{"id":9448,"date":"2014-09-30T01:00:57","date_gmt":"2014-09-30T08:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/?p=9448"},"modified":"2014-09-29T12:38:21","modified_gmt":"2014-09-29T19:38:21","slug":"training-children-for-their-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/30\/training-children-for-their-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Training Children for Their Good"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TrainingWhen I wrote about Discipline vs Punishment<\/b><\/a> a few weeks ago, I was surprised by the animated discussion that followed. In the comments<\/a> and in a post update<\/a> I added, we talked more specifically about what discipline and punishment look like in the home and what constitutes biblical discipline.<\/p>\n

About the same time, I discovered an article entitled Training Children for Their Good<\/b><\/a>, by Andy Naselli. I found this very relevant to our discussion, and I want to share it with you. The full article is 13 pages long (plus footnotes), but it\u2019s worth your time<\/strong>. It brings Scripture to bear on some important questions, and it will make you think!<\/p>\n

The author begins the article<\/a> by examining Hebrews 12:4-11, which describes how God disciplines us as his children, and he extracts seven propositions about discipline.<\/b><\/p>\n

He then surveys the primary verses from Proverbs that relate to discipline, noting that godly discipline begins with teaching<\/b>, followed by warning<\/b>. Physical discipline<\/b> is the final step a parent should take, only after a child chooses to disregard instruction and warning. The fourth level of discipline (severe punishment<\/b>) is not the job of parents, but of the state. Hopefully, children who are disciplined by godly parents will never reach that level.<\/p>\n

Next he addresses some good questions raised by writers who are opposed to spanking, <\/b>including \u201cIs spanking antithetical to the gospel?\u201d <\/b><\/p>\n

Finally, he draws some of his own conclusions<\/b> about parenting, based on the Scriptural observations already laid out. These include the necessity of multiple levels of discipline, avoiding extremes, and emphasizing love for our children.<\/p>\n

Overall, this article reminded me of some important things:<\/b><\/p>\n