"The entrance of thy words giveth light (Psalm 119:130)."
God & Discipline
In the secular mental health field, mental health symptoms are viewed as the result of cognitive, psychosocial and biological factors. There is no God, only an emerging "science" which seeks to provide "evidenced-based" mental health services to clients in need. The notion of a God that punishes sin is dismissed as superstition that has long ago been displaced with scientific enlightenment.
There's only one problem: there is a God and He does punish sin.
"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are punished by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He punishes every son whom He accepts."
{Hebrews 12:5-6 NASB}
"God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." {Hebrews 12:7-11 NIV}
Notice three things: 1) Discipline is painful. 2) The pain is part of the learning process (not a mental illness). 3) The purpose is to bring about "righteousness and peace" in our lives.
Just as children sometimes need a spanking in order to bring about a necessary improvement in behavior, the same is true for all of us.
The Holy Spirit is living inside of us. He can help us, or punish us, whenever He wants, however He chooses.
Disciplinary options include earthly hardships, directly punishing our emotions, as well as allowing demonic torture (e.g. Matthew 18:21-35).
The consequences of obedience and disobedience are consistent in both the Old and New Testaments.
First, the Old Testament. The following is what God revealed to Israel.
"If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out (Deuteronomy 28:1-6 NIV)."
"However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out (Deuteronomy 28:15-19 NIV)."
"The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. The LORD will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed (Deuteronomy 28:20-24 NIV)."
"The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. Your carcasses will be food for all the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away. The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. At midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you (Deuteronomy 28:25-29 NIV)."
Thus, the consequences of disobedience included unfortunate circumstances, physical illness and, what we think of today as, mental illness.
Next, the New Testament. Two examples follow.
"As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." {Philippians 4:9 NASB}
"For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died." {1 Corinthians 11:29-30 NLT}
You will find many more examples throughout Scripture.
So the point is this: God does discipline us. The discipline will be painful. It may include unfortunate circumstances, painful emotions and/or physical illness. I would caution that these are not always the result of sin.
Two issues may arise at this point:
- You are not sure whether or not a particular issue is the result of divine discipline.
- You are not sure what to do in any case.
Two suggestions follow:
- Cast your burden on the Lord. Wait until God makes things clear.
- Seek out wise Christian counsel, if more is needed.
In regard to known sin issues, two Scriptures apply:
- "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent (Revelation 3:19 NIV)."
- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 NKJV)."
Trust God and obey God.
Some final comments: 1) Never neglect to get medical attention for a medical illness because it may be related to sin. Always talk to your doctor. Even if the illness is related to past sin, God can still allow you to be effectively treated by a health professional. 2) We all know people who engage in sinful lifestyles and appear to be happy. At the very least, it is clear that God is not disciplining them. The Bible explains: "If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all (Hebrews 12:8 NLT)." 3) In regard to physical illnesses, especially, seek out wise Christian counsel to avoid erroneous assumptions.
By using this website you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.