Hebrews 12:1-11 – How we know we are loved

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to know that someone loved you for sure? Of course, it is nice to hear the words, “I love you,” but have you ever wanted more than just words? Have you ever wanted to know for sure that you were truly loved?

Today we are going to see that discipline, whether formative or corrective, is not only for our good and holiness, but also is a great encouragement and a sign from God that we are loved and are legitimately God’s children in Christ Jesus.

Background

Hebrews was a letter of exhortation written between 54 and 68 AD to a house church in Rome that was tempted to return to the old covenant because they were experiencing social and economic hardships for following Christ. The point of the letter was to help them see the extreme significance of Christ and help them see that Christ is all there is: there is nothing to return to. There is no hope outside of Christ. They should hold onto Christ even when their Christian life becomes difficult. Jesus is superior. He is worthy of their faith. Because of this, they should exercise faith in him and not fall away.

Throughout the letter he has shown that Christ is superior to the prophets, angels, and Moses. He is superior to the Levites, Aaron, and the whole of Judaism. Jesus gives his people better hope, a better possession, a better country, and a better life.

The author wants the Hebrews to believe in God’s promises and exercise faith even though difficulties, trials, pain, and death make it hard. He desires them to see that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all their hope and all of God’s promises.

Exposition

Remember those who have gone before you (v. 1)

In verse 1, the author of Hebrews challenges the readers to run this difficult race of life with patient endurance as if those in the "hall of faith" for chapter 11 were watching them and perhaps cheering them on as they struggled to reach the finish line.

This “cloud of witnesses” not only encourages the Hebrews as fellow “runners” in the race by their example, as those who have finished faithfully, but they are also concerned with the Hebrews’ race because they are united to them by faith in Christ. The Hebrews are in a metaphorical race of faith. They are to run their race with “patient endurance,” i.e., with courage throughout pain and adversity.

Remember Christ’s work and person to persevere (vv. 2-4)

In verses 2-3, the author exhorts them to look to Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who is the "originator" and "perfecter" of their faith, as the ultimate example of faith and running the race to completion in the face of hostility.

The phrase “look to,” carries the idea of looking away from all the distractions and looking only to Jesus. Jesus is the one who not only is the perfect example of steadfast faith in running the race but also the one whom their faith looks to and depends upon from beginning to end. It is for the joy of the ultimate accomplishment of redemption that Jesus despised the shame and endured the cross.

In verse 4, he reminds them that their struggle against sin has not been as severe as Jesus'. Jesus’ struggle against sin was not his sin but the sinners who sought to destroy him for being who he was.

As they consider Christ, they will see the suffering they are enduring pales in comparison to Christ, who endured for them. They must battle the sin that is both inside and outside of them. They can find their motivation in Christ to keep up and not grow weary as they battle.

Remember God’s care as you face discipline (vv. 5-8)

In verses 5-8, he reminds them of the reality of their sonship. He shows them from the book of Proverbs that part of being a child of God is being disciplined, corrected, and punished. This is just what being a child is about and should not surprise them.

In looking at Jesus, one might think that this would be motivation enough to “race” on, but the author of Hebrews tells them that they are God’s children, and as children, he is disciplining them for their good.

The saints of old endured discipline and finished their race well, which is a good  example and motivation for the Hebrews to endure discipline. The discipline they experience proves they have a share in God; they are his children and are seeing God’s love for them which is for their ultimate good. 

Remember the benefits of discipline (vv.  9-11)

In verses 9-11, he reminds them of how children are to be respectful to their fathers even when they discipline them inadequately and imperfectly. Discipline is not pleasant; no one likes it. Whether it is discipline to make a person remember to avoid something or discipline to make a person grow strong and healthy, like eating vegetables. However, even though children do not like it, they come to respect their fathers for this discipline.

God, our Father, is the greatest and best Father. He is the Father of spirits, the ultimate source of life. He is the Father and is entirely different from earthly fathers. All things get their breath and life from him. Thus, if God is the author of all life and disciplines his people for their good, how could it be bad for them? It is more than just good; it is what God does to bring his people into true life.

It is hard to see the point of discipline, and so we balk at it. But we shouldn’t. Because God’s discipline draws us into fellowship with him so we can enjoy him not just in the present but for all eternity. Yahweh is not only concerned about a few short years of our life while we are on earth; he is concerned for our eternity too. He disciplines us not just for short-term gain…being a better person or having a better life, but for the long-term gain of an eternity of joy with him.

Though no one likes discipline, the rewards of it are sweet. The discipline our eternal Father gives us will yield a “harvest of righteousness” that is “peaceable.” In other words, the result of discipline will bring righteousness that leads to peace. Our brief time of discipline yields a life that is lived in harmony with God.

Application

After walking through this passage, it is time to ask, “So what?” What difference does this passage make in our day-to-day lives? We can often struggle with the question, “How and why would a good God who is a loving Father allow me and others to go through these things?” We can also struggle with living a holy life in a secular society.

Often we expect life to go smoothly in this world because we are children of the very God and master of the universe. Then when life doesn't go as smoothly as we would like, we question or doubt our salvation or being loved.

The first thing that Hebrews 12:1-11 does is connect us with the great cloud of witnesses in chapter 11. These witnesses did not have an easy life. They persevered through many hardships because God promised them “…a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” These people stand as witnesses to the faith, testifying by their lives that God can be trusted and it is worth it. These witnesses are also watching us as we “run” our race, as it were, cheering us on and encouraging us to keep persevering.

