One of the most important things a Christian must do is study God’s Word, and a failure to do so will lead to a lack of spiritual growth and a weaker faith. Paul told the Christians in Rome that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Our faith becomes stronger as we study the Bible. Paul knew the importance of study. He told Timothy to “continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from who you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation” (2 Tim. 3:14,15). Notice that Paul told Timothy to “continue in the things which you have learned.” Paul understood that it takes continual study of God’s Word to remain faithful and grow. That is why he also told Timothy to “study to show thyself approved unto God” (2 Tim. 2:15).
We place ourselves in spiritual danger when we stop studying the Bible. God condemned Israel through the voice of Hosea when He said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee” (Hosea 4:6). Many of the Jews in the first century also had a problem due to their failure to study. They were sincere in their religion, but they were sincerely wrong. Paul described them as having “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2). We must be diligent in our studies to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Let’s examine some different ways we can study the Bible. First, we must understand that there is a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. Regular Bible reading is important, but it is not the same as in-depth study. Here are some different options to consider.
1. Get involved in the congregation’s Bible classes. Many of us limit our study to the time we spend in our Sunday and Wednesday night Bible classes. Study the material you are learning in class at home before you go. You will also retain much more of the material if you review what you have learned during the class later at home. Take good notes and organize them in a notebook for later reference.
2. Conduct your own expository Bible study. Decide on a certain text that you would like to study in-depth. It could be a few verses or a whole chapter. Go through the text verse by verse and write down several key points you learn from each verse. You can then search for other scriptures that elaborate on the points you wrote down.
3. Conduct your own topical Bible study. Decide on a specific topic that you would like to study about. Use a topical Bible, concordance, or commentary to locate all the other passages in the Bible that are related to your topic. This is very effective way to study, because it teaches us to harmonize the Scriptures.
4. Get organized and equipped. Purchase some three ring binders, and get dividers so you can make space in them for information on specific Bible books or Biblical topics. Keep track of your notes and handouts from Bible classes by filing them in the binders. You may also consider buying a good concordance and Bible dictionary. Commentaries are good to have as well, but remember that not all commentaries are written by members of the Lord’s church and some of them can be misleading. -Ed

It seems like everywhere you look today you can find a “support group” or “support system” to help someone caught up in serious problems, addiction or despair; but what about the Christian? Do we have a support system? Those addicted to alcohol have support systems. Those addicted to drugs have support systems. Those who have eating disorders, anger disorders, or marital problems have groups. Christians are not immune to the problems or addictions of this world. Christians will fall into sin, temptation, and despair at times. Where can the Christian go for help? Some Christians may need the help of some of the support systems offered by the world, but the greatest and most beneficial support the Christian has was provided by God himself. The problem seems to be that many Christians who go to the world for help either do not know what God has provided, do not have the faith it will work, or has not taken advantage of the many blessings we have. Let’s examine some of the characteristics of the ultimate support system that God has provided for those who follow Him.
1. We have the Word of God. God has given us “All things pertaining to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory” (2 Pet. 1:3). Paul told Timothy “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16,17). As Christians we must believe these statements to be true. That means that God has provided us with everything we need in His Word to deal with anything that comes our way whether good of bad. God has given us the tools to use, but they don’t help if we don’t use them. We can look to God’s Word for the answer to any problem we may face. We can also look back at men and women in the Bible who suffered through similar ordeals, and see how they used God’s help to overcome. God’s Word is part of our support system, but it only works if we open it and study it.
2. We have the support of other Christians. This is a major component of God’s support system. The New Testament is full of passages telling us to lean on one another and bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2, Rom. 12:19-16). We are told to exhort and edify one another constantly (e.g., Heb. 3:13; 10:24,25). We come together for spiritual nourishment on the Lord’s Day and mid week Bible study. The support comes from edifying and confiding in one another. Unfortunately, this part of the support system does not get used like it should because brethren are afraid to open up to one another in fear of embarrassment or shame. This shouldn’t be so. When we fail to use one another as God intended, we cut our amount of support short.
3. We have the power of prayer. Who else better to talk to about your problems than God? Many Christians do not benefit from the power of prayer because they fail to talk to God about what is going on in their lives. We can talk to God about anything. The apostle Peter said that we could cast all our care upon Him, because He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7). Again, many of us do not benefit from the support God gives us because we are not taking full advantage of all He has blessed us with.
Christians can seek help for their problems outside the Lord’s church, but we must not forget that as Christians we actually live everyday as part of the ultimate support system that is overseen by God Himself. -Ed

