Discipline and punishment in scripture
1. Definitions
a. discipline: training that corrects, molds or perfects; may
include punishment.
b. punishment: suffering, pain or loss that serves as retribution;
penalty for offense
2. Scriptural perspective of punishment
a. Jesus’ parable: imprisonment for debt to master & crime
against a peer. Mt
18:34 “In anger
his master turned him over to the jailers until he should pay
back all he
owed.”
b. Jesus’ parables: banishment for refusal to live by standards.
i. Mt 8:12 “But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown
outside, into
the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
ii. Mt 22:13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and
foot,
and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.’”
iii. Mt 25:30 “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
c. Jesus’ parable: beaten for refusal to do what is expected.
Lk 12:47 “That
servant who
knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what
his master wants
will be beaten with many blows.”
d. restitution
i. Lk 19:8 “but Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look,
Lord!
Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have
cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the
amount.’”
ii. Jesus didn’t stop Zacchaeus; restitution possible evidence of
salvation
iii. Lev 6:4 “When he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what
he
has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to him, or the
lost property he found.”
iv. Pr 6:31 “Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold (700%), though
it
costs him all the wealth of his house.”
v. restitution is a clear OT principle, is not superseded in
NT.
e. capital punishment
i. Acts 5:5 “And when Ananias heard this, he fell down and
died.”
ii. Acts 12:23 “Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to
God, an
angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and
died.”
iii. Rom 13:4 “For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do
wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is
God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the
wrongdoer.” — capital punishment implied?
3. Scriptural perspective of discipline
a. Discipline should be motivated by love.
b. Deut 8:5 “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines
his son, so the
Lord your God
disciplines you.”
c. Ps 94:12 “Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the
man you teach from
your law.”
d. Rev 3:19 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So
be earnest and
repent.”
e. Heb 12:10 “God disciplines us for our good, that we may
share in his holiness.”
f. discipline relates to our sense of belonging; we belong,
therefore we are
disciplined.
g. discipline & punishment relate to our sense of worthiness:
i. guilt tells us we’re unacceptable; reduces our sense of
worthiness
ii. discipline causes us to avoid actions which create guilt
iii. punishment relieves us of guilt
Discussion Questions
1. Does the New Testament teaching
on forgiveness and grace nullify the Old Testament
teaching on justice and punishment? Explain.
2. How does capital punishment
relate to human dignity or worth?