Should Christians Spank Their Kids?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday.

Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question.

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The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez is good to be back together again here at corporate entity answering your questions about the faith with Prof. Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez Mike.

It's great to be back together anyways yeah love hanging out with you with folks: in that's right your symptoms I get asked what's the most frequent question you're asked about the Bible and of course no two questions are the same, but I think I'd say that the most common question we get has to do with assurance. All yeah I agree. People want to know am I saved and we got a call really I'm dealing with this question. How do I know I've repented.

Let's listen in and I can truly know just think you I don't think we called her name, but I can tell you exactly how you how you can know him in the most famous verse in the Bible you know very well probably. John 316.

John said for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him will never perish will never perish but have everlasting life.

If you trust in Jesus Christ than you have repented me say that again if you trust in Jesus Christ, then you have repented. What I mean by that will we have to discover what repentance is in the first place. It means to change your mind the other day I overruled GPS on a back road and of course I got lost was I could say it was the first time I did something that stupid, but guys will be guys and to get back on the right course.

I had to apologize to Siri turnaround and start heading to the destination.

I had to first change my mind instead of stubbornly thinking that if I just keep following my instincts.

I'll get there.

I needed to stop and turn around now God isn't Siri. He actually made me and he even redeemed me and then he gave me new life while I was his enemy. The first fruit of that gift that he's given me is repentance. That's the first fruit of new birth Romans to foretell. This is the kindness of God that lead you to repentance is not sits on a work we do.

We kind of gin up within ourselves.

It's God's kindness that leads us to it. So repentance is changing my mind, realizing God's word is right and I'm wrong. I acknowledge for my heart to the Lord that I'm a sinner, helpless to save myself God's law tells me exactly where I am and that I'm lost then faith is the second part of conversion in repentance, I turned from my folly, and in faith.

I turned to Christ, so that's why I say if you believe in Christ you are repentant now were not saved because of our repentance, or because of our faith were saved because of Christ. His obedient life, death and resurrection. We receive Christ and his benefits through faith. Yet repentance and faith. I don't need to tell you are never perfect in this life. Repentance doesn't mean we never sin and faith doesn't mean we never have doubts, but even a week. Faith clings to a strong Savior and Jesus isn't just the destination. He's the way. In fact, he's the source we don't repent and believe in the hope that one day will arrive at union with God in Christ we are united to Christ here and now through faith.

Now, like faith, repentance is a lifelong actions not just something we did. Once upon a time were constantly tempted to fall back on our instincts to give into our temptations and sometimes we do wander off the road.

So what we do then give up. Yes we give up on ourselves and our own inner GPS system. We listen to the external word God's law tells us how lost we are by our own lights than acknowledging our guilt. We embrace God's forgiveness in Christ as he's announced to us in the gospel and in looking to Christ we give ear to his direction through his wise commands my hesitating to so helpful that you said there repentance doesn't mean working to be perfect and I think that so often that the reason we get this question sister Mick. Maybe this is why you're asking this question is because you know we think are so so okay I really don't want to do this, I repent Lord we find ourselves in the same place. The next day a week. From the moment we we say I repent that we ask ourselves what did I really repent and I really truly saved and that's Paul's experience in Romans seven. Why is it that I do the very things I don't want to do and don't do the things that I want to do wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death is all thanks be to God through Christ our Savior got a get look away from yourself catches sight of Christ.

All okay.

He is my righteousness.

Another thing that I would just kind of throw in there is you need to be in church. I know we said as all time where you hear that external word proclaimed in the better churches. You're going to hear the gospel clearly proclaimed, of course, in the sermon, but also there's a time of confession where that's repentance, right were confessing our sinfulness together as a congregation in our own particular sins that we commit maybe even that day as we were arriving to church and then we hear from the ministers lips speaking not in his own person.

But in his office on behalf of Christ, your sins are forgiven that is how we know that we have repented and turned to Jesus in faith because we hear that we receive that it's ours you know Mike I think that's before and for a lot of people because so few churches these days are doing a magi junk about you know being in several different evangelical churches as a as a believer and never having a time where we as a congregation to stopped and said okay let's confess our sins to the Lord and lanyard even house of the gospel exactly evangelical means gospel believers yeah gospel proclaimers. That's what the word evangelical means. So let's proclaim it and if you wonder if you've repented. Ask yourself, have you acknowledged with the tax collector in Jesus parable Lord, be merciful to me a sinner in that one cry of the heart. You have repentance and faith no matter how much repentance you have, how good is your repentance how much faith you have, how good is your faith. It's not the quality of our repentance and faith. It's the quality of Christ, to whom we turn in faith. Amen came I got a question here that could be a little bit of a can of worms from Zach that were going to open up.

Let me read this email from Zach thank you very much for being ambassadors for Christ and helping me understand the Bible more.

My question is about corporal punishment. I'm currently reading a book on leading your family and faith is a father chapter came up about corporal punishment. I'm not exactly sure where I stand and want to make sure my views line up with Scripture I know. Proverbs 2313 through 14 instructs us to use it as a form of discipline, but I know society has a very negative view on it.