We are not alone. We had, have, and will continue to have people who are struggling with us on the journey we are on. Because many have done this in the past, we too can cast aside the things of this world that try to keep us from finishing our race, holding fast to our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Throughout the years, as I have tried to encourage my congregations to persevere through difficulties and trials, one of the most common questions I am asked is, “How?” The answer is that we must look away from the world and keep our eyes on Jesus. He is the founder and perfecter of our faith. He exercised faith in his Father throughout his whole life. He walked through difficulty and suffering while never wavering. He is the perfect example of faith. For the joy of being exalted to his Father’s right hand and being given a people for his possession, he endured the cross and looked with disdain at the shame he would bear because of that cross. He looked to the future promise and found joy there instead of in the present reality.

What the people of God in the “hall of faith” did, Jesus did to an infinite level. Seeing both the saints as examples of faith and Jesus as the perfect example of faith should encourage us to push on through the difficulties we might bear as Christians.

However, not only is Christ the perfect example of our faith, but he is the object of our faith. Our faith depends on Jesus from first to last. This should come as no surprise to us since the author of Hebrews has spent 10 of the previous 11 chapters laying Jesus out as the only one who can provide forgiveness of sins and access to God. Thus, we are to see Jesus as the source of our faith, the motivation for our faith, and the example of how to live out our faith.

When our faith gets tested or tried, and we are unsure whether we can handle the persecution or difficulties, we should turn our eyes away from the situation we are experiencing and fix them upon Jesus. His life and ministry will encourage us to endure the difficulties and look forward to the joy set before us, even eternal life with Jesus. It is Jesus whom we must consider as we endure persecution and hostility from the citizens of this world. The answer to the struggle of what we should do when we are experiencing weariness is to remember how much Jesus went through for us and that we are still alive while Jesus gave up everything, including his life.

Another encouragement for us is that we must remember who we are in Christ. We have been adopted as children of God. Moreover, because we are his children, we should expect God to love us in the right way for our good. He does this through discipline.

This discipline of God is not simply for training us to be more godly and leading us to be weaned off the world. It is that. But it is more than that. God reproves and chastises his children. God does allow his children to experience suffering and persecution in this life even when we have done nothing to “deserve it.” Jesus clarified this when he told his people they were blessed to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. God often does this to ensure that we have our eyes fixed on him. Thus, this can be an encouragement when we are going through difficulties. It might have nothing to do with us having done anything wrong, but instead might simply be that God knows that this is the best thing for our training to grow up into the fullness of Christ. This can help assure us that God truly loves us and that he is not “angry” at us.

Nevertheless, it is also comforting for Christians to know that sometimes God reproves us and chastises his children when we have done wrong. He does this for the sake of holiness. His purpose is not punitive, however. He is not punishing us for justice but for the sake of love. Justice has been paid in full through Christ. He corrects us so we may come to share in his holiness and ultimately experience “the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

It is encouraging to know that God loves his children and corrects us when we do wrong in order that we may grow in holiness. So, when difficulties or troubles plague us, we should first look at ourselves and see if God is correcting us to grow us up into holiness that has been lacking in our lives. Suppose we are feeling distant from God and are not experiencing the joy of our sonship, and instead are experiencing difficulties. In that case, we should investigate our lives and ensure we are following God and not living in active sin.

Though this discipline, whether formative or corrective (which is also formative), is not pleasant or enjoyable, it is a sign of God's love, pleasure, and favor upon his children. This in itself should give us comfort and assurance.

We must be careful not to make the discipline of the Lord into a zero-sum game; either we have done wrong, or God is simply training us. By citing Proverbs 3:11-12, the author of Hebrews allows for both formative and corrective purposes. Some of the Hebrews might have heard that this was training them if their consciences were clear and they followed hard after Christ, even through persecution. Still, others might have heard this as corrective had they been wavering in their faith and been considering walking away from Christ. Both should be encouraged that God loves them and treats them as sons.

One final point of application is that God's call to holiness and godly living is essential to the Christian life. The discipline of God shows us that we should strive for holiness. As the author of Hebrews will say a few verses later, no one will see the Lord without holiness (Hebrews 12:14). We must live in holiness for God and not live for the world and its pleasures.

Though some Christians speak and believe the truth that God looks at Christ instead of them, this does not mean that their lives do not matter. Our lives should be lived out of the reality of who we are, sons of God. Moreover, sons of God are disciplined by God for our holiness.

We must strive after holiness and not balk at discipline, whether formative or corrective. Our life is not our own, we were bought with a price, so we should serve the Lord with our whole being. This means that we must be open to what God is going to do and is doing in us.

Hebrews 12:1-11 holds out a consistent and biblical view of God’s discipline. True sonship is not all rainbows and unicorns; instead, it is a life lived under the intentional discipline of a loving heavenly Father who is preparing us for his perpetual presence in glory. God always disciplines us for our good. If we are in sin, he corrects us for the sake of love and our good. However, even if we are not in sin, he forms us by allowing us to experience difficulties and challenges. These forms of discipline, formative or corrective, are not only for our good and holiness, but they are a great encouragement for us to have a sign from God that we are deeply loved and are genuinely and legitimately his children.