Prv: Corporal Punishment

[bcbsr]

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

In many regions spanking children is not only discouraged but may even land in jail. Even in my own town a pastor was arrested for spanking his child. Yet such is one of the forms of disciplines the Bible recommends.

Pr 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Pr 22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

Pr 23:13,14 Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.

Pr 29:15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Pr 19:18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.

Pr 20:30 Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.

More generally concerning discipline:

Heb 12:10,11 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, 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.

So if you're concerned about any negative affects of disciplining your children, consider the negative affects of not disciplining them.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources

 

[Carl Emerson]

In New Zealand 80%+ folks voted against the law being passed, but the Government in their 'superior wisdom' passed it anyway. Innocent folks have been arrested. Child abuse has increased.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I was beaten a lot as a kid by my parents and I turned out all right (except for a few nervous tics).

 

[com7fy8]

In many regions spanking children is not only discouraged but may even land in jail. Even in my own town a pastor was arrested for spanking his child. Yet such is one of the forms of disciplines the Bible recommends.

But there are people who are authoritarian, controlling, possessing, emotionally abusive. The way they can spank can be what the Bible does not mean, in any case.

Spanking can teach a kid that using pain is a desirable strategy for getting his way.

And, of course, there can be parents who teach their children that the one who screams the loudest wins. And this can become the tactic the child uses.

If parents depend on physical pain and fear and yelling, they can fail to be examples of what is good.

Example, I think, can work the best. Children need to have good example of how to relate as family. Or else, they might learn how to adapt their behavior just to avoid pain. And they can learn to fear pain so later they can be controlled by ones who somehow threaten them with pain and social rejection and yelling.

So, I would say it would depend on the pastor.

 

[bcbsr]

But there are people who are authoritarian, controlling, possessing, emotionally abusive. The way they can spank can be what the Bible does not mean, in any case.

Spanking can teach a kid that using pain is a desirable strategy for getting his way.

And, of course, there can be parents who teach their children that the one who screams the loudest wins. And this can become the tactic the child uses.

If parents depend on physical pain and fear and yelling, they can fail to be examples of what is good.

Example, I think, can work the best. Children need to have good example of how to relate as family. Or else, they might learn how to adapt their behavior just to avoid pain. And they can learn to fear pain so later they can be controlled by ones who somehow threaten them with pain and social rejection and yelling.

So, I would say it would depend on the pastor.

But then again we have the counter examples of God dealing out physical pain as a matter of discipline.

"Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, 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." Heb 12:10,11

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." 2Cor 12:7

 

[com7fy8]

But then again we have the counter examples of God dealing out physical pain as a matter of discipline.

How about 2 Samuel 7:14? >

"'"'I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.'"'" (2 Samuel 7:14)

This, I would say, could mean using physical action, though I doubt it means those people actually struck King Solomon himself.

You gave Hebrews 12:10-11 >

"Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, 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 12:4-14 says the result of God's chastening is that we "become partakers of His holiness", in His love's "peaceable fruit of righteousness", I understand. This is a spiritual result in our character. I do not think physical pain is enough to change a person's character to become like Jesus. So, I believe this correction means how God corrects our character, working spiritually.

But I have heard people talk about how the Lord chastens them by means of hard things in their lives. But they do not talk about how this changes them to become like Jesus. It seems they find Him to be correcting their behavior, using maybe outward control by means of circumstances. I don't think this is what Hebrews 12:4-14 is talking about. But I consider that God could effect a person's behavior, in order to get the person away from some wrong thing, but at the same time work deeper in the person's heart.

You quote 2 Corinthians 12:7 >

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me."

Here, "thorn in the flesh" is taken to mean a physical problem. A number of people think it was an eye problem. But "a messenger of Satan", I would say, is a spiritual being . . . not "a message", which could be one trouble. But a "messenger of Satan" could strike Paul in various ways, working him over in his ego's weakness, as much as Paul were to depend on self to do things.

And it seems that got Paul to begging "three times" for the Lord to make the thorn thing depart from Paul. So, it was getting to Paul. And Jesus said to Paul,

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (in 2 Corinthians 12:9)

Then Paul discovered how he took "pleasure" in various problems which Satan brought against him. Because God's grace is almighty to have us succeed in whatsoever God has us doing in submission to Him; plus this grace is the life and action of God's love which has Heaven's quality of goodness and "pleasure", in sharing with God.

That messenger's messing with Paul did not correct Paul to live in God's grace. But after Jesus spoke personally to Paul, then was when Paul got the message, perhaps not only in word but in how grace demonstrated in Paul how God is able. And that was the correction that Paul needed, what no amount of physical stuff could do.