Title: God's Discipline (Hebrews 12:5-8)
Content I think the most representative definition of God in the classical Protestant church is the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Here we see that there is only one living God, incorporeal, invisible essence, unchanging, omnipotent, wisest, holiest, and most free of his own absolute being. He works according to his unchanging and righteous will for glory. He is the most loving and gracious, merciful and long-suffering, abounding in goodness and truth, forgiving every lack, transgression, and sin. He rewards those who seek him with zeal, hates sin, and never condones sin.
This definition of God clearly emphasizes his transcendence.
This is Augustine's idea of God, and it can be seen that the ideas about God of the great reformers such as Martin Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and Melanchton have been inherited with different emphasis on each.
It is clear that the idea of God in modern Reformed theology is rooted in the teachings of the Reformers. However, challenged by modern thought in the 19th and early 20th centuries, all theologians faced the common task of how to interpret the faith they inherited in the face of new knowledge. Here you can see two avenues of their reaction.
One of them is the modernist thought of God, which is very complex, Hegel's Absolute Spirit, Spencer's Infinite and Eternal Power, and later Whitehead's Concrete Principle, or Wyman of “the nature of the environment to which humans must adapt”, etc.
However, one way that is opposite to the definition of modernism mentioned so far is the “Liberal Thought of God”, which clearly states “God is the Father of Jesus Christ”.
The recently developed phase of defining God is rightly understood by us as rebellion against modern ideas or retirement from the modern world.
The universal idea that the existence of God as understood by religious beliefs transcends the power of the human mind, or human language to express and define, is skeptical of any definition of God.
Ideally, the idea of God is very multifaceted and has gone through a process that seems to correspond to Hegel's principle of right and wrong through the generations. I think you will.
Combining the notions of God summarized above, the point is that God is a transcendent being and emphasizes the immanence of God, who is powerfully present in the created world. is to see
See Isaiah 57:15.
“Thus says the Most High, who dwells forever, and whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with the contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
In the first half of this verse, “The Most High... and dwelling in the high and holy place,” God speaks of the transcendence of God, and in the second half, “The contrite… It speaks of God's immanence, coming from the middle and being with us.
The holy God created the human world, entered the world, and became the ruler and protagonist of human history.
Robinson said, “Understanding history must start from a God-centered perspective. Because God is the ruler and master of history, it is possible only by understanding God.”
As the protagonist, God intervenes in the human world. Humans can be seen as partners for the realization of God's work. Therefore, it is recognized that this world is like a tool used by God.
God entered human history as Jesus Christ and weaved the chapters, and now He is walking with us as the Holy Spirit (Parakratos), another Counselor who is identical with Jesus Christ.
John 14:17 says that the world does not know this because they have not received it, and we know that he dwells with us and is in us.
Look at verse 5 of today's text.
“And you have forgotten the exhortation to you as to sons. He said, "My son, do not despise the Lord's warning, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and scourges every son whom he receives.”
The history of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament era can be seen as the history of the history of being punished by God for idolatry, just like the history of war. We have to bow down to living people in the person God has given us, but we cannot help but admit that it is untruthful to bow our heads to idols who cannot speak and act. Therefore, God had to punish them.
In that sense, the history of the East can also be seen as the history of God's discipline. The decline of the East, where Buddhism and Confucianism had dominated, such as praying to a speechless stone Buddha and offering sacrifices to dead souls, can only be seen as a history of the departure of God's blessings.
From a historical point of view, the more we believe in God and live according to His Word, the more economically we will be able to see.
It is said that the President of Argentina once said this at a meeting with the US ambassador. “The Puritans, the ancestors of your country, crossed over to the North American continent in search of religious freedom, and not only found religious freedom, but also received many material blessings. However, our ancestors came to this South American continent in search of gold, but now that they see it, they cannot find gold and have lost their faith.”
Dear all,
When we trust God well, God gives us abundant spiritual blessings. However, it does not stop there, but it is the fact that He pours out blessings both physically and materially.
See Matthew 6:33.
“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
And look at 3 John verse 2.
“May all things prosper and you be in good health, as your soul prospers.”
We became children of God by believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and believing in Jesus Christ, who took the place of the cross for us to be destroyed for our sins. Our loving Heavenly Father will reward and reward us when we do well. But if you make a mistake, you will be disciplined. However, this chastisement is not given to us because we hate it, but because we love it, so that we can receive God's blessings and become children who are not lacking in enjoyment.