From the Principal’s Desk
Dear Parents,
God is a very reasonable God, and He always strikes the perfect balance in everything He does. He leads us to have the same kind of scriptural balance in how we live our lives. Many times this includes incorporating opposite qualities to produce a right balance in an overall matter. The problem is that the curse of sin causes us to tend toward pendulum swings—one or the other—including in child training. So to have one quality without the other negatively affects the outcome. Consider a key verse on child training:
“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”
(Proverbs 29:15)
The goal in this verse is wisdom. We want our children to properly apply truth to their lives and to make decisions that align with truth. But to do this, children need to know what to do and what not to do, but they also need biblical discipline when they fail to keep the right way. This is where Solomon says that both the rod and reproof are necessary for gaining wisdom.
We can understand rod as discipline and reproof as instruction. Both biblical discipline and righteous instruction are necessary to bring about the kind of outcome that pleases the Lord. The rod and reproof are opposite actions, but they must be used in tandem for a child to gain wisdom. In other words, one or the other by itself will not produce the desired result of wisdom.
The problem is that, because of the sin nature, societies and individuals tend to promote one or the other, but not both. For instance, 100+ years ago, many children received a lot of discipline, but there was very little instruction. More modern times show the pendulum swing —talk, talk, talk, but without biblical consequences.
The Bible does not present the case as an either-or, but as a both. Both the rod and reproof are necessary—discipline and instruction. Children need to be fully instructed in the right way—what to do and what not to do; but when they violate that way, they need to receive biblical discipline. The combination of both throughout the child’s life results in pleased parents and a pleased God.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton
Dear Parents,
God is a very reasonable God, and He always strikes the perfect balance in everything He does. He leads us to have the same kind of scriptural balance in how we live our lives. Many times this includes incorporating opposite qualities to produce a right balance in an overall matter. The problem is that the curse of sin causes us to tend toward pendulum swings—one or the other—including in child training. So to have one quality without the other negatively affects the outcome. Consider a key verse on child training:
“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”
(Proverbs 29:15)
The goal in this verse is wisdom. We want our children to properly apply truth to their lives and to make decisions that align with truth. But to do this, children need to know what to do and what not to do, but they also need biblical discipline when they fail to keep the right way. This is where Solomon says that both the rod and reproof are necessary for gaining wisdom.
We can understand rod as discipline and reproof as instruction. Both biblical discipline and righteous instruction are necessary to bring about the kind of outcome that pleases the Lord. The rod and reproof are opposite actions, but they must be used in tandem for a child to gain wisdom. In other words, one or the other by itself will not produce the desired result of wisdom.
The problem is that, because of the sin nature, societies and individuals tend to promote one or the other, but not both. For instance, 100+ years ago, many children received a lot of discipline, but there was very little instruction. More modern times show the pendulum swing —talk, talk, talk, but without biblical consequences.
The Bible does not present the case as an either-or, but as a both. Both the rod and reproof are necessary—discipline and instruction. Children need to be fully instructed in the right way—what to do and what not to do; but when they violate that way, they need to receive biblical discipline. The combination of both throughout the child’s life results in pleased parents and a pleased God.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton