5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
Which speaks to [persuades] you as to sons:
The “which” is the following quotation from Proverbs 3:11–12. The word “speaks” is in a Greek tense that indicates that God continues to speak through Proverbs (present tense). The word “speaks” carries the idea of persuading or arguing with. God is in the process of discourse with the child of God. He wants to examine the life of the believer with the Christian himself.
God speaks to the readers as His “sons.” There is no desire on His part to be cruel or punish Christians as retaliation for their sins. The issue is their growth as a believer. He never treats us with indifference.
PRINCIPLE:
Sonship and divine discipline go together.
APPLICATION:
Every believer must interpret his or her suffering from God in a proper manner. God wants to “discourse” with us about our problem/s. Discipline is evidence that the person is in the family of God. Correction of the Christian should not nurture doubt about whether he is a believer. God’s plan trumps experience.
Divine discipline is corrective, not judicial. The purposes of divine discipline are (1) prevention, (2) correction, and (3) spiritual growth. There is a difference between God’s discipline and punishment. Jesus took all the punishment for our sins on the cross. God never allows for double jeopardy, whereby Jesus suffered for our sins and we also suffer for them. Jesus took the final payment for our sins. There is no further payment necessary on our part. However, as the believer grows in Christ, he needs correction in the course of life he takes. Divine discipline is corrective, not judicial. There is a vast distinction between divine punishment and divine discipline. Christians grow in their faith by divine discipline, not punishment.
