{"id":90697,"date":"2021-03-11T12:09:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T17:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/child-discipline-2\/"},"modified":"2023-10-06T22:18:27","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T02:18:27","slug":"child-discipline-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/child-discipline-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Child Discipline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Ephesians 6:4: \u201cAnd, ye fathers, provoke not your\nchildren to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">What does raising a child in the \u201cnurture and admonition of the Lord\u201d include?&nbsp; Some advocate focused verbal instruction, some consistent church attendance, some mindless subservience while others promote corporal punishment.&nbsp; What is God\u2019s intent for raising children?&nbsp; To determine the Biblical answer, we look to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><li>Historical Context: Written\nbetween 60-63 A.D., <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.logos.com\/passage\/niv\/Ephesians%201.1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ephesians 1:1<\/a> identifies the author of the\nBook of Ephesians as the Apostle Paul.&nbsp;\nHe intended all those that long for Christ-like maturity to understand\nthe discipline needed to develop into true sons of God. Furthermore, Ephesians\nhelps to fortify and establish the believer so he can fulfill God\u2019s purpose and\ncalling. The aim of this epistle is to confirm and equip a maturing church\ncritical to God&#8217;s economy.&nbsp; Paul\u2019s\nwriting breaks down into three main segments. (<strong>1<\/strong>) Chapters one through three introduce principles with respect to\nGod&#8217;s accomplishment. (<strong>2<\/strong>) Chapters\nfour and five put forth principles regarding our present existence. (<strong>3<\/strong>) Chapter six presents principles\nconcerning our daily struggle.&nbsp; Perhaps\nmore than any other book of the Bible, the Book of Ephesians emphasizes the\nconnection between sound doctrine and right practice. Paul argues that theology\nis practical. In order to live out God&#8217;s will for us in our lives practically &#8211;\nwe must first understand who we are in Christ.<br>\n<br>\n<\/li><li>Grammatical Usage: \u201cProvoke\u201d\nin the Greek is \u201cparorgizo\u201d and means \u201cto arouse to mindless wrath or anger&#8230;purposeless\nprovocation\u201d; \u201cwrath\u201d is \u201cparorgismos\u201d meaning \u201cagitation resulting in a\nsettled, abiding condition of the mind towards revenge\u201d; \u201cnurture\u201d is \u201cpaideia\u201d\nmeaning \u201cto instruct, train, discipline and correct\u201d; \u201cadmonition\u201d in the Greek\nis \u201cnoutheteo\u201d and means \u201cto put into the mind in the form of a warning.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><li>Literal Application: \u201cAnd,\nfathers, stop exasperating your children!&nbsp;\nOn the contrary bring them up in the instruction and discipline of the\nLord.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><li>Contextual\nInterpretation: The unwise parent exercises a dictatorial control over his\nchild that tends to denigrate and degrade the child\u2019s dignity and\nself-esteem.&nbsp; While secular authorities\nemphasize the same, they do so from a humanistic orientation instead of every\nperson created in the image of God Himself.&nbsp;\nThe Greek clearly indicates that discipline which results in an\nirritated, demoralized, exasperated, discouraged to the point of fostering revolt\nchild is the wrong definition, therefore application.&nbsp; In fact, what is admonished is a nurturing\napproach: Christian discipline designed to regulate character.&nbsp; Father\u2019s are addressed because they represent\nthe head of the family upon who rests the ultimate responsibility of child\ndiscipline.&nbsp; As such they should not\nburden their children with unreasonable demands, petty rules or favoritism.&nbsp; Such actions cause children to become\ndiscouraged (Col. 3:21) and fail to accurately portray the Heavenly Father\u2019s\nlove for His children.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><li>Scriptural Comparison: Parents\nmust understand that just as there is no child of God who can escape the\ncorrection of the Heavenly Father (Heb. 12:6) since no Christian this side of\nglory is perfect, so there is no child in the Christian family who does not, at\nsome time, on occasion, merit the correction of his parents.&nbsp; Discipline\nis used to correct and train in the right actions and reactions to life and one\nanother (circumstances\/relationships). &#8220;No discipline seems pleasant at\nthe time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of\nrighteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it&#8221; (Hebrews\n12:11). The Bible strongly stresses the importance of discipline; it is\nsomething we must all have to be productive people and is much easier learned\nwhen we are young. Children who aren&#8217;t disciplined often grow up rebellious,\nhave no respect for authority, and as a result find it difficult to willingly\nobey and follow God. He uses discipline to correct us and lead us down the\nright path and to encourage repentance for our actions (Psalm 94:12; Proverbs\n1:7, 6:23, 12:1, 13:1, 15:5; Isaiah 38:16; Hebrews 12:9).&nbsp; God&#8217;s discipline is loving, as should it be\nbetween parent and child. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Corporal\npunishment, or spanking, should never be used to cause lasting physical harm or\npain. Physical punishment should always be followed immediately with comforting\nthe child and assurance that he\/she is loved. Many Scriptures do, in fact,\npromote physical discipline. &#8220;Don&#8217;t fail to correct your children. They\nwon&#8217;t die if you spank them. Physical discipline may well save them from\ndeath&#8221; (Proverbs 23:13-14 NLT). There are also other verses that support\nphysical correction (Proverbs 13:24, 22:15, 20:30). These moments are the\nperfect time to teach a child that God disciplines us because He loves us and\nas parents, we do the same for our children.&nbsp;\n<br>\n<br>\nIn order to apply discipline correctly and according to biblical principles,\nparents must be familiar in the scriptural advice regarding discipline. As seen\nin the previous paragraphs, the book of Proverbs contains wisdom regarding the\nrearing of children. &#8220;The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child\nleft to himself disgraces his mother&#8221; (Proverbs 29:15). This verse\noutlines the consequences of not disciplining a child: disgrace of the parents.