So many Christians never experience the true blessings of being one of God’s children because they refuse to exert the energy it takes to grow spiritually. Christianity is not a religion of relaxation; it is one of constant work and effort. The athlete does not become good at their chosen sport by simply putting on a uniform and then doing nothing to further their skills. It takes practice, dedication, effort, and persistence to become good. The same applies to Christianity. We are expected to grow, and if we do not, we cannot expect to benefit from God’s blessings. The athlete will never win without effort, and the Christian will never reach the goal of heaven without growing spiritually. Peter spoke of this very issue when he exhorted Christians to give “all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:5-8). There are some things we can do to add those things Peter spoke of in our effort to grow spiritually. Consider the following suggestions.
1. Spend some time in God’s Word every day. This is one of the most important things we can do because God has “given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Pet. 1:3). The Bible has everything the Christian needs to be “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17). Our faith grows by reading and studying the source of our faith, the Bible (Rom. 10:17). We all need to be actively involved in some type of daily reading or study. There are many Bible reading schedules you can follow. If you have access to the Internet, use the “Daily Bread” sections of the “Preacher Mail” to give you an organized way to spend time studying each day. We simply cannot, and will not, grow spiritually if we do not spend time studying our Bibles.
2. Spend as much time with your church family as you can. Being part of a loving church family is one of the greatest blessings from God. Not only does it provide an important support system for the Christian, but it is also a source of spiritual growth. We all know the Bible teaches we should not “forsake the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25). This is a vitally important part of God’s plan for us to spiritually grow, but it does not stop at just attending all the worship services. We need to be around our Christian brethren all during the week as well. We grow from being around other people who believe and cherish the same things we do. We can lean on one another, and learn from one another.
3. Dedicate certain times of your day to drawing nearer to God in prayer. Prayer is a time for us to thank God, praise God, and ask for His support and forgiveness; but it is also a time that we spiritually grow. We learn a great deal about ourselves while we pray. When we lay it all out there before God, we recognize those areas of our lives where we need to grow. We are not only talking to God when we pray, but we are also talking to ourselves. Prayer is a great opportunity for us to find out if we really are trying to conform our lives to God’s will.
It’s easy to fall into ruts of complacency regarding our spiritual life because of everything else going around us. Let’s all remember what truly is most important! -Ed

County music singer Johnny Cash had a hit song titled “I Walk the line” in which he sang about how he had to walk the line in his relationship to keep the woman that he loved from leaving him. One of the verses of the song states, “I keep a close watch on this heart of mine, I keep my eyes wide open all the time, I keep the ends out for the tie that binds because your mine, I walk the line.” Cash presents some great truths in this song when it comes to the responsibility of living life in a manner that will strengthen and maintain a relationship instead of putting it in danger.
The metaphor of “the walk” is often used to depict how one lives their life. Cash used it to represent maintaining one’s character of life in order to maintain a human relationship. The Bible often uses that metaphor as well. The apostle Paul mentioned the Christian’s walk several times, especially in the book of Ephesians. In Ephesians chapters four and five, Paul points out the “walks” of life that Christians should avoid and then explains the walk (or manner of life) that all Christians should strive for. Johnny Cash’s classic song dealt with a man’s walk having influence on a romantic relationship, where Paul’s admonition speaks of a much greater truth; the relationship between God and man. Let’s examine how Paul says we as Christians should, and should not, “walk” through this life as servants of God.
1. Ephesians 4:17-24. Paul warns of returning to the way we were before we became Christians. He stated, “that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind…being alienated from the life of God” (Eph. 4:17,18). He goes on to say later that we should “put on the new man” (Eph. 4:24). Once we begin our Christian walk, we must leave our old way of life behind us.
2. Ephesians 5:15-18. Paul tells us the need to walk “circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (Eph. 5:15). Johnny Cash stated in his song that he “kept his eyes wide open all the time”. Cash was basically saying what Paul meant when he said to walk “circumspectly.” We must constantly be on guard in our life using the wisdom that God provides, and not that of the world. A fool will constantly be trapped and tempted by the ways of the world, but the Christian is to “understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17), and conform his or her life to it.
3. Ephesians 5:2-7. Paul tells us that we must “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us” (Eph. 5:2). He then goes on to contrast how walking in love means we will abandon the many selfish sins that will keep us from inheriting the kingdom of Christ. Walking in love shows our obedience to God (John 14:15), as opposed to being “partakers” with “the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6,7).
4. Ephesians 5:8-14. Paul tells us that we must walk as “children of Light” (Eph. 5:8). We know that “God is light, and in Him is not darkness at all” (John 1:5). We know that we are to “walk in the light as He (Christ) is in the light” (1 John 1:7), so God will continue to forgive us. Paul takes it a bit further and tells us that we are to walk as light to expose the darkness of the world around us. He said, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Eph. 5:11). Remember, Jesus said “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
Let’s be sure to ask ourselves if we are walking the line for Christ in our lives! -Ed

