s will and do not do it, we shall be beaten less. Luke 12:48 says, “He that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” If you do not have the heart to go on with the Lord, you are better off to be left ignorant. But we are no longer ignorant. May we all heed the warning to come forward and not to shrink back. May our prayer be, “Lord Jesus, help me to come forward.”