Spanking and the Inspiration of Scripture
Introduction. Some time back I watched a
program on television that focused on the question of how parents should raise
their children. The program began by looking at the fact that throughout
history parents have held corporal punishment (spanking, whipping, etc.) to be
an acceptable form of discipline for children. The program then pointed out
that the Bible itself teaches physical punishment of children as a part of training
children. The question was then asked—“Can the Bible, history and tradition
all be wrong?” The remainder of the program featured the claims of
“experts” that answered in no uncertain terms—“Yes, spanking children is
wrong!”
This
may seem like a rather tame statement at first, but I’m afraid that as
Christians we may not realize what we are conceding if we: 1) Accept this view
to be true or, 2) Allow it to go unchallenged. What we say is that …
- God is wrong!
- He does not understand human nature and
childhood development! Thus…
- His
instructions must not be heeded on this subject!
This may
sound rather strong but I believe it is the logical consequence of accepting
the view that corporal punishment is wrong.
I.
What Scripture Claims about Itself.
We
must first understand what Scripture claims about itself. It is not man’s
commentary on God’s will, but the mind of God revealed directly to man.
A. It’s writers were moved by
God to write. 2 Peter 1:20-21 declares, “...No prophecy of Scripture is of any
private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men
of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (NKJV).
B. It is “God-breathed.” 2
Timothy 3:16-17 asserts, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man
of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NIV).
1. This makes it clear that
Scripture is God’s word. One can either accept this or not, but we must acknowledge
what the Bible claims about itself!
II. The Claims of
Scripture on Corporal Punishment.
What are the
claims of Scripture on the subject of corporal punishment? We are going to
consider twelve claims.
1. It is
commanded by God—“Do
not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will
not die” (Proverbs 23:13).
2. It is
constructive to a child—“Foolishness
is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction
will drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15).
3. It can be a demonstration
of love—“He
who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him
promptly” (Prov. 13:24).
4. It can
lead to wisdom, and
5. It is
shameful to neglect it—“ The rod and reproof give
wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother” (Proverbs
29:15).
6. It must
not be destructive to the child—“Chasten your son while there is
hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction” (Prov. 19:18).
7. It can
benefit a child spiritually—“You shall beat him with a rod
and deliver his soul; from hell [i.e. sheol]” (Proverbs 23:14).
8. It can
increase the joy of being a parent—“Correct
your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul”
(Proverbs 29:17).
9. It is a
characteristic of God’s dealings with man—“For whom the Lord loves He
chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:6).
10. Those
without it are treated as illegitimate children—“But if you are without
chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and
not sons” (Hebrews 12:8).
11. Children
who have received it owe their parents respect—“Furthermore, we have had human
fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect...” (Hebrews 12:9).
12. Although
intended to be unpleasant it can produce righteous behavior—“Now no chastening seems to be
joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the
peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews
12:11).
All
of this makes it abundantly clear that the Scripture teaches there is a place
for the physical discipline of children in proper parenting.
- That is not
to sanction all that is done in the name of discipline. Nor does it teach that
abuse is to be treated lightly.
- But simply
that if we claim to accept the Bible as God’s word we must accept with it what
it teaches us about how to raise our children.
This
calls on us to place great confidence in the authority of Scripture, and
sometimes to reject the notions of the so-called “experts.”
III.
But W hat About Abuse?
Our
generation has seen examples of some of the most horrifying treatment of
children imaginable. Sometimes in the name of discipline and sometimes out of
some perverse pleasure in inflicting pain, children have been brutalized. As
Christians we must stand against this! There is a difference between the
moderate application of discomfort by loving parents and the enduring scars of
brutality inflicted by disturbed and ungodly souls!
A. Questions
to ask ourselves when practicing discipline. To keep this distinction
clear, the following questions would be beneficial for us to ask ourselves the
next time we discipline our children:
·
Why are we
spanking them?
(Is it simply out of anger or in an attempt to shape their behavior?)
·
What do we
want them to learn from this?
(Do we have a conscious objective?)
·
Have we
given them plenty of positive reinforcement to balance things? (Do they see our love for
them?)
·
Do they
understand our expectations of them?
(Have we talked with them enough?)
·
Are we
dealing with them in a Christ-like manner? (Are we helping them go to heaven?).
Conclusion. I pray that godly mothers and
fathers who love the Lord will boldly and courageously stand up for the
unfailing truth of God’s word. At stake is not simply our belief in the
inspiration of the Scriptures, but our children themselves.