LOST and FOUND
Will God Whip me into Shape if I Sin?
Will God Whip me into Shape if I Sin?
For those whom the Lord loves he disciplines,
and he scourges every son whom he receives
Hebrews 12:6, NASB
and he scourges every son whom he receives
Hebrews 12:6, NASB
So, you’ve messed up again - a really bad sin this time! God has surely lost patience with you this time and will send you some sort of punishment or sickness to set you back on course. After all, isn’t there a scripture that says God “scourges” or whips us?
The reference to scourging is found at Hebrews 12:6 quoted above. The word mastigoō appears in the NT seven times. In every case it is associated with unjust punishment inflicted by the unjust upon the just – either Jesus (4x) or his disciples (2x) and Paul (1x). In Biblical times, this cruel form of punishment was reserved for slaves and criminals, not sons and citizens.
God sees only the righteousness of Christ when He looks at His children, those “in Christ”. Punishment by sickness or extreme shunning is never on God’s agenda. Hence some reason that when Paul mentioned “scourging” he was talking about endurance of persecution from the Judaizers and other opposers. Hebrews was written for Jews under the Law who, having heard the gospel message of grace, were rejecting Christ and even persecuting Christians.
Note the context: Hebrews 11:32-40, records how the prophets of old suffered for righteousness, then 12:1-3 continues that Jesus “endured the cross”. Such persecution could have been avoided if, instead of enduring faithfully, they renounced their faith. The endurance of the “scourging” of persecution, including shunning, is an evidence of God’s sonship and accomplishes a training so that those in Christ can experience a harvest of righteousness and peace (1 Pet 4:16).
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God is not into punishing His children but preparing them
God is not into punishing His children but preparing them
