Austin Bible Church
Divine discipline is from the justice of God in grace to correct, punish, encourage, train, and motivate the believer to return to fellowship with God. Divine discipline is for believers only. Heb. 12:5-6.
“and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”“ (Hebrews 12:5-6, NASB)
Discipline is based on love. When a believer is out of fellowship, divine discipline is designed to get them to confess their sins to the Father and be restored to fellowship. Discipline never implies loss of salvation. Gal. 3:26.
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26, NASB)
Divine discipline is chastisement for sins of the believer in the immediate vicinity of sin. Discipline is removed by confession of sin by naming or acknowledging our known sins to God the Father per 1 John 1:9. 1 Cor. 11:31-32.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NASB)
“But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11:31-32, NASB)
When suffering continues after confession of sin the purpose is for blessing. Job 5:17-18.
““Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. “For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal.” (Job 5:17-18, NASB)
All divine discipline is confined to time. There is no discipline in eternity. Rev. 21:4.
“and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”“ (Revelation 21:4, NASB)
If you suspect suffering in your life and have confessed your known sins to God the Father, look for something near at hand. Discipline always relates sins in the immediate past with the exception of the sin unto death. Heb. 12:15; 1 John 5:16.
“See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;” (Hebrews 12:15, NASB)
“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this.” (1 John 5:16, NASB)
The other side of eternal security is discipline for believers out of fellowship. Certain sins bring triple compound discipline. Matt. 7:1-2.
““Do not judge so that you will not be judged. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, NASB)
Mental Distress From Continued Divine Discipline
A prime factor in causing mental distress in believers is when the believer under discipline fights it, refusing to properly use 1 John 1:9. Certain thinking patterns if harbored continually can cause mental distress. They include guilt complexes, harboring bitterness toward others, hatred toward others, jealousy or envy, fear about the present, future, and death, anxiety or worry about little things, desire in the mind for revenge, and judging another believer or running them down to others. Heb. 12:3; Heb. 12:15.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NASB)
“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3, NASB)
“See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;” (Hebrews 12:15, NASB)
Divine discipline results in restrained sinning. It also teaches the believer the spiritual lessons which result in spiritual growth. Heb. 12:11.
“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (Hebrews 12:11, NASB)
Chain Sinning
Chain sinning is where one sin leads to the next sin without confession of sin. Mental attitude sins motivate chain sinning. Chain sinning can also be caused by bitterness, hatred, guilt complex, by constantly associating all suffering with some sin in the past, public confession of sin, trying to hurt, discipline, or condemn someone else, blaming others for your sins and failures, and discussing sins and past failures with others in order to gain their sympathy.
Avoiding Divine Discipline
Confession of sin results in the filling of the Holy Spirit. The result of confession of sin biblically is the return to fellowship with God whereby you can continue to produce divine good or the fruit of the Spirit. Heb. 12:1; James 1:2-4.
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1, NASB)
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4, NASB)
The return to fellowship with God allows occupation with Christ. Heb. 12:2.
“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, NASB)
The return to fellowship with God enables the believer to avoid mental attitude sins. In Hebrews 12:3, “grow weary” means the continued mental attitude sins can even result is some types of psychological maladies.
“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3, NASB)
The return to fellowship with God enables the believer to have victory over the old sin nature. Hebrews 12:4 encourages the believer to confess sins biblically to God the Father, keep moving, isolate the sin, stand on the principle of grace, use faith-rest to claim God's promises and apply the resulting rationales to life’s situations and difficulties, and to thereby grow in the spiritual life.
“You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;” (Hebrews 12:4, NASB)
The return to fellowship with God enables the believer to live in the Word and to learn from the divine discipline to grow spiritually. Heb. 12:5.
“and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM;” (Hebrews 12:5, NASB)