Hebrews 12:5-8

Hebrews 12:5-8

[5] And  ye have forgotten  the exhortation  which  speaketh  as  unto children,  not  thou  the chastening  of the Lord,  nor  faint  when thou art rebuked  of  him:  [6] For  whom  the Lord  loveth  he chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  he receiveth.  [7] ye endure  chastening,  God  dealeth  as  with sons;  for  what  son  whom  the father  chasteneth  not?  [8] But  if  without  chastisement,  whereof  all  are  partakers,  then  bastards,  and  not  sons. 

What does Hebrews 12:5-8 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

We need to remember, too, that God allows us to experience some opposition to make us stronger in the faith ( Deuteronomy 8:5; Proverbs 3:11-12; James 1). It is easy to become discouraged when we encounter hard times. The Israelites certainly gave evidence of this when they left Egypt following the Exodus. Hebrews 12:5-11 constitute an exposition of Proverbs 3:11-12.
Another value of divine discipline is that it prepares us to reign with Christ (cf. Hebrews 2:10). God"s discipline assures us that we are His sons. All believers are "partakers" (cf. Hebrews 1:9; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 3:14; Hebrews 6:4) of discipline. The "illegitimate children" in view seem to be genuine children of God but not approved sons. (See Romans 8:14-17 for the contrast between children and sons.)
"A father would spend much care and patience on the upbringing of a true-born son whom he hoped to make a wealthy heir; and at the time such a son might have to undergo much more irksome discipline than an illegitimate child for whom no future of honor and responsibility was envisaged, and who therefore might be left more or less to please himself." [1]
Ishmael is an Old Testament example of an illegitimate child. He was the true child of Abraham. Yet because he was illegitimate (i.e, the son of Hagar rather than Sarah, Abraham"s wife) he did not receive the inheritance that Isaac, the legitimate child, did (cf. Genesis 17:19-21; Genesis 21:12-14). Ishmael received some blessing because he was Abraham"s Song of Solomon , but he did not receive the full inheritance because he was an illegitimate child.
The approved sons in view here in Hebrews are evidently those who persevere through discipline to the end of their lives whereas the illegitimate children do not but apostatize. [2]
"In the Roman world, an "illegitimate child" had no inheritance rights." [3]
God deals with apostate believers in judgment, but He deals with persevering believers in discipline (child training; cf. Hebrews 5:8). The writer seems to be saying that God disciplines all Christians, but when a believer apostatizes God may let him go his own way without disciplining him further, especially if he has not responded to previous discipline but has hardened his heart. God disciplines Christians to prepare us for future service, but when we apostatize He stops preparing us for future service. This is probably true only in extreme cases of departure from God and His truth (cf. Hebrews 6:6, where we read that it is impossible to renew these apostates to repentance).
"The author does not specify what, in literal terms, would be involved in being an illegitimate member of God"s family. The context does not refer, even indirectly, to "false brethren [4] secretly brought in" ( Galatians 2:4). The wider context does suggest that such illegitimate offspring are apostates such as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, probably alluded to in Hebrews 12:3; or more generally, those who do not keep faith firmly to the end ( Hebrews 10:39)." [5]
Another view of the terms "sons" and "illegitimate children" is that they refer to true Christians and only professing but not genuine Christians respectively. [6] The reason I do not favor this view is that throughout this epistle I believe the writer is urging true Christians to remain faithful and not apostatize. In other words, the larger context favors this interpretation. Moreover an illegitimate child Isaiah , after all, still a child of his father. We need to understand the legitimate and illegitimate distinction in the light of Jewish and Roman culture.
"The ancient world found it incomprehensible that a father could possibly love his child and not punish him. In fact, a real son would draw more discipline than, say, an illegitimate child for the precise reason that greater honor and responsibility were to be his." [7]
This probably explains why committed Christians seem to experience more difficulties than non-committed Christians. This is observable clearly in countries of the world where Christians are being persecuted. Christians in those countries who seek to remain faithful to the Lord draw more persecution than Christians who compromise. God is preparing committed Christians for greater honor and responsibility in the future.
"A father who neglects to discipline a son is deficient in his capacity as father, and a son who escapes all discipline is losing out on his sonship. This is a principle which would not be recognized by all schools of thought in this modern age where permissiveness has such powerful influence. The authority of parents has been so eroded that discipline rarely if ever comes into play. It has generally ceased to be a part of sonship. It is small wonder that those brought up in such an atmosphere find genuine difficulty in understanding the discipline of God." [8]