Hebrews 12:6-8

Hebrews 12:6: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.”

This brings up a very important point. The Lord hates sin, and when it is in our lives the Lord will bring things to bear in order to drive it out. This is being done because He loves us. He is like a father, who is unwilling to see His sons fall into destruction. It is not a pleasant thing but it is necessary.

On the other hand, the Lord does not chasten those who are not His. This is why they can lead such terrible lives and yet everything seems to go well for them. The Lord is letting them go on to destruction because they are not His sons.

All of this brings up an important point: we must get rid of the sin in our lives. We can’t hold onto it. Jesus hates it and has made it abundantly clear that our sin must be dealt with. It is not a matter of seeking forgiveness, for Christians already have that. What we cannot allow is for sin to continue to reign over us. Christ offers us freedom from sin, and that is something we desperately need. If we go to Him He can sanctify us and achieve the victory over sin. We cannot conquer our “besetting” sins, but He can. We cannot defeat sin by just “trying harder” endlessly, hoping that “this time” it will work – but we can go to Jesus and ask Him to defeat it. With God all things are possible.

The reason I mention this is because so many modern Christians reject what the Bible teaches about sin. They’re not concerned about their own depravity and even enjoy the sins that they regularly commit. They know that what they’re doing is wrong, but they simply dismiss those parts of the Bible and keep on living as they please. They have no real desire to pursue holiness.

This will not end well for them, for sin has very serious consequences. The Lord will discipline those who will not let go of their sins, and that can be a very fearful thing. But there is a far greater danger. Those Christians who refuse the call of holiness and continue to pursue sin may not be Christians at all. After all, there is no salvation that rejects the lordship of Christ. Jesus will not be your Savior if you refuse to make Him your master as well.