It is easy to become discouraged when we face hardship or persecution for our faith. However the inspired book of Hebrews teaches us that God allows the followers of Christ to experience suffering as a form of discipline. There are some things which can only be learned through hardship. It is not God’s intent to destroy us, but to purge out of our lives everything which would make us unfit for our eternal home. When suffering comes we can choose to reject the lesson or we can respond as God desires.
Chapter 12, verses 14 through 17 describe three circumstances in which we have to make such a choice, “Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord, 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 many be defiled by it; lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. 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.”
The followers of Christ do not seek confrontation. When persecution comes anyway, the natural tendency is to do whatever is necessary to bring the suffering to an end – even if it means compromising moral positions. This passage reminds us that we cannot hope to stand before God without holiness. Earlier in the book we saw that we can obtain holiness or sanctification only through the perfect sacrifice which Christ made on our behalf. If we turn away from Christ and the holiness which He gives us, we also turn away from God. Holiness is the basis by which we have peace with God and, ultimately, peace with other people. If we reject holiness in the attempt to be at peace with others, we will not find it and we will have destroyed our relationship with God.
We can also respond to suffering by becoming bitter. Instead of realizing that God’s grace enables us to overcome our trials, we can blame God for bringing suffering upon us. However, bitterness does not improve circumstances. It makes them worse. It can not only destroy our own spirits but affect others as well.
A third response to the discipline of suffering is to seek the blessings without making the inner changes which are necessary to obtain the blessings. We place a higher value on immediate pleasure than God’s promises which will be fulfilled in the future. Like Esau we try to substitute sorrow for genuine repentance. The kind of sorrow Esau had was only over the consequences of his actions. In contrast, true repentance would prevent us from doing wrong in the first place if we had the opportunity to turn time back.
There are more reasons to endure suffering and hardship for the sake of Christ. In the rest of the chapter, Hebrews contrasts the nature of the Old and the New Covenants, “For you have not come to a mountain that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and to blackness, darkness, storm, 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, for they could not stand that which was commanded, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned”; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.” But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels, 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, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel. 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, 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.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain.
Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
This passage points out that the Old Covenant which was given at Mt. Sinai produced fear. The people could not bear to hear the voice of God. They were frightened of the penalty for breaking the commandment to not even touch the mountain.
In contrast, the New Covenant which went forth from Mt. Zion inspires joy. We come to God not in expectation of judgment for our transgressions but as people made holy and righteous by Christ’s blood. As a result we have nothing to fear. Our names are written in heaven. This in itself is reason to endure whatever we have to for the sake of Christ.
However, the blessings of the New Covenant also come with a warning. We have the ability to choose. We can refuse God’s offer. There was no escape for those who refused God under the Old Covenant. There is even less possibility of escape for those who refuse God under the New Covenant. Everything which can be destroyed – including this creation – will be. Only what cannot be destroyed will remain. Only those who have accepted God’s offer and entered the New Covenant will enjoy the new heavens and earth He has promised. This is yet another reason to endure hardship, suffering and persecution for our faith in Christ. Those who do will escape the destruction which is coming upon the earth.
Though the earth will be destroyed, the kingdom which God has promised those who follow Christ is eternal. It will never be destroyed. Nothing can conquer it. As we already saw in chapter 1, verse 8, “…about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever,” (NIV) And the Apostle Paul assures us, “if we endure, we will also reign with him…” (2 Timothy 2:12 NIV)
In light of these facts, what should our response be? It should be one of profound gratitude that God, who is so holy and awesome, has given us the opportunity to be reconciled to Him. It should move us to worship.