Dear Ladies,

I totally agree with the responses we have had to the discipline and manners issue. If this one principle of discipline is taught and enforced, that of teaching children to show honor and respect to their elders, and to be under their authority, many problems with child rearing will be nipped in the bud.

 The scriptures instruct us:

Prov. 19:18
18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

Prov. 23:12-14
12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

The above verses in Proverbs tell us that correct Biblical discipline, that of spanking, or more Biblically correct, "beating with the rod", will deliver a child's soul from hell. I believe this means that when a child learns to submit to authority and to "fear" the consequences of disobedience, then he also learns to ultimately submit himself to the Lord, his God, and to fear the consequence of not doing so. This fear is healthy and scriptural. The Bible instructs us throughout the scriptures to "fear the Lord"! The following verses are just a few that show this:

Proverbs 3:7
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Psalms 2:11
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Ps. 19:9
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

Ps. 25:14
14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Ps. 36:1
1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

When a child has received firm, consistent discipline, using the rod, as the Lord instructs, the resulting "fear" of consequences will cause him to have more of an inner conscience to right and wrong. This is what causes a person to see himself as a sinner and helps him to realize his need of a saviour.

Also, children who are taught this obedience to authority early in their lives, have much more of a tender spirit, and are more teachable. The child is then able to listen to his parents more effectively, and has the self-control to obey his parents and others in authority.

Once I had a child in a Bible study class of around 25 kids and this child was continually disruptive. I had to send him out to his parents. When he came back in to the class, he apologized and then said something that tore at my heart. He said, "I wish I could be good!" I knew this child had not had firm and Biblical discipline. His parents had failed him, and now this child had no inner self control at around ten years old. He found it too hard to make himself be good.

Many times parents resort to drugs and other means of control for their child, when all the child needed in the first place was God's method of discipline.

Parents, the "rod of correction" will give your child the inner self control he so needs and so desires! A child, deep down in, does not want to displease those around him. He wants to be accepted! He wants to please! It is up to you to give him this ability to control himself. Your job as a parent is to not fail him in this. The Bible tells you how to do it and the following verse is but one of several:

Prov. 22:15
15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

I have also observed that these children who are disciplined God's way are sweeter and kinder to others, because they are less self centered. They are really different in personality to those children who do not receive this kind of discipline. I have heard it said of children, whose parents have changed their strategy to the Lord's way of discipline, that their children are totally different children from what they used to be. Praise the Lord! God's way is always best! The scriptures will not fail you!

For more spankings for Christ's sake!
Mary