\nOf course, discipline must have as its goal the good of the child and must never\nbe used to justify the abuse and mistreatment of children. Never should it be\nused to vent our anger and frustrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Proverbs\n22:6 tells us to \u201ctrain up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old,\nhe will not turn from it.\u201d For all children, the way they should go is toward\nGod. Teaching children in God\u2019s Word is crucial for all children, who must\nunderstand who God is and how to best serve Him. With the strong-willed child,\nunderstanding what motivates him\u2014the desire for control\u2014will go a long way to\nhelping him find his \u201cway.\u201d This child is one who must understand that he is\nnot in charge of the world\u2014God is\u2014and we simply must do things God\u2019s way. This\nrequires parents to be absolutely convinced of this truth and to live\naccordingly. A parent who is himself in rebellion against God will not be able\nto convince his child to be submissive to his heavenly Father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Once it\nhas been established that God is the One making the rules, parents must\nestablish in the child\u2019s mind that they are God\u2019s instruments and will do\nanything and everything necessary to carry out God\u2019s plan for their families,\nand His plan is that they lead and the child follows. There can be no\nvacillating on this point. The children can spot indecisiveness a mile away and\nwill jump at the opportunity to fill the leadership vacuum and take control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The\nprinciple of submitting to authority is crucial for children. If it isn\u2019t\nlearned in childhood, his future will be characterized by conflicts with all\nauthorities, including employers, police, law courts, and military leaders.\nRomans 13:1-5 is clear that the authorities over us are established by God, and\nwe are to submit to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Some children will only willingly comply with rules or laws when they make sense to them. Give them a solid reason for a rule, constantly reiterating the truth that we do things the way God wants them done and that is not negotiable. Explain that God has given parents the responsibility to love and discipline their children and to fail to do so would mean the parents are disobeying Him. Where possible, however, give the child opportunities to help make decisions so that he does not feel completely powerless. For example, going to church is not negotiable because God commands us to gather together with other believers (Hebrews 10:25), but children can have a say in what they wear, where the family sits, etc. Give them projects in which they can take charge, like planning the family vacation, in order to practically demonstrate how important it is not to just make decisions but learn how decisions are made and the consequence for good and bad.\u00a0 Often a child does not understand the consequences of decisions or the factors that lead up to correct or incorrect decisions.\u00a0 By including a child in the decision process, parents engender a new thought process which ultimately underscores right and wrong based upon anticipated vs. actual results. <br> <br> Parenting must be done with consistency and patience. Parents must try not to raise their voices, or raise their hands in anger, or lose their tempers. This will give a child the sense of control he longs for, and he will quickly figure out how to control you by frustrating you to the point of making you react emotionally. Spanking often fails with strong-willed children because they enjoy pushing parents to the breaking point so much that they feel a little pain is worth the price. Parents of particularly strong-willed kids often report their child laughs at them while they are being spanked, so spanking is not be the best method of discipline with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><li>Conclusion: Perhaps nowhere in life are the Christian fruits of\nthe Spirit of patience and self-control (Galatians 5:23) more required than\nwith children.&nbsp; A critical factor is that\na parent is under control before attempting to exercise control over a\nchild.&nbsp; Just as the parent may have taken\nyears to come to Christ or to come under the control of the Spirit, time is\nnecessary in the nurture of a child.&nbsp;\nEvery child is unique and your child is your child for their entire\nnatural life.&nbsp; Just as God deals with us\nfor as long as we have breath, so is our obligation to our children whether\nadolescents or well into their adult years.&nbsp;\nNever forget that while God created time, we often are guilty of not\nallowing Him to use it in the lives of children (or ours for that matter).&nbsp; His word will not return void, therefore our\nobligation to Him and our children is to live according to that Word with\nintegrity and a determination not to compromise.&nbsp; Our obligation isn\u2019t to convert our children\n\u2013 that is God\u2019s prerogative.&nbsp; Our\nobligation is not to fail in our witness which contributes to our children\u2019s\nrebellion.&nbsp; If we do this, despite the\npain associated with our children\u2019s misguided decisions, we rest in the\nknowledge that, as parents, we have fulfilled Ephesians 6:4 and thereby laid\nthe groundwork from which the Lord pursues each and every child of man to be\nHis own.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ephesians 6:4: \u201cAnd, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.\u201d What does raising a child in the \u201cnurture and admonition of the Lord\u201d include?&nbsp; Some advocate focused verbal instruction, some consistent church attendance, some mindless subservience while others promote corporal punishment.&nbsp; What [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[532],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Child Discipline - Grace Evangelical Free Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Child Discipline - Grace Evangelical Free Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ephesians 6:4: \u201cAnd, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.\u201d What does raising a child in the \u201cnurture and admonition of the Lord\u201d include?&nbsp; 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