What Does the Bible Say About discipline?
Matthew 18:15-20
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ...
TITUS 3:10
As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,
2 THESSALONIANS 3:13-15
As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
2 CORINTHIANS 2:5-11
Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.
Discipline - it’s not a pretty word and most would rather avoid it. We see discipline as punishment but in the context of God’s Word and his ways - discipline and punishment are two different topics altogether. Discipline exists to teach or exhort and is used for the purpose of growth and change. Discipline should lead us to a life closer to imitating Christ.