Skeptics have been searching the Bible for almost two thousand years looking for a contradiction that would prove it’s falsehood, and some claim they have found just that between two of the accounts of Paul’s conversion given in the book of Acts. Unbelievers feel confident that a contradiction found in God’s Word would prove that the Book is not divinely inspired, but in every case they have failed to do so, including this one. The two verses in question are Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9. They are both passages speaking of the same event, Paul’s conversion, but each account is given by a different person. In Acts chapter nine we see Luke giving a description of the conversion, where in the twenty-second chapter we have Paul describing the event in his own words. The casual reader of the two texts can quickly see there is a difference in the two accounts given, but one must fully consider all the options before stamping the incident as a proven unquestionable contradiction.
The incident in question from both of the passages is regarding whether or not the men that were with Paul heard or did not hear the voice of the person who was speaking to Paul in the vision on the road to Damascus. Luke stated, “And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one” (Acts 9:7). In Paul’s account of the incident, he said “And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me” (Acts 22:9). At first glance this may appear to be a contradiction, but an explanation can be reached rather easily. Before we do so, however, it would be beneficial if we have a proper understanding of what an actual contradiction is. To contradict means to be in opposition of something or the opposite of something. A statement may be labeled as a contradiction, but one must be able to prove that it is by showing that there is no other possible explanation or solution for why the statement may appear to be so. So, in our case above, can it be proven that the two statements are contradictory, or can a reasonable explanation or solution for the difference be shown as a possibility? If a possible solution can be shown, then the statement cannot be declared as a definitive contradiction.
The issue with these texts comes down to the different possible uses of the verb “hear”. We must remember we are hearing the same story being told by two different men from two different perspectives. Can someone “hear” the sound of a person’s voice without actually “hearing” the words that are being spoken. Have you ever heard someone say, “I can hear your voice, but I can’t hear what you are saying?” Have you ever heard the voice of someone talking to you, but were not actually able to hear the words they were saying? Have you ever heard a person’s voice speaking to you, but tell them “I don’t hear you” when you could not understand the actual individual words they were saying? It’s possible to hear without hearing!
It would seem that is what occurred with the men in the two accounts we are studying. In Acts 9:7 it is clear that Luke said the men were “hearing a voice”. In Acts 22:9, Paul said they “did not hear the voice”. We have to ask if it is possible that the men heard the sound of the man speaking but could not hear the actual articulated words that were spoken whereby understanding them. Since this is one possible and viable solution, the two verses cannot be proven to be a contradiction. -Ed

Unfortunately there is much error in Christianity today, but without a doubt the most damaging doctrine taught is that of “Faith Only” salvation. The doctrine was born and developed in the protestant reformation by such men as Martin Luther and John Wesley, and has grown rapidly over the last several hundred years. We know the Bible warns us about believing the doctrines of men, and we must always see if any teaching of man can be supported by the New Testament Scriptures.
The doctrine of Faith only salvation teaches that all one must do to become saved and have his sins forgiven is believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and ask Him into his heart. There are many ways to prove this doctrine false by simply opening our New Testament and studying it. One of those many ways is to simply ask the question stated above and answer it from the New testament. According to this false teaching all one must do is simply believe in Jesus Christ and they are saved. So I would ask you to consider the question. Is it possible to Believe in Jesus Christ and not be saved? If we can show the Scriptures answer this question in the affirmative, then we would have successfully proven the doctrine to be false.
The first, and most obvious, passage we should turn to is in the book of James. James said, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble” (Jam. 2:19)! Here James tells us that the demons believe in God, but it is obvious that they are not saved. Why is that? Even though the demons believe, they cannot be saved because they do not have an obedient faith. They have a dead faith that does not lead to obedience and cannot justify anyone (James 2:24).
Another good example of some people who believed in Jesus Christ, but were not in a saved condition, were some of the chief Jewish rulers of Jesus’ day. Listen to how the apostle John described them. “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42,43). Again we see an example of people who believe, but they do not have a Biblical faith, which is willing to act on their belief in obedience to all of God’s commands. There is an example of some other chief Jewish rulers who showed the proper kind of belief in the sixth chapter of Acts. “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). So what is different about these rulers? They heard the Word of God, believed it, and were obedient to it. They not only claimed to believe, but they showed their belief by obeying the faith. Just believing is not enough. On the day of Pentecost three thousand Jews yelled out to Peter and the apostles, “men and brethren, what should we do” (Acts 2:37). If believing was all it took, then Peter should have told them just to believe. Peter told them something else they had to do in addition to their belief, and it was for them to “repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38). Belief is vitally important to one’s salvation, but faith alone will not save anyone (James 2:14,24). The Biblical faith that saves is the kind that faithfully obeys the commands of God, especially the ones that are conditions of our salvation. -Ed

