What does the Bible say about discipline?
Scripture has a lot to say about discipline. Whether it is God’s discipline, self-discipline, child discipline, etc. When we think of discipline we should always think about love because that is where it derives from. People who play sports discipline themselves for the sport that they love. We discipline our children because of our love for them. Let’s learn more below.
Christian quotes about discipline
“Discipline, for the Christian, begins with the body. We have only one. It is this body that is the primary material given to us for sacrifice. We cannot give our hearts to God and keep our bodies for ourselves.” Elisabeth Elliot
“We may feel God’s hand as a Father upon us when He strikes us as well as when He strokes us.” Abraham Wright
“It hurts when God has to PRY things out of our hand!” Corrie Ten Boom
“God’s hand of discipline is a hand of loved designed to make us like His Son.”
Love and discipline in the Bible
A loving parent disciplines their child. It should give someone great joy to be disciplined by God. It shows that He loves you and He wants to bring you back to Him. As a child I was both spanked and put in timeout by my parents, but I know they did it out of love. They didn’t want me to grow up to be wicked. They wanted me to stay on the right path.
1. Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
2. Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
3. Proverbs 3:11-12 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
God disciplines His children
As a parent would you discipline a child that you didn’t even know? Most likely not. God disciplines His children when they start straying. He will not let them stray because they are His. Glory to God! God says you are mine I will not let you remain on the same path as the children of Satan. God wants more for you because you are His son/daughter.
4. Deuteronomy 8:5-6 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. “So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and fearing him.
5. Hebrews 12:5-7 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
6. Hebrews 12:8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.
7. Hebrews 12:9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
Discipline makes us wiser.
8. Proverbs 29:15 To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.
9. Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.
Being disciplined is a blessing.
10. Job 5:17 “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
11. Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the one you discipline, LORD, the one you teach from your law.
Disciplining children is needed.
12. Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death.
13. Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.
Loving discipline
When God disciplines us, He does not intend to kill us. In the same way, we should not intend to harm our children or provoke our children to anger.
14. Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your son while there is hope; don’t be intent on killing him.
15. Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
God should always discipline us, but He doesn’t.
God pours out His love on us. He doesn’t discipline us like He should. God knows those thoughts you struggle with. He knows that you want to be more, but you struggle. I can’t recall a time where God disciplined me for struggling with sin. When I struggle He pours out His love and helps me understand His grace.
Many times we think God I failed I deserve your discipline here I am discipline me Lord. No! We are to hold onto Christ. God disciplines us when we start diving into sin and start going on the wrong path. He disciplines us when we start hardening our heart and start rebelling.
16. Psalm 103:10-13 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
17. Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
The importance of discipline
The Bible makes it clear that discipline is good and as believers we are to discipline ourselves and the Holy Spirit will help us.
18. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away. Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
19. Proverbs 25:28 People who cannot control themselves are like cities without walls to protect them.
20. 2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
God changing us through discipline
Any type of discipline, whether it is self discipline or God’s discipline, might seem painful, but it is doing something. It is changing you.
21. Hebrews 12:10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
22. Hebrews 12:11 discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
23. James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
God’s discipline is to lead you to repentance.
24. Psalm 38:17-18 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.
25. Psalm 32:1-5 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Not everything is God’s discipline.
Finally you must understand not everything is God disciplining us. I’ve done this in my life where I thought just because something bad happens that automatically means that I’m being disciplined. Some things are just our fault. For example, out of nowhere your car gets a flat tire on your way to work and you think oh no God is disciplining me.
Maybe it’s because you haven’t changed your tires in years and they wore out. Maybe God did do it, but He’s protecting you from a potential accident that you don’t see coming. Don’t be so quick to assume that you are being disciplined for every last thing.
How does God chasten us?
Sometimes He does it with guilt, bad circumstances, sickness, lack of peace, and sometimes our sin results in consequences. God sometimes disciplines you right where that sin is at. For example, there was a time I was hardening my heart while the Lord was telling me to apologize to someone. I had extreme guilt and my thoughts were racing.
As time continued this guilt turned into a terrible headache. I believe I was being disciplined by the Lord. As soon as I decided to apologize the pain lessened and after I apologized and talked it over with the person the pain was basically gone. Glory to God! Let’s praise the Lord for discipline which increases our faith, builds us up, humbles us, and it shows God’s great love for us.
