Hebrews 12: The Importance of Discipline, Part 5

Hebrews 12: The Importance of Discipline, Part 5
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 by Dr. James W. Walraven

How does the Bible in the book of Proverbs describe a fool?

We found that a fool despises discipline and wisdom, delights in doing evil, hates the idea of turning from it, and mocks at sin. A fool does not seek understanding, but only in proclaiming his own thoughts. Worse, fools trust their own hearts.

We are in deep trouble. How many of the “cherished beliefs” of our culture line up precisely with what the Bible calls the marks of a fool?

“Follow your Heart,” so say the movies, other media, and sometimes, one’s friends. Our heart knows what is best, if I follow my heart, I will end up where I want to be. Let my emotions and feelings guide me. Biblically, instead of leading me to where I want to be, doing that leads me to my own destruction. As we’ve just seen, the Bible describes someone who follows their heart as a fool. Rather, “The heart is more deceitful than all else” (Jeremiah 17:9, NAU).

How many now despise discipline and wisdom? How many do not seek understanding, but are only interested in venting their own opinion, an opinion all others must agree with? That sounds like all too many of us, doesn’t it? Think of those espousing CRT. One cannot raise even a small objection without being shamed and bullied into silence. Their own opinions are all that matter. It is of no consequence when hard evidence contradicts their repeated slogans. But, they aren’t the only ones to do it. How much disinformation is being disseminated by both sides in the Covid-19 vaccine debates? What we feel in our hearts is deemed to be the truth, regardless. Again, the Bible calls those who do these things, fools.

And wisdom? We have bought the postmodern lie that anyone who claims to have knowledge, let alone wisdom, is just trying to impose their power over you. Instead of knowledge being the basis for power—for example a heart surgeon has power when one needs heart surgery due to the heart surgeon’s knowledge and wisdom in performing surgery—those in power determine what is knowledge, so in essence there is no real knowledge. That is not wisdom. Again, the Bible speaks of those who follow that approach as fools.

As for discipline, the ongoing riots, the looting, burning, and mass destruction represent the complete casting off of restraint, the rejection of self-control and discipline. As we saw in Hebrews 12, one has to be trained by discipline in order for the peaceful fruit of it to take hold. Again, a person who rejects and despises discipline, the Bible calls a fool.

Mocking at sin? Little needs to be said here. Our nation, not to mention much of the world, celebrates sin, and declares good to be evil. Culturally, we are reaching the endpoint of Romans 1. The Bible calls those who do these things, fools.

Psalm 53:1 declares, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (NAU). When one believes that God does not exist, one often comes to believe that there are no serious consequences for one’s actions. It is no accident that the most tyrannical leaders the world has ever seen—Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hitler, to name a few—have been atheists.

It doesn’t end well for fools. Proverbs 1:32: “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them” (NAU). Proverbs 10:21: “The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding” (NAU).

How much better for a fool, for one who has mocked at sin, to realize their need to repent, to ask God for forgiveness, come to Jesus Christ, and turn from their folly. The sad thing is that for most fools, even the idea of turning from their sin is an abomination. There are only two ends: turn from folly, come to Christ, spend eternity with Him; continue to embrace folly, and spend eternity separated from God in hell.

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