Hebrews chapter 12

vs 11

Discipline is meant to be unpleasant. It involves negative reinforcement. Anyone who says anything else denies a key theological concept. The acceptance of negative reinforcement as a legitimate tool of discipline is not only necessary for bringing up children - it is necessary for us understanding in part why God allows really crappy things to happen in our lives. Demonize negative reinforcement, and you lose this principle. So please, for the sake of theology, hit your children. Hard.

Because this next generation of softly-raised kids are not going to be trained in righteousness and peace. Well, that's not actually true. I think it's God's discipline that trains in righteousness and peace, not necessarily a parent's discipline. So God will hit your children hard. If you keep caring for them as if they're a little god idol, then God will hit them with asthma, allergies, cancer and all other sorts of righteousness inducing discipline. You have been warned.

vs 12

Have we left the discipline stage yet, or was having weak knees something worthy of a beating in AD60?

I'm assuming this is not to be taken literally, but then the next verse is quite strange.

vs 13

Let's assume this isn't literal. I think the author here is actually using disability as a metaphor for the weak lives of the readers, who need to be healed in their spiritual life. In saying that, I'm not denying that the Bible is full (well, mostly around Jesus) of stories of the lame being able to be healed. But I don't think that healing the lame was an inbuilt part of church structure. Plus, I don't recall Jesus telling the lame to strengthen their knees - he just healed them. I also think that verse 12 is generally to all readers, not only to disabled people, so in that way the author cleverly uses disability, and it's healing (a pretty uniquely Christian thing at the time, I'm guessing) as a picture of the Christian life.

vs 14

Without "our" holiness. God is not about relevation in miracles and in clouds that are in the shape of Jesus. He reveals himself through the holiness of his disciples.

This verse says two things. One, we are meant to be focused on other people seeing God - that is a mission focus. Second, it is done through a holy life. Wow, do I suck at that.

vs 15

How does one "fall short" of the grace of God? That sort of makes it sound like you have to climb halfway up the mountain, and then grace gets you the rest of the way. We all know that's patently untrue, and that the worst piece of human filth can get straight into heaven from whatever position they find themselves in, thanks to grace.

That's because this verse is not about non-Christians. It's about Christians, and as such we've got to make sure we're living up to the grace we've been given.

Bitterness, I'm guessing in the context of discipline from God, and hence crappy life situations, is apparently a problem in the church. Unsurprisingly, well, to me anyway. But bitterness is not something that should characterise the Christian life, despite how often it might. Because even a crappy life is apparently worth being thankful for. Probably it's those people whose lives just aren't working out nicely that really bitch, like me. People with terminal diseases and such always seem to have some sort of zen about it. I wonder if, in secret, they curse God bitterly for the pain and suffering, of if it is always just their relatives, whom you inevitably meet when you're trying to reach out with the gospel?

vs 16

Sexual immorality and and godlessness seem to be the problems that the author is addressing at this point. Sexual immorality apparently speaks for itself, but godlessness needs an explaination, so that we know it's about selling out your inheritance.

vs 17

This is yet another warning in Hebrews to not let your Christian inheritance be lost forever, because once lost it is not attainable again. Scary stuff. Also confusing. It's interesting that such a person is called 'godless'. I mean, the simple answer to this quandary would be to say, "Well, sure, if you stop believing in God or accepting God, then you can't be saved. But if you stop being godless then you can be saved once more." Sort of like how some people talk about the sin against the Holy Spirit. It just doesn't seem to fit the language though. It seems a bit too much of a truism.

vs 18

Allusions to Israel's history.

vs 19

Again, still the same allusion to the revelation of God on Mount Sinai. Or was it Horeb?

vs 20

That is holiness to the max. Mega holy.