Heb. 12:3-11, Obedience vs. willfulness (3)

 

b)    What is discipline?  This is Bill Gothard’s “functional” definition.  “The process of building fences around our children and then enlarging until they are able to build their own fences.” 

c)    What is the difference between punishment and discipline?  It may seem to some as if “discipline” was the end in itself.  That is not the case.  In the home or the church or really in any setting, it is important to make a distinction between punishment and discipline.

	PUNISHMENT	DISCIPLINE
PURPOSE	To inflict a penalty for an offense.	To train for correction and maturity.
FOCUS	Past misdeeds.	Future correct deeds.
ATTITUDE	Hostility and frustration.  The one in authority has reach his/her limit.	Love and concern.  The one in authority wants to help the sinner.
RESULT	Fear and guilt.	Assurance and obedience.

d)    What types of discipline does the Bible speak of? 

Sometimes it seems that “discipline” in the home is only physical, as in spanking a child.  That is not the case.  God, as a loving heavenly Father, has never operated in a “spank first” way.  If you note how God handled the children of Israel in the Old Testament you can see that the LORD tried many things before resorting to physical coercion of some kind.  Here are types of discipline from Scripture.

i)      Communication (Prov. 1:8-9; 3:1; note also 1 Sam. 2:22-25; 3:13).  This is where discipline (training) begins.  In Matt. 18:15-17, where Jesus taught about discipline in the Church, it began with talking to the sinner at three levels before the person was to be excluded from the fellowship.  The passages in 1 Samuel remind us that communication is not enough if there is no change.  Eli reproved his sons but did not restrain them.

ii)   Reinforcement and Extinction (Prov. 15:8; 22:8; 27:11; 2:7; 4:2-4; 6:20-24).  Words might be reinforced by reminders of the seriousness of the sinful act.  The sacrifice of the wicked is not just wrong; it is an abomination to the LORD (15:8).  “Extinction” has to do with eliminating the strong (rebellious) desire of the sinner.  For example, in the home, a parent can remind the child of how much joy they would bring to them if they walked in obedience (e.g. 4:2-4). 

We’ll say a little more on this in the next post.  But note the connection with this post with Heb. 12:3-11 where we see that chastisement is the sign of true love!