Discipline vs Punishment

As many of my friends know, God wants me to be a pastor sometime in the future. Consequently, he has allowed me to go through various different hardships. This passage in bold investigates why God has allowed this.

'Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?' (Hebrews 12:7)

Discipline and punishment can seem like the same thing to us sometimes. However, they are miles apart.

When God allows us to go through trials in our life, the usual response is to ask God why the suffering is happening to us. However, in this passage, God is saying that we need to endure this hardship. God knows that we aren't going to find out trials easy, so we need to be steadfast and stand firm, for it is written, 'he who stands firm to the end will be saved' (Mt 10:22).

Furthermore, we are told to endure such hardship as discipline. Now discipline is training, it looks forward to a beneficial result, it develops self-control, character and ability. In contrast, punishment is a penalty imposed upon someone for doing something wrong. It is the administration of justice. Indeed, the Greek word for 'discipline' in Hebrews 12:7 can also mean 'training'. Furthermore, God has also written 'those whom I love I rebuke and discipline' (Rev 3:19).

Now, being disciplined does not necessarily mean that you have done something wrong. It can mean that, of course, in the sense of corrective discipline. However, discipline can also be used in the 'training' sense, such as that of a football player training in the pre-season.

Since we have been forgiven of all our sins, God will never punish us for anything we do that is sinful. For Jesus Christ 'is the one who turns aside God's wrath, taking away our sins, and not only ours but also the sins of the whole world' (1 Jn 2:2). Jesus is the one who was punished by God for all the sins we would ever commit, so God will never punish us for our sins.

Thus, hardship is not punishment - it is discipline, it trains us and strengthens us for the future. Consequently, we should 'consider it pure joy ... whenever we face trials of many kinds, because we know that the testing of our faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything' (Jas 1:2-4). God has also said that we should 'rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance produces character (Ro 5:3,4).

In conclusion, whilst God allows us to go through trials, he promises that 'in all things he works for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose' (Ro 8:28). God loves us, so he wants us to be ready to enter into the calling he has given us.

This is simply amazing. I will continue the investigation soon.

God bless, everyone.

Andy.

It's about God, not me.

Hmmm.... I've been pondering lately - since God wants me to be a pastor sometime in the future, what do I do in the meantime? What is my purpose in the here and now? I read a chapter of a book called 'The Purpose-Driven Life' by Rick Warren a while ago, and it gave me this Bible verse.

'All things were created by him and for him' (Colossians 1:16).

God is my Lord - he rescued me from the fiery pits of hell, to give me eternal life, life through Christ. For 'I no longer live, but Christ lives in me' (Gal 2:20). Since God so loved me, I feel compelled to love him back. As a result, 'in view of God's mercy', I will 'offer [my body] as [a] living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God' (Rom 12:1). I want to surrender myself to God, who loves me. He has an awesome plan for my life, a 'plan to prosper me and not harm me, a plan to give me a hope and a future' (Jer 29:11). Knowing these things will definitely help me to know that life is about living for God, not myself.

God is so much wiser than me - he is God, after all, and since he loves me, it seems ridiculous not to let him be in control of my life. At the moment, I think he wants me to continue studying Chemistry. Consequently, that is what I will continue to do.

God bless, everyone.

Andy.

Conscience Problems and Love

One issue I have been struggling with on and off lately is that of my conscience - a good way of making decisions.

'For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and he died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf' (2 Corinthians 5:14,15, NASB).*

The main part of this reading I want to focus on today is 'the love of Christ controls us' (2 Co 5:14a, NASB): most of the rest of this passage is an expansion of how Jesus Christ showed his love for us. For 'this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins' (1 Jn 4:10). Consequently, 'since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another' (1 Jn 4:11).

That the love of Christ controls us means that we 'should no longer live for [ourselves], but for him who died and rose again on our behalf' (2 Co 5:15, NASB). And living for Christ means loving him, which is such a natural thing to do for the one who took the punishment for all my sins so that I can have life through him. The commandment given by Jesus Christ himself sums up what it means to be controlled by his love: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength ... Love your neighbour as yourself' (Mk 12:30,31).

Thus, what I got out of the reading today is that any decision we make should be determined by love. If doing something is loving toward God (and thus loving toward your neighbour), then by all means, do it! But how do you know if your actions are loving toward God and your neighbour? Well, God's Word, the Bible, comes in very handy for helping you here. And if you make a mistake and do something that isn't loving toward God and/or your neighbour, remember that your sins are forgiven by Christ's death on the cross and his resurrection.

Don't do what I have done and fear making a decision for fear of making the wrong decision. Just make your decision based on love for God and your neighbour. If you stuff it up, God forgives you.

Hallelujah!

God bless everyone,

Andy.

My first blog - some of what I have learnt over the last few months.

Well, God put it on my heart today that I should start up a blog, so I have.

'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4).

'All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God' (Ro 3:23), including me, of course. And since 'the wages of sin is death', I deserve to be eternally punished in hell forever (Ro 6:23). However, God, out of his pure, undeserved love for us, 'made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God' (2 Co 5:21). In other words, God sent Jesus into the world to be 'the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world' (Jn 1:29). As a result I have been saved, and have eternal life to be with God forever when I die. Also, 'I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me' (Gal 2:20). Thus, as 2 Corinthians 5:21 points out, I have received Christ's righteousness, because Christ lives in me.

Thus, I am completely acceptable to God, and can therefore 'approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that [I] may receive mercy and find grace to help [me] in [my] time of need' (Heb 4:16). I can also 'give thanks in all circumstances', which is 'God's will for me in Christ Jesus' (1 Th 5:18). I can do this because I 'know that in all things, God works for the good of those who live him' (Ro 8:28).

Overall, 'this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins' (1 Jn 4:10). And 'since God so loved us, [I] also ought to love [others]' (1 Jn 4:11). Why should I do this? God told me to, so I will, but I also want to, because what I am actually doing is making my body available for Christ to love others through me. For 'I no longer live, but Christ lives in me' (Gal 2:20). I don't need to be capable of loving others: God himself is the able one. However, I am making myself available to God. And by allowing God to love others through me, I am, by God's strength, encouraging my fellow Christians. I can also, by God's strength, love non-Christians and witness to them, hopefully bringing them to a knowledge of the gospel.

So where does this fit in with today's passage? Well, the Bible is a manual for how to love other people, among other things. I want to learn about God's love for me, and in turn, how I can love God back and allow God to love other people through me. For 'all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work' (2 Ti 3:16,17). And this is because all scripture is in some way related to the gospel message - our motive for loving other people.

Thus, I want to immerse myself in God's Word, learn to love people more (in God's strength), and bring more people to a knowledge of the gospel.

That's essentially some of what I have learnt from reading a book entitled "Classic Christianity" by Bob George for the past few months. It's been an awesome read, and I recommend it to everyone.

God bless everyone,

Andy.