{"id":43102,"date":"2022-02-12T14:17:39","date_gmt":"2022-02-12T20:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=43102"},"modified":"2022-02-12T14:17:39","modified_gmt":"2022-02-12T20:17:39","slug":"do-non-christians-get-chastened-by-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-non-christians-get-chastened-by-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Do non-Christians get chastened by God?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

“But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not son<\/em>s” (Hebrews 12:8).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’m struggling with this verse just a bit. Do non-Christians get chastened (disciplined)? I’m not sure, because of the second phrase “of which all have become partakers<\/em>“. Is the “all” just Christians, or is it everyone? When I hear “all” that’s what I think. But, that can’t be possible, because that would make everyone sons. But still, it seems like even in the natural process of life everyone receives some discipline. Like with Romans 1:27.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, I’m just trying to understand if God disciplines those outside the church?<\/p>\n\t

Answers:<\/h2>\n

The last I checked, non-Christians tend to have their shares of difficulties. In fact, their hardships tend to be greater than the hardships of a Christian because their own sins cause them misery. “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity<\/em>” (Proverbs 13:20-21).<\/p>\n

The difference in Hebrews 12:8 is the writer is focused on the hardships that all Christians face. Those hardships are designed to build our character and strengthen our endurance. “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness<\/em>” (Hebrews 12:10).<\/p>\n

The hardships of the wicked ought to be a wake-up call to change their lives, but the lessons never register. “The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble<\/em>” (Proverb 4:18). Instead of improving, they become worse. “Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way; he who hates reproof will die<\/em>” (Proverbs 15:10).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: “But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons” (Hebrews 12:8). I’m struggling with this verse just a bit. Do non-Christians get chastened (disciplined)? I’m not sure, because of the second phrase “of which all have become partakers“. Is the “all” just Christians, or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[106,182,188],"class_list":["post-43102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-discipline","tag-suffering","tag-trials"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52368,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-we-feel-guilty-because-god-is-disciplining-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":43102,"position":0},"title":"Do we feel guilty because God is disciplining us?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do we know if God is disciplining us? When we feel guilty after sinning, is that discipline? The Bible says that God disciplines those He loves. I sometimes wonder if God disciplines me, and I find it comforting to imagine that He does because it reminds me He\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2906,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/notes-on-discipline-of-children-spanking\/","url_meta":{"origin":43102,"position":1},"title":"Notes on Discipline of Children, Spanking","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 10, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Deuteronomy 8:5 \"You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you.\" [Note: \"chastens\" means to chastise literally with blows or figuratively with words] Deuteronomy 21:18 \"If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Notes","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3649,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-child-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":43102,"position":2},"title":"What does it mean to be a child of God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 29, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What does it mean to be a child of God? Answer: \"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9278,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-a-childs-personality-be-considered-when-disciplining\/","url_meta":{"origin":43102,"position":3},"title":"Should a child’s personality be considered when disciplining?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 6, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We ought to consider our children's personalities and characters when we seek to discipline them.\u00a0 What works well for one child may not work for another, even within the same family.\u00a0 Might spanking be a good form of discipline for one child, but ineffective or damaging to another?\u00a0 Are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18008,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-get-a-more-disciplined-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":43102,"position":4},"title":"How do I get a more disciplined life?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 27, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I am 17 years old and have been a Christian since I was 8. I have a problem and don't feel comfortable enough to discuss it with anyone I know personally. Ok, so here is my problem: my parents never punish me for anything. I really am not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36834,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-would-you-say-to-a-young-teenager-who-sometimes-feels-weak-because-he-lost-his-mother\/","url_meta":{"origin":43102,"position":5},"title":"What would you say to a young teenager who “sometimes feels weak” because he lost his mother?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, By way of counseling, what would you say to a young teenager who \"sometimes feels weak\" because he lost his mum? Answer: Life is filled with difficulties. You can either let them overwhelm you or you can overcome them. God allows Satan to bring difficulties into our lives\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43102\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}