by Dave Root, VividChristianity.com, last modified on 07/16/2024.

As you read this section, keep in mind that the New Testament is not merely a history book, it's meant to change us to become more and more like Jesus. When we read any passages in the New Testament, our goal should be to discern what God wants us to believe and do so that we can be obedient to Him.


Disobedience is the root of all sins and all physical infirmities (see chapter 3 in the free PDF of my book called Divine Healing Absolutely Is for Today), so it's critically important for us to be obedient. We can only store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20) by being properly obedient to the Lord here on earth.

Imagine that a husband and wife go on a weekend trip because their son is old enough to live on his own for a couple of days. They leave him some written instructions that tell him to water the plants and take out the trash and cut the grass and clean his room, among other things. When they return from their trip, they ask their son if he had followed their instructions. He replies, "No, I didn't feel like reading all of that because I didn't understand some of it and I didn't want to do those things, but I love you with all my heart and I'm trying to be a good person!" To his shock, his parents discipline him for rebelling against their authority because he should have obeyed them even if he didn't want to. The analogy is that many Christians are doing exactly what that son did. They don't spend much time reading God's written instructions (the New Testament) and they're not trying very hard to obey God's instructions. They say that they love God with all their heart and they're trying to be a good person (just as the son said in the above illustration), but those are not the same as obeying God's commands.

When the New Testament tells all Christians to do something, that's God telling us to do it (whether we want to or not). If we don't obey His instructions then we are rebellious children, and what do parents do to rebellious children? They discipline the rebellious children. What if the children still don't obey after being disciplined? They're forcing the parents to use more severe discipline. In exactly the same way, when we don't read and obey God's instruction manual (the New Testament), we're forcing Him to discipline us (perhaps severely) as rebellious children. The painful consequences for our wrong beliefs or lack of obedience are no one's fault but our own.

In the following passages we're told that God disciplines His children through painful hardships. We're also given examples of Christians who were sick or died for not being properly obedient to God. God is not playing games, so we need to take the New Testament seriously and learn what He expects of us, and then make sure we're obeying Him in all things. As Christians, we have one job here on earth: to obey everything that God tells us to do (in His written instructions and His spoken instructions). We are periodically tested and then evaluated on the basis of our obedience, and we'll be rewarded or disciplined (perhaps severely) depending on how we choose to respond to these tests.

In order to determine if we're being disciplined by God, and the reason for it, and how to make it stop, it's important to know how to discern His guidance within us (see my article called How to Discern God's Guidance). If you're not able to discern His answers yet, then ask another Christian (who is able to discern what God says) if and why you're being disciplined because God might tell that person how you're disobeying Him. If you don't find out why God is disciplining you then you're not likely to correct your disobedience and God will be forced to give you more severe discipline.

The painful consequences for our wrong beliefs or lack of obedience are no one's fault but our own. My articles called Cheat Sheet #12 and Cheat Sheet #13 show that the consequences for our lack of obedience will follow us to heaven. If we're not trying to be fully obedient to God in this life, we're jeopardizing our future in heaven.

Relevant passages:

And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens [literally "whips"] everyone he accepts as his son." Endure hardship as discipline; 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 12:5-11)

[Jesus is speaking:] Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need...Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." Peter said to her, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. (Acts 4:33-5:11)

Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them [the Israelites with Moses]; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry." We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did - and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test Christ, as some of them did - and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did - and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! (1 Corinthians 10:5-12)

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:26-32)
["Sleep here refers to the death of Christians (1Co 15:18; 1Th 4:15-16). In this passage, it refers to untimely death, a punishment suffered by some Christians who failed to examine themselves at the Lord's Supper (v. 1Co 11:28)." (Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary, 1 Corinthians 11:30).
"it is to be regarded as the chastisement of a father's hand, in order that we should not be condemned with the wicked. "We are under the discipline" (paideuometha) of the Lord; we are dealt with as children, and are corrected as by the hand of a father; compare Heb 12:5-10, and 2Co 6:9." (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible, 1 Corinthians 11:32).]

The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." (John 5:13-14)

The above passages show that if we don't read and obey God's instruction manual (the New Testament) then we're likely to be disciplined through frustrating or painful events in our lives. So if you're going through something difficult or frustrating or painful, it's a good idea to ask the Lord if you're being disciplined (see my article called How to Discern God's Guidance). For example, recently I was frustrated by having insomnia every night. It turned out that I was being disciplined because God had told me to do something and I wasn't doing it correctly. When I asked how to do it correctly and was obedient, the insomnia immediately went away. This is one reason why it's important to learn how to discern God's guidance, because if we don't correct our disobedience then we're likely to be disciplined even more severely.


Are you reading and obeying the New Testament and listening to the Lord every day, being diligent to find out what He wants you to believe and do? Have you been experiencing frustrating or painful events in your life, and have you asked God if you're being disciplined?