Sometimes forgiving someone can be one of the hardest things we ever have to do. As Christians, we must always remember that the principle of forgiveness is at the center of our faith. The New Testament is very clear about our duties to forgive. We do not have a choice in the matter. The apostle Paul said, “bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Col. 3:13). Paul related our forgiveness toward others to the forgiveness that Christ gave to us. He made a similar statement to the Ephesians when he said, “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32). Paul told us in that statement that we should forgive because God forgave us through Christ. Jesus prayed “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12) when he was teaching the disciples how to pray. Jesus also said immediately after the prayer, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:14-15).
Jesus and Paul directly linked God’s forgiveness of our sins to our willingness to forgive others who sin against us.
The apostle Peter and Jesus had a revealing conversation about forgiveness, where we learn that God does not put a limit on the amount of times we should forgive each other. Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” (Matt. 18:21) Jesus answered Peter by telling him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matt. 18:22).
As we consider all of this, we also need to remember what Jesus described as Biblical forgiveness. God only forgives us of our sins when we repent of them. In like manner, we are expected to forgive those who have sinned against us when they repent while asking for forgiveness. We should always have a forgiving spirit, even toward those who are not penitent, but Jesus commands us specifically to forgive those who actually repent. Jesus stated, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4). Repentance and forgiveness go hand in hand.
All of us have had times when we found it difficult to forgive someone. We cannot settle for holding a grudge when the Bible is so clear on what we must do. Consider the scriptures above along with these following points.
1. We must remember that God forgave us even though we have sinned against Him, and are so undeserving of that forgiveness.
2. We must remember that people are not perfect and make mistakes. You never can tell when you may be guilty of the very same thing you are not willing to forgive someone else for.
3. We must remember the influence that our lack of forgiveness toward others will have on weaker Christians who must learn to forgive others as well.
Maybe when we find ourselves in a situation where we need to forgive someone, we should remember these three things. I’m sure they will help us all see the importance of following God’s example and forgiving others. -Ed

Our success in matters of this life will always depend on whether or not we will completely submit our will to the will of God, and this is especially true when we consider God’s plan for the family. God has given all members of the family specific instructions on what their part is to play. What we must all realize is that for the plan to work we must all do our individual parts. It is when any one member of a family consistently rebels against doing their part, that we see many of the unfortunate situations that arise causing problems in the home. God’s plan works, but the important question we must always ask is whether or not we are all willing do our part to make it work?
The Holy Spirit did not take up pages of the New Testament going into specific detail about every little problem that will come up in a family. God gave us a set of definitive principles that will always guide us in the right direction if each member of the family dedicates himself to submitting to God’s plan for our family instead of how Oprah, Dr. Phil, or the latest self-help book says we should do it. It’s very simple. If each member of the family obeys God’s will, we put out trust in Him, and pray for His blessings our family will grow and become stronger in the Lord. Again, the key to our success depends on each member doing their part.
1. Husbands. The word husband comes from the words “house band”, which means they are supposed to be the band that holds the family together. God has made the husband the spiritual leader of the family and he has great responsibility. God makes it clear that this responsibility is not to be abused in a ruling capacity but out of love and compassion. Husbands are to be “head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church” (Eph. 5:23), and they are to “love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church” (Eph. 5:25). That is a great deal of love. They are not to be “bitter” against their wives (Col. 19), and are to “give honor to the wife as unto the weaker vessel” (1 Pet. 3:7). Husbands are also to be godly fathers that are charged to “provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).
2. Wives. If the husband is the band that holds the family together, I think it is safe to say that most of the time it is the wife that holds the husband together. A godly wife and mother can be one of the most influential parts of a family. Wives are told to “submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:22). This submission is out of respect for God, and it should mean for a happy and joyful life to the woman who is married to a sincere godly man who cares for his wife like Christ cares for the church. The wife and mother is to raise the children in a way that teaches them how to carry on this tradition of caring for their family and serving God (Titus 2:3-5).
3. Children. God’s plan for children is very simple. Always obey your parents! When the parents are fulfilling their part of God’s will, then the children will always be exactly where God wants them by simply obeying mom and dad. Paul said, “children, obey you parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Eph. 6:1).
God’s plan for the family is not long, complicated, and overly demanding. It is simple and to the point. The key to it’s success depends on the submission of all the family members to following it. When followed, it may not always run like a well oiled machine, but you can rest assured it has the blessings of God upon it. -Ed