Some Christians say that that passage is that a date with today's practices and culture can I get some clarification on this. Thank you for the work that you're doing. What about thinking yet what about spanking NASDAQ thank you for this question. It really is so important that we discipline our children right. There's a huge difference between discipline and abuse. The Bible commands one and forbids the other. I think we have to look to God as our heavenly father for the perfect example when we think about this question, but that's why corporal punishment is probably not the best term for the yeah it had to sound so horrible. I'm yeah I think we have to think about this just in terms of discipline and loving our children and you mentioned. Proverbs 2313 through 14. Let me read it.

For those unfamiliar with the passage as it says do not withhold discipline from a child. If you strike them with a rod, he will not die if you strike them with a rod, he will save his soul from shale that is God's word and I want you to know how serious this is failure to discipline our children is like leading them to death. Michelle was the grave reason is in God's word is because part of how were disciplining discipling even our children trying to lead them in the path of righteousness. I member a while back like you probably remember we had president of workers getting more green on the program and I member him saying something that really stuck with me as a father of four young children.

He said we have to teach our kids that their actions have consequences if we don't when they get older it's going to be disastrous and I think that's just this is so true.

Part of the reason why we we discipline our children try to teach them that there are consequences to their actions and this is one of the lessons our father in heaven teaches us.

If you're a Christian and you continue in sin rebellion.

Make no mistake about it, God will discipline you because he loves you and sometimes that even involves physical chastisement are you don't think about a passage like first Corinthians 11 where the apostle Paul is talking about taking the Lord's supper and how some in the church were taking the Lord's supper in an ungodly way, and an unworthy when at one point he even says to them.

This is why many of you are sick and weak and some have even died. But here's the aim of discipline is to save us from death when we are judged by the Lord Paul said, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world first Corinthian's 1132 so I think there are times when we as parents can use this remedy and we ought to spank our children and inheres sparingly. Yeah, yeah, that's right here so I think it should look one. Never in anger.

We should be controlled and clear about why our children are being disciplined yes and just flying off the handle. That to me and I think that's where abuse happened, absolutely, and I think it when we choose to use this to choose to use the rodlike Proverbs talks about it should be for conscious disobedience. In other words, don't just spank your child because they spilled milk or something like that you like. That's cruel, that's wrong. If there's a rebellious attitude and and you've been very clear and you've warned and they know what they shouldn't do. Thinking of young kids right actively consciously rebelling saying no, I meant to my own thing. Want to guide our children the paths of righteousness has to be rooted in love them.

This really is a sensitive topic, but I just think when you when you spank your children if you choose to spank your children, one of the things that you have to be careful that you distribute. Don't spank your child and then just leave them. We have to demonstrate when here's why were disciplining you because we love you embraced your child. Hold your child closely because we want to. As parents leave them in a way that is godly and that is guarding them, protecting them from the things that the habits that they're going to create that are to be harmful for them and so like that, at least for us for our family. That's kind of housework and I know you also have four children. I'm not sure what you and your wife did, but the other tool now so spank, but you get to a place where you know you just it doesn't fulfill those conditions that you're talking about. There think you're absolutely right. It has to be rooted in love and it has to be proportionate. You can't discipline beyond what the cause deserves and I just think of Ephesians 64 where Paul not only has commands for children to obey parents, but he says in Ephesians 6 forefathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Isn't it interesting that a lot of discipline these days. I think people sometimes think disciplining and bringing your children up in the instruction of the Lord means provoking them the wrath you know Paul is opposing them.

If you provoke your children to wrath.

You're not disciplining them and bringing them up in the instruction of the Lord infected and have a horrible view of God.

If their earthly father is taking his anger out on them. That's the view they're going to have of God. Yeah, that's the tragic thing is a lot of I think even parents. You know I say think about this for their own children there thinking of it from the perspective that they maybe they had with abusive parents and is one of those things that we have to be really sensitive to and and there are some people who may be for them. It's just if they can control themselves if there is anger the lability. Yeah, then don't do it because then I don't. People who don't. They don't have an anger issue, but they also say you know I really never spank my kids and their kids are fine yeah yeah one of the things that were finding more and more is as parents is each kid is so did you in on.

So, some respond to particular kinds of disciplines in ways that others don't. And so we have to be sensitive that his parents was in the core Christianity were answering your questions about the faith. Give us a call with your question at 1-833-843-2673.

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To learn more or give us a call at 833. The core thanks that number is 833-843-2673 and thank you again so much for you for your encouragement and your support. Let's go to the next question make them read the book of exit from the gold story about his wonder was dark so hard the plague of the people will Nathan. It was the wedding night when God was marrying Israel and on the wedding night.

Israel was committing adultery in another tent. That's really what was going on there. We often forget how holy God is being married to God in a covenant is full of blessings but it's also full of danger because the human partner is sinful and the divine partners holy. Now there's no relationship with God at all apart from a covenant and every covenant has a mediator.

