If you missed part 1, click the link at the end of the blog to catch up.
The circumstances we find ourselves in are the consequences of our sin and discipline for choosing sin over disobedience. Because God loves us so much, He will let us face the consequences of our sin to reach us and to teach us.
He will discipline us when we need it: “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you” (Deuteronomy 8:5). We wouldn’t let our children continue to walk down a path that is dangerous or may cause undue hardship in their lives. We want the very best for our children, and God wants the very best for His children also. If God does not discipline us, we are not his children (Hebrews 12:8).
With all this talk about discipline, we need to remember that discipline is not punishment for sin. Discipline is a consequence of our decision to disobey. Jesus already took all our punishment for us when He was nailed to the cross. Every sin we have committed in the past and every sin we will ever commit was nailed on the cross with Jesus. Isaiah 53:5 confirms this claim: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds, we are healed.”
As soon as we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are no longer condemned or punished for our sins. Just so we are clear, Romans 8:1-2 verifies this:
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. We are completely free from condemnation from God. However, we aren’t completely free of our human nature and our sinful nature. Therefore, God still needs to discipline us when we chose to openly sin against Him. We will always be an ongoing project to become more like Jesus and won’t see this fully happen this side of Heaven. We can’t reach this goal without the Father shaping us into the person He needs us to be and that shaping requires discipline and rebuke when we choose to sin.
Take a moment to think about your children. We talked earlier about not letting them walk down the wrong paths without stopping them. Think about how you chose to discipline your son or daughter. Was it an easy task or did it break your heart? The first time I had to spank my son was traumatizing for me. The spanking was well deserved and a behavior that I did not want to be repeated. We both cried for a while, but the discipline worked. Now when we grab the paddle, he immediately stops what he is doing or starts running with his hands on his little behind. He learned that he better quit what he is doing immediately and obey.
If it was only this easy for us to learn to obey God!
I can imagine how heartbreaking it was for God to discipline Adam and Eve and to expel them from the Garden of Eden. He had walked with and talked with them every day. I’m sure God enjoyed every moment He spent with Adam and Eve. Then Eve chose to disobey God and eat from the forbidden tree. Oh, how God’s heart must have broken! Their disobedience meant that God could no longer walk side-by-side with them through the garden. In His great compassion, God gave them clothing and sent them out of the Garden of Eden so they wouldn’t have to live in the consequences of their sins forever. Even though God knew this moment would happen, it still broke His heart to discipline them. And it breaks His heart to have to discipline us too.
But God loves us too much to let us live in the filth of our sin and disobedience. God chooses to discipline and shape us into the person we are meant to be. Just remember the words of Hebrews 12:11: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” God uses discipline to train us to be more like Jesus. He also uses trials and testing to achieve His goals.
Next week, we will look at how the sin and disobedience of other people causes consequences for us.
Tony on the Border 