Have
You Resisted Unto Blood,
Striving Against Sin?
Hebrews 12
Those
who would defend sin often use Hebrews chapter 12 to prove that if
you are under chastisement for your sins, then this confirms you are
a child of God. One verse says:
"In
your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of
shedding your blood." (v. 4)
The
other is:
"For
whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he
receives." (v.6)
These
passages help support their flawed cliché of, “I sin every day in
thought, word, and deed.”
This leads me to wonder,
what chastisement is one receiving every day since they claim to sin
daily? How does God chastise them? What method does God use?
Moreover, if we really think about it, their whole life would only be
about sinning and chastisement. Will there ever come a day when the
sin will stop so the chastisement will end? If this chastisement from
God they receive is supposed to teach them a lesson, what lesson have
they learned if they continue to sin? Should I sin every day just to
prove I am a child of God? Does this mean God does not love me
if I choose not to sin against Him on a daily basis?
Sin
supporters will also add that if you fail to confess your sins you
will certainly be chastised (using Heb. 12:6) over your disobedience
and as a result, run the risk of being prematurely killed by God for
shaming His holy name. But I have to wonder. Why did God never kill
Paul for his supposed willful and defiant behavior since he is
considered the chief of sinners even after conversion?
For
that matter, if all our future sins are really “paid for in
advance” and guarantees us eternal salvation regardless how we live
afterward (after all, one cannot go a day without sinning), then is
not a confession of ongoing sin really purposeless since God is now
morally blind to any sins we commit now and in the future?
Furthermore, how could God possibly KILL (chastise) us over sins that
are “paid for” by the provision of Calvary, and charge them
against us again? It would be absurd that God would kill us for sins
He has already forgiven!
Dear reader, do you see the
nonsense of all this when we apply a little common sense to
unbiblical doctrines?
From
Genesis to Revelation, it is clear that we must forsake our
wickedness, purge our heart of evil, and seek the mercy of
God.[1] Would
not living and encouraging holy living as instructed in scripture be
a better option? This certainly means the difference between life and
death (eternal consequences).
The word
Chastisement
When
people look at the word “chastisement” they automatically think
“punishment.” When Isaiah says, “But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him” (Isa. 53:5), people automatically read
it as, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities, the punishment of our peace was upon
him.”
Punishment has to do with retribution. Wilson’s
Old Testament Word Studies points out that there are two words in
Hebrew that are translated as “chastisement.” One as punishment,
chastening; and the other as, to discipline, to correct, to
chasten.”[2]
Since
Jesus is not punished, the latter definition in Isaiah, to me, is
more appropriate.
Yes indeed, chastisement is for
believers.
"If
ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son
is he whom the Father chasteneth not?" (Heb. 12:7).
In
the NET reads:
"Endure
your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what
son is there that a father does not discipline?"
However,
is it over sin? No believer should be living in deliberate rebellion.
If one is living in willful, blatant sin, they can no longer be
considered a child of God. Sin has a non-negotiable penalty, which is
death.
Notice the passage in Heb. 12:4 where it
states:
"You
have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle
against sin."
Notice
it does not say “In your struggle against YOUR SIN…” Has anyone
ever accomplished drawing blood from striving against their own sins?
Should striving against our own sin come to the point of shedding our
own blood?
Let us look at the context and draw its
meaning:
"Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must
get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run
with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on
Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out
for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken
his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Think of him who
endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may
not grow weary in your souls and give up. You have not yet resisted
to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against sin."
(Hebrews 12:1-4)
The
verse is not talking about our own sin, for we should not have any in
our life. It has to do with persecution,
the sin of others.
And
who should we think of when we come under such persecution? Think of
Jesus:
"Think
of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so
that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up." Heb.
12:3
This
has to do with the “sinners against us;” the sinful acts they
commit against us as they did against Christ.
If we read
Hebrews chapter 11, we find the early saints resisted unto the
shedding of blood, not because of some besetting sin they had in
their own life, but from the sin of others (Heb.11:36-38). Those
saints went through much persecution.
We are informed that
those who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2
Timothy 3:12). Hebrews 12 is not telling us that the believers are
chastised, as in punishment, for their own sin. This is not about God
the Father playing the big bully who beats His children to instill
fear in them not to sin. Rather, Hebrews 12 is preparing
the believers for persecution. We
learn obedience through suffering. The same was true of
Jesus:
"Although
he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered.
And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal
salvation to all who obey him…" (Hebrews 5:8-9)
Jesus
also endured the discipline of His Father through suffering under the
sin of others. This is intended to encourage us as we undergo
persecution as well.
Those who live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution. For some of us, it may not be to the point
of bloodshed at the hands of others. People may simply lie about us,
spread rumors, insult us, etc.
Jesus said,
Blessed
are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all
kinds of evil against you because of me.
It
should be expected that people are going to insult us and falsely say
all kinds of evil against us because of Jesus.
What about
the verse that says, “We must get rid of every weight and the sin
that clings so closely?” First note that it does not say, “we
must get rid of every weight and the sins we are committing.” The
true meaning is, just as we would put aside a weight, we would also
put aside persecution and not allow it to hinder our running the race
that is set before us.
We have to lay aside every weight.
(see also 1 Peter 5:7) We cannot let it distract us. If we allow it,
it certainly can hinder us. We may feel like giving up; however,
“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,” Jesus said.
The
apostles did as Jesus said. I am reminded of the story in Acts 5. The
council came together and ordered the apostles to be flogged, and
they were told not to speak in the name of Jesus and then released.
These men were whipped! They suffered not only from verbal
accusations but physically as well. And what did they do?
"So
they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing
that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His
name. And every
day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on
teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
We
are in a time where all the brothers and sisters in Christ will need
to edify and encourage one another in times of persecution. For some
of us, it will be to the point of our own blood shed by the hands of
others. This is happening today in other countries. For others, it
will not be so extreme. (Matt. 5:43-45; John 16:1-4; 1 Peter
4:12-13)
Remember
what Jesus said:
And
all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone
who endures to the end will be saved. (Matt. 10:22)
All
men will hate you because of me. (Luke 21:17)
I
end this by also remembering the words of Paul:
Therefore,
when we could stand it no longer, we decided to remain alone in
Athens and send Timothy, our brother who works with us for God in the
gospel of the Messiah, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
so that no one would be shaken by these
persecutions, for which
you are aware that we were destined. In fact, when we were with you,
we told you ahead of time
that we were going to suffer persecution.
And as you know, that is what happened. (1 Thess. 3:2-4)
____________________________________________________
[1]
Example: Isa.
55:7; Jer. 26:13; Pro. 28:13; Jonah 3:8-10; Matt. 12:41; Lk.
15:11-32; Acts 3:19; 2 Co. 7:10-11; 2 Tim. 2:19; Jas. 3:7-10; 1 Pet.
4:1; Rev. 2:5; 2:16; 2:20-22; 3:3; 3:19
[2]Wilson’s
Old Testament Word Studies, William Wilson, Mac Donald Publishing
Co., McLean, VA. No Date. Page74.Have You Resisted Unto Blood,
Striving Against Sin?