Is it Wrong to Punish or Correct Children? What should a Parent do in case it is Illegal against Law?
Question : "Part of being a parent is being a teacher and actually teaching our children right from wrong. Our children need to learn rules, boundaries and consequences. Having our children on punishment teaches them nothing. Punishment is totally unnecessary in order to grow up to be a socially appropriate and caring person. Punishing children is a malevolent act that is harmful to children and, ultimately, to the community and society in which it takes place." Is this above statement true Biblically? What is your take on it.
Making this issue even more difficult is the fact that governments are beginning to classify all manner of physical discipline as child abuse. Many parents do not spank their children for fear of being reported to the government and risk having their children taken away. What should parents do if a government has made physical discipline of children illegal? According to Romans 13:1-7, should the parents submit to the government?
Answer : I believe the Bible says otherwise, "13 Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell." (Prov 23:13-14). Loving discipline with a stick is necessary to children because "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him." (Prov 22:15). And also the parent who corrects the child must be very careful not to provoke them unnecessarily to meet their own selfishness of ego or because of their weaknesses to hide their own faults, the Bible speaks the same when it says, "4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." (Eph 6:4). I am one of the child who has been brought up in strict discipline and way of the Lord from my childhood. I didn't like my parents correct me when we I grew up. Dad would correct us with beating severely only when it is a complicated case. Otherwise, he would correct us with words only. But my mother used the stick always. Those who would see my mother beating me and my brother would always say, what kind of merciless thing it is to beat these children like this. Even my Father's mother who stayed with us never liked mom beating us and she would protect us from all punishment at all times. But now when I look back I understand what a important role my mother have played in my life by correcting me using a stick until I reached adult stage. I also have seen the children of the parents who never used a stick to correct them even when they knew many times that their children have done something wrong. Such children have never been blessed greatly as they have been let by their parents to grow up in the foolishness of walking by their own self. Do not pamper a child to walk in the foolishness of their own self. Self resists godly living. Instilling fear of punishment is letting the children know that God is watching them to punish them even if the parents fail to watch them do bad things (Rom 2:14-16). A child brought up with much correction through the rod of punishment will surely become a law abiding, good and a blessed citizen of any country. The Bible agrees with this to say, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov 22:6). One should know that correcting a child is necessary to bring them up in the way of the Lord, it will bring a great blessing to them in their later days.
Regarding the goverment making stringent law that makes a parent to be fearful to discipline their children is the work of the devil. When ever a goverment or any institution overrides a biblical principle and wants to act against it, it is always a righteous thing for us believers not to submit to such laws but rather give out our voice against such acts of unrighteousness that is spreading rampantly and increasing lawlessness in the society. We believers are ruled by the law of the Spirit which is above the national law of a nation but includes it when it is inline with God's will (Rom 8:2), so normally the law of the Spirit naturally makes us abide by the laws of our goverments (Rom 13:1-7). But when the national govermental law says us to do against the will of God which is already revealed in His word and quickened by His Spirit, then "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" overrides the national law to make it invalid in such circumstances, and thus we are obligated to fulfill God's law rather than the words of men. The apostles did the same when they were told to stop preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ or declare the name of Jesus in the public, the following way they answered to the officials, "19 ..., “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”" (Acts 4:19-20). Even though God instituted the goverment of every nations (Rom 13:1), God expects us to stand for righteousness when the society ruled by the pseudo ruler Satan and its demonic minions because of the poor choices people make, becomes so blind to promote values against the word of God and its righteousness (Mic 6:8). When we stand for God in the midst of all the evil surrounding us in our society, Jesus will stand for us in the fire when we face righteous trials for the sake of the name of the Lord (Dan 3:24-25, 26; 1 Peter 4:14). The reward and the glory we inherit for standing in the midst of all evil for the name of Christ exceeds all natural rewards and recognition on this earth, it is a eternal reward that awaits for us out of this world. May God help us all to raise up godly progeny which will be a blessing to the world in the name of JESUS!
Thanks and Blessings...
Making this issue even more difficult is the fact that governments are beginning to classify all manner of physical discipline as child abuse. Many parents do not spank their children for fear of being reported to the government and risk having their children taken away. What should parents do if a government has made physical discipline of children illegal? According to Romans 13:1-7, should the parents submit to the government?
Answer : I believe the Bible says otherwise, "13 Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell." (Prov 23:13-14). Loving discipline with a stick is necessary to children because "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him." (Prov 22:15). And also the parent who corrects the child must be very careful not to provoke them unnecessarily to meet their own selfishness of ego or because of their weaknesses to hide their own faults, the Bible speaks the same when it says, "4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." (Eph 6:4). I am one of the child who has been brought up in strict discipline and way of the Lord from my childhood. I didn't like my parents correct me when we I grew up. Dad would correct us with beating severely only when it is a complicated case. Otherwise, he would correct us with words only. But my mother used the stick always. Those who would see my mother beating me and my brother would always say, what kind of merciless thing it is to beat these children like this. Even my Father's mother who stayed with us never liked mom beating us and she would protect us from all punishment at all times. But now when I look back I understand what a important role my mother have played in my life by correcting me using a stick until I reached adult stage. I also have seen the children of the parents who never used a stick to correct them even when they knew many times that their children have done something wrong. Such children have never been blessed greatly as they have been let by their parents to grow up in the foolishness of walking by their own self. Do not pamper a child to walk in the foolishness of their own self. Self resists godly living. Instilling fear of punishment is letting the children know that God is watching them to punish them even if the parents fail to watch them do bad things (Rom 2:14-16). A child brought up with much correction through the rod of punishment will surely become a law abiding, good and a blessed citizen of any country. The Bible agrees with this to say, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov 22:6). One should know that correcting a child is necessary to bring them up in the way of the Lord, it will bring a great blessing to them in their later days.
Regarding the goverment making stringent law that makes a parent to be fearful to discipline their children is the work of the devil. When ever a goverment or any institution overrides a biblical principle and wants to act against it, it is always a righteous thing for us believers not to submit to such laws but rather give out our voice against such acts of unrighteousness that is spreading rampantly and increasing lawlessness in the society. We believers are ruled by the law of the Spirit which is above the national law of a nation but includes it when it is inline with God's will (Rom 8:2), so normally the law of the Spirit naturally makes us abide by the laws of our goverments (Rom 13:1-7). But when the national govermental law says us to do against the will of God which is already revealed in His word and quickened by His Spirit, then "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" overrides the national law to make it invalid in such circumstances, and thus we are obligated to fulfill God's law rather than the words of men. The apostles did the same when they were told to stop preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ or declare the name of Jesus in the public, the following way they answered to the officials, "19 ..., “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”" (Acts 4:19-20). Even though God instituted the goverment of every nations (Rom 13:1), God expects us to stand for righteousness when the society ruled by the pseudo ruler Satan and its demonic minions because of the poor choices people make, becomes so blind to promote values against the word of God and its righteousness (Mic 6:8). When we stand for God in the midst of all the evil surrounding us in our society, Jesus will stand for us in the fire when we face righteous trials for the sake of the name of the Lord (Dan 3:24-25, 26; 1 Peter 4:14). The reward and the glory we inherit for standing in the midst of all evil for the name of Christ exceeds all natural rewards and recognition on this earth, it is a eternal reward that awaits for us out of this world. May God help us all to raise up godly progeny which will be a blessing to the world in the name of JESUS!
Thanks and Blessings...
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