God’s Discipline: Punitive or Instructive?
What comes to mind when you hear the word “discipline?” You probably think of either punishment—like being grounded, reprimanded, or demoted—or training. Scripture describes the Lord as a God who disciplines his people. His discipline is like that of a good parent or coach; God disciplines his children as a means of training them up, not beating them down.
Forms of Discipline in Scripture
Scripture addresses the idea of discipline in at least four ways:
- Personal discipline
- Parental discipline
- Church discipline
- Divine discipline
Paul challenges us to run the race of life with personal discipline (Titus 1:7–8; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27). Parents are instructed to raise their children in the discipline of the Lord (Ephesians 6:1–4; Proverbs 1:8). Church leaders warn those who are undisciplined (1 Thessalonians 5:14). In this article, I’ll dig deeper into the fourth kind of discipline in Scripture: the discipline that God enacts upon his children.
God’s Discipline
In three key passages, Scripture shows us that God disciplines his people for their good (Hebrews 12:10):
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. (Prov 3:11–12 NIV)
“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? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 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. (Heb 12:6–10 NIV)
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. (Rev 3:19 NIV)
The word “discipline” in these texts is translated from the Greek words παιδεύω (a verb) and παιδεία (a noun). These terms relate to education. Although we often think of discipline as punishment, divine discipline is more concerned with training and educating. Of the New Testament term for “discipline,” David Allen writes, “The word combines training, instruction, guidance, reproof, correction, and punishment.” [Figure 1] pictures how the NIV translates the Greek word παιδεύω.
God intends his children to grow in character and godliness. His discipline, therefore, is a means of discipleship—not to beat us down but to train us up. The Lord uses all sorts of methods to train believers in righteousness. His discipline can be negative, positive, or passive.
Negatively, God rebukes and convicts us of our sin (Ps 39:11), chastening our evil actions and pruning our character (John 15:2) in order to “restore” us (Titus 2:12).
Positively, He counsels us, teaches us from his Word, instructs us, comforts us in hardship, reveals his will to us, and trains us in righteousness so we are encouraged and made ready for the glories of Heaven.
Even passively, he forms us into the image of his son through natural consequences (Ps 81:12), common trials of everyday life (Rom 8:18), or persecution (1 Pet 1:7). If we respond properly, then any difficult or stretching season of life can be formative to our discipleship.
Believers and Unbelievers
The way God disciplines his followers differs from the way he treats unbelievers. The Lord disciplines believers for the sake of “training them in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16) so they may “yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Heb 12:11). This discipline corrects, instructs, and reinforces.
Unbelievers, on the other hand, undergo a very different experience. Those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ remain dead in their sins; therefore, they will suffer the wrath of God (Eph 2:1–3). God’s wrath is punitive. Sinners have “incurred a moral-judicial debt,” and justice must be served (Rom 6:23; 2 Thess 1:9).
As people who have trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, Christians are “saved . . . from the wrath of God” (Rom 5:9). They are reconciled with God (Rom 5:10) and are no longer under condemnation for their sin (Rom 8:1; John 3:18). The Lord treats believers as children (Heb 12:7), not as enemies (Rom 8:7; Jas 4:4). To be a child of God is to be in God’s school of godliness.
God disciplines his children but punishes sinners under his wrath. Understanding the difference is paramount. Tim Chester summarizes this well in his book God’s Discipline:
we must make a distinction between punitive (or punishing) judgement and corrective judgement. Condemnation is punitive judgement. Discipline is corrective judgement. . . . When we [believers] experience God’s discipline we are not in the courtroom; we are in the home.
Responding to God’s Discipline
We have three ways to respond to discipline: escape, fight, or grow. Hebrews 12:4–12 is a superb training manual on how to respond to divine discipline. Six verbs in this passage teach us the best way to respond to God’s discipline. First, the writer of Hebrews expounds upon Proverbs 3:11–12, warning believers not to “make light of” or “lose heart” when under God’s discipline (12:5) but rather to “endure” (12:7). In Scripture, we read of Jonah’s attempt to run from God’s difficult assignment (Jonah 1:1–3). This is like a toddler running off with a toy or a piece of candy she’s not allowed to have, or like an adult escaping from constructive hardship instead of engaging it while seeking God’s wisdom. The Lord may choose to turn up the heat and redirect his child, or the believer may miss out on an opportunity.
The second response to discipline is to fight against it. Our passage from Hebrews challenges us to “endure hardship as discipline” because all believers have “participated” (ESV) in God’s discipline (12:7–8). We can either participate in God’s pruning, redirecting, correcting, and training, or we can fight against it. Returning to the analogy of toddlers and parents, we know that young children frequently test their parents with tantrums and overt disobedience. Children do not understand the wisdom and compassion behind a parent’s motivation; likewise, believers do not always understand God’s reasons for discipline. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful,” Hebrews 12:11 tells us.
If you are a believer, you will experience God’s discipline. He intends to train you, not punish you; therefore, your response is important. Escaping from and fighting against God’s discipline will not form you into a more holy person. The only response that “produces a harvest of righteousness” is a desire to grow (Heb 12:10–11). Hebrews 12 challenges us to “respect” and “submit to” God’s discipline (9). The Lord attempts to weaken our grasp on distracting affections (Mark 4:19), refine our faith (1 Pet 1:6–7), prepare us for eternity (2 Cor 4:17), and increase our character and hope (Rom 5:3–4). Learning from Jesus’s example, we believers are encouraged to entrust ourselves to God (1 Pet 2:23; 4:19; Luke 23:46; Ps 31:5) when facing hardship, whether God causes it or permits it.
(1)The Old Testament was primarily written in Hebrew. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, we find this Greek word in texts such as Proverbs 3:11–12.
(2)David Allen, Hebrews, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), 580.
(3)See also Prov 3:11; Ps 118:18; Jer 2:19; 1 Cor 11:30; and Heb 12:7–11.
(4)See Ps 16:7; 94:12; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Cor 1:3–4; 1 Thess 4:3; 5:18; Heb 12:11; Heb 12:5; Rom 8:18; and Jas 1:12.
(5)See also Rom 1:24–28; 1 Pet 4:15; Ps 119:67, 71; 2 Cor 4:17–18; 2 Cor 12:7–10; Rom 5:3-4; and Jas 1:2–3.
(6)Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics: Abridged in One Volume, ed. John Bolt (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 383.
(7)“Wrath of God,” in Philip Comfort and Walter Elwell, eds., Tyndale Bible Dictionary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 1312.
(8)See Ray Clendenen with York Hershael in “Discipline,” Chad Brand et al., eds., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 426.
(9)Tim Chester, God’s Discipline: A Word of Encouragement in the Midst of Hardship, Revised edition (Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2018), 20–21.
(10)See chapter 6 of Chester, God’s Discipline.
About the Contributors
Nik Schatz
Nik currently serves as the Executive Pastor at Hershey Free Church in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He holds a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and DMin from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Alongside his wife of fourteen years, Anna, they are the proud parents of two lively and energetic children. His deepest loves include his family, Tex Mex, chess, and the local church.