Spiritual Gymnasium - Hebrews 11-13

 Hebrews 12:11 (ESV)

11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

In this section of Hebrews the writer is trying, once again, to motivates his readers to endure through their suffering and perseverance in their faith.  During the letter the author gives six warning passages addressing those who might be tempted to fall away from the faith.  He tells them if they reject Christ there is nothing else by which they can be saved.  The above passage is about to launch the sixth and final warning to the readers.   The author wants them to realize that God loves us and the demonstration of that love can, at times, be discipline.  He tells them that God disciplines all His children in love, like a father who disciplines his children in love:

Hebrews 12:7 (ESV)

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

In verse eleven the writer tells them that discipline, of course, does not feel pleasant when it is inflicted upon us; not at the present time.  It can even feel painful.  But, it is afterward that it can produce peaceful fruits of righteousness.  But, that only happens when we allow it to “train” us.   The Greek word for “train” here is: gymnazō.   If that word looks familiar, it should.  It is the word we get out English word, gymnastics or gymnasium, from.  The author is saying to us, if we allow God’s discipline to work in our hearts it will feel like we are going to the gym and working out.  That is painful, at first.  But afterward we see the muscles and physical strength we are deriving from the “gym” workout.   If we allow God’s discipline to “work us out,” we can persevere and avoid the dangers that will be stated in the next and last warning section to these readers.  The author of Hebrews wants us to allow the discipline of God to motivates us into obedience and spiritual training to produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness.  Many Christians like to work out and go to the gym, but not all of them like to go to God’s gym of discipline.   That is where godliness is developed.