God is holy, so you can't just waltz into his presence and say hey I'm here were the goodies. Moses was a great mediator but he wasn't perfect and his mediation wasn't perfect and he was barred ultimately along with that wilderness generation from entering the promised land.

So Israel couldn't and wouldn't keep its promise that it swore at Mount Sinai saying all this we will do what God sent his only begotten son to keep that promise, and to give his life for his bride, Jesus the Messiah.

Not Moses is our mediator, so it's a better covenant because it's guaranteed by Christ's obedience rather than hours. Mike you look at a passage like this and really throughout the Old Testament the warnings against idolatry and for us believers in the United States. Many of us I think we read those passages and those warnings prohibitions against idolatry. And we think. All that doesn't really apply to me.

I'm not bowing down before golden calf on a Saturday morning and whatnot. Are there ways in which we would use a committed idolatry today. Why like the way you ask that rhetorically, yes, of course, as you will know yeah it's everywhere.

Anything can become an idol.

If we turn it into the giver of our joy instead of a gift of the giver and we do that with work we do that with religion. Countless ways in which to commit idolatry and to set up idols in our heart really at the end of the day, we have to say. Christ is our righteousness God's anger in that golden calf episode was fully justified. That's what happens when God's laws violated so we needed a mediator who cannot only plead with God to withhold judgment as Moses did, but to justify us so that we stand before God actually holy and blameless and perfectly righteous. That's what happens in Jesus Christ, so we have come now.

Hebrews 12 tells us not to Mount Sinai with thunder and lightning such that even Moses was afraid but we have come to Mount Zion were God justifies the ungodly, it's the place, not were everything depends on our promise. All this we will do, but on Christ promise all this I have done for you. Amen. This is core Christianity with author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton were taking your calls about the Bible want to hear from you can reach us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core. You can also send us a question via email at questions at core, Christianity.com or on Facebook at our Facebook page core Christianity Emma asks.

I didn't get very anxious about things I can't control some people have told me that I should see a doctor and that I might be dealing with a mood disorder but I was raised believing that anxiety is in a mood problem but a sin problem. What you think his anxiety is sin. How can I better deal with it. From a biblical perspective. Really great question.

Absolutely this is so important is the there are mood disorders like PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder. Obviously, the medical side of these issues can't be handled properly or competently by counseling from the Bible any more than your auto mechanic is going to rifle through Scripture in order to figure out how to rebuild the engine.

The Bible isn't a medical textbook, so I'd say get a good doctor and go from there. The Bible gives you hope in the midst of this, but it did just doesn't tell you whether you have one of these classified mood disorders. Anyone who says that all mental health disorders are actually the result merely of sinful behaviors are very unhelpful counselors and uninformed is that first of all a misunderstanding of sin. Sin is first of all, a condition we all experience as children of Adam and secondarily things that we do do blame somebody for having a heart attack course you don't. Why do you blame people for their own mental illness. It why we have cancer well because we live in a fallen world, not because of a particular sin I committed. Just look at John nine where Jesus refutes this whole idea who the who send this man or his parents that he was born blind, neither Jesus says, but for the glory of God. He was born blind, so that I could heal them. So of course there are also spiritual aspects that your doctor is not going to be competent to address in every struggle that we have. We also need to know God's word and someone who's being burdened by mental illness or mood disorders is especially liable to Satan's accusations and attacks so you need to be armed. As Paul says in Ephesians 6 put on the breastplate of righteousness put on the helmet of salvation and take up the shield of faith. Satan's arrows can't pierce that armor because you're clothed with Christ. But then there's also the general sort of anxiety that we all too often do sinfully indulge.

That's what Jesus is talking about when he says in Matthew six beginning at verse 25 therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life what you will eat what you will drink about your body, what you will put on his life more than food and the body more than clothing.

Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they, and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life and why are you so anxious about clothing. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you. Oh you of little faith, so don't be anxious, saying, what will we eat what we drink what we wear for the Gentiles seek after all these things in your heavenly Father knows that you need the mall but you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Therefore Jesus concludes do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble today has enough problems of its own.

Another word so yeah, that kind of anxiety, sinful. It's not trusting God to care for us. He provided the substitute for your sins didn't, so why can't you trust them for everything else.

Paul says in Philippians 46 do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Put your life in God's hands.

You belong to him, telling your desires, even telling your frustrations about how long it's taking to get what you think you need and he hears and answers even impertinent prayers and we come to him with our anxieties and our cares, but if you do have a treatable disease that needs to be taken to the doctor. That's not something you can just fix by more prayer and Bible reading really helpful in balancing encouragement Mike and and just following up. I want to share this resource in our website core, Christianity.com how to fight fear in the face of uncertainty there dealing with the questions of anxiety as well. There are instances where anxiety is a sin issue, but the fact of the matter is there are also cases where it's a medical problem and we really ought to be encouraged by our pastors and by the people around us to go to a doctor and and see if they might be able to help as well.

Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers and the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33 core when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together