Many have claimed that God cannot be a loving and just God while commanding such harsh and violent things to be done in the Old Testament. Some have used the book of Joshua to state their point. God had given the children of Israel commands on numerous occasions to destroy whole nations of people. He would instruct them to kill all the men, women, and the children without showing any mercy. How does the Christian answer such claims?
A study of this sort must begin with a proper understanding of the nature of God. We must realize that God is holy, just, and righteous. He “desires all men to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4), but He cannot tolerate rebellious sin while maintaining His righteous attributes. God has set forth laws for man to live by since creation. Those who choose to live by His laws will be blessed, while those who rebel must be punished according to His justice. Those people whom God had ordered destroyed in the book of Joshua had gone the way of those living just prior to the world wide flood. They had absolutely rejected God. Paul spoke of how this happens in Romans 1:18-32.
God had promised Abraham the land of Canaan, but He told him that it would be after his people grew in a distant land for four hundred years. God said, “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Gen. 15:13-16). The term “Amorites” was commonly used in the Old Testament to refer to all the tribes in the land of Canaan. God, in his perfect foreknowledge and wisdom, knew that all the people of the land of Canaan would at one point turn completely against Him. They had not yet done that at the time God spoke these words to Abraham, but God foreknew that after the four hundred years their iniquity would be complete. This means by that time the Amorites would be in such a wicked state that God knew none of them would ever repent or stop rebelling. Even though God knew they would become totally wicked, He patiently waited while giving them every opportunity to repent until they came to the point where he knew none of them ever would.
The next question commonly presented is usually regarding God’s command to kill the children of all those people as well. How could God command innocent children to be slaughtered? We must remember that God knew the state of those people’s wickedness as well as how the children would grow up in that environment to be just as wicked, if not more, than their parents. Actually, we see God’s justice and love displayed in his command to kill the children. The children were not yet accountable (Eze. 18:20), and would be spiritually saved for eternity (Matt. 18:3). God knew with His infinite wisdom and foreknowledge how those children would grow up to be, and did what was best for them spiritually. Israel had to be separated from the wickedness of the Amorites to preserve the seed line of the coming Christ. We do not always understand God’s ways, but we must have faith that He always does what is best for all of mankind in regards to their eternal well being. -Ed

One of the scariest memories I have of childhood was when my mother or father would say, “go to your room and get ready because you are getting a spanking”. When those words were spoken, it was as if time stood still and the earth stopped spinning. I would go into my room and think about what terribly violent thing was about to happen to me. I would ask myself, “why, why, why do I have to endure such punishment?” It seemed like the anticipation of the spanking was worse than the actual spanking itself. Sometimes I would hear mom or dad say how bad it hurt them to have to do this. I remember thinking “yeah right”, as they swung away with the belt. After it was over, I would realize that I had lived through it to play another day. I would wipe away the tears, and go back outside to see what other mischief I could get into. But you can rest assured that I was weary of repeating whatever it was that required the need for the “cruel and unusual punishment” I had just endured.
Many parents and psychologists today consider spanking to be cruel and brutal. I must admit that when I was a young boy I didn’t like it, but somehow I understood it was for my own good, and I still loved my Mom and Dad even after they had done it. I look back now and I am thankful that I was raised in such a disciplined environment. Why is that? If being spanked is such a cruel thing by today’s psychological standards, why is it that I still loved and respected my parents so much? Why is it that children who have parents who administer such discipline develop such love and respect for their parents? If spanking children is such a terrible thing, then how do we explain this? The answer to the question can be discovered in God’s word.
God made it clear in His Word that children need to be brought up in an environment where they will learn to respect authority. When parents train children to respect their authority, they then begin their children’s understanding of fearing God and keeping His commandments (Eccl. 12:13). I am in no way saying that all parents have to spank their children. Some parents can discipline children without ever spanking them at all, but I think those situations are rare and unusual. Unfortunately the results aren’t known for years down the road. Lets consider what the Bible says.
“He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly” (Prov. 13:24). “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying” (Prov. 19:18). “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him” (Prov. 22:15). “Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell” (Prov. 23:13,14).
The Bible is crystal clear when it relates to the importance of properly disciplining our children. The writer of Hebrews said, “For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten” (Heb. 12:6,7)? He then says, “no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). The Bible teaches that discipline is one of the greatest forms of love, even though sometimes it’s hard to dish out and even harder to take. -Ed