12:4 You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin;
12:9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us,and
we paid them respect.
Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits,
and live?
12:10 For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to
them;
but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.
12:11 All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous;
yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those
who have been exercised thereby.
12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,
12:15 looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the
grace of God;
lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the
many be defiled;
12:16 lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person,
as Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. (Gen 25+)
12:17 For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the
blessing,he was rejected,
for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently
with tears.
12:18 For you have not come to a mountain that might be touched,
and that burned with fire, and to blackness, darkness, tempest,
12:19 the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words;
which those who heard it begged that not one more word should be spoken
to them,
12:20 for they could not stand that which was commanded,
"If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned;"
{TR adds "or shot with an arrow" [see Exodus 19:12-13]}
12:21 and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said,
"I am terrified and trembling." (Ex 19:16)
12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living
God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels,
12:23 to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are
enrolled in heaven,
to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
12:24 to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.
12:25 See that you don't refuse him who speaks.
For if they didn't escape when they refused him who warned on the Earth,
how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from
heaven,
12:26 whose voice shook the earth, then, but now he has promised, saying,
"Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the
heavens." (Is 13:13)
It seeks to extricate itself from anything that hinders it from following Christ, particularly those things which tend to lead to sin. And in this context, it welcomes God's discipline - whether such be hardships in one's life due to our own sin or those that God introduces into our lives to prevent sin from taking a hold on us. It submits itself to the Word of God - as found in the Bible - never refusing to listen.
vs 1 In living the Christian life we should have the sense that we are trying to achieve an objective. We need always to have applications of faith in mind, for we are servants of Christ.
vs 2 On the other hand, our primary focus shouldn't simply be on ministry. It should be on Christ. Practically speaking I would recommend studying the gospels periodically to make sure our concept of Christ is consistent with the Bible and to identify with Christ in our practical living.
Jesus endured a great deal of humiliation, but he looked beyond the cross with joy. Yet if you examine the gospel accounts, he wasn't jumping for joy to be crucified. Biblical joy is not the same as the world's joy. And even Christians can have a misconception about joy as an emotion. Despite what some claim, Christians can indeed be joyful without smiling. Joy is a profound and deep feeling and it produces confidence inspite of persecution.
vs 3 If you are ministering correctly, you will face opposition. This can be discouraging, but it's part of the ministry, and gives us an opportunity to identify with Christ.
vs 4 The fact that they hadn't experience the shedding of blood would indicate this was written before there was major persecution of the Christians.
vs 5,6 When God disciplines us, we shouldn't take it too lightly. Sin can have a corrupting influence on our life. If our behavior is significantly deviant from that expected of a child of God, we may even question our salvation status. (2Cor 13:5) But on the other hand, we shouldn't take it too seriously. For if we have been saved, we need not worry about losing our salvation. For those born of God are not destined for wrath, but for glory.
vs 7-11 God's discipline could be either to experience the result of our sin directly, or He could warn us indirectly through circumstances and people. Fathers can understand the frustration that God must face in trying to discipline his children. If fathers love their children, they will develop in them convictions and habits which are edifying and stir them away from things that are harmful. If children don't cooperate, then stronger measures will be taken.
Some fathers may be surprised at the idea that their children respect them for disciplining them. In many families, it seems that many children are left to simply raise themselves. And it seems politically incorrect for parents to discipline their children. With "freedom" as an idol, discipline is often viewed as something evil. But in the end, proper discipline gains respect.
vs 14 Although Christians will face opposition, we shouldn't try and generate unnecessary conflicts. It is seldom necessary to break the law or even be rude to others in practicing the Christian life. Consider Jesus. His country was under occupation by idol worshipping Romans. Yet he was not hostile towards them. His main opposition came from the religious leaders because he humiliated them through his teachings.
Also, it's easier to be martyred than it is to live a holy life. So we must make great effort at separating from sin.
vs 15 Bitterness is often a reaction to God's discipline, especially when people are in the process of coming to Christ, but lack the proper humility to respond correctly to God's leading. For God often brings us through humiliating circumstances so as to develop humility in us. But if we don't react properly, others may use it as an excuse to also be bitter at their circumstances.
Consider some source of humiliation in your life and thank God for that source of humiliation. For through it God is developing in you a Christlike character. Remember Paul's affliction:
vs 16-17 Licentiousness is what it's talking about. A licentious person rejects the Lordship of Christ, refusing to recognize boundaries of right and wrong either from the Bible or from his conscience, and he becomes corrupted in his heart to do shameful things without feeling shame. The effect is a corruption of the mind and the conscience such that repentance may not be possible.
vs 18-24 God does not approach the believers as he revealed Himself to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai when he gave them the Law. That event represented a pre-salvation stage in the process of conversion. For "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Gal 3:24 It does this by revealing God's holiness and standard of justice, thus giving us conviction of sin and ultimately revealing our need for a Savior.
Rather believers are like those who are acceptable to God, who crossed the Jordan and took the promise land. Our names are written in heaven. And we are justified by the blood of Christ. Abel's blood cries out for justice, but Jesus' blood satisfies the need for justice.
vs 25 But we should make sure that we have responded properly to the gospel. For it is not sufficient to accept Christ as Savior, but not Lord. There are many nominal Christians who will go to hell because they had not responded properly to God.
vs 28 All sin will be removed from the Christians and the effects of sin from creation.
vs 29 "Our God is a consuming fire" sounds like we're back at Mount Sinai. But actually the believers view this in a positive way. For God is going to burn up their sin. We see this in the judgment of Christians mention in 1Cor 3:11-15
Literally God forgets our sins. This is the New Covenant mentioned in chapter 10.