Why You Should Require Your Child to Obey

“Chasten your son while there is hope, and let not your soul spare for his crying” (Prov. 19:18).

“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will drive it far from him” (Prov. 22:15).

“Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with the rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from death” (Prov. 23:13-14).

“The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame” (Prov. 29:15).

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).

God also teaches us to discipline our children by examples where fathers failed to do it.

“For I told (Eli) that I will judge his house forever, for the guilt which he knew, because his sons are cursed, and he did not rebuke them” (1 Sam. 3:13).

“Then Adonijah (David’s son) the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, ‘I will be king,’ and he assembled chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run before him. His father had not confronted him at any time by asking, ‘Why have you done this?’ He also was a very attractive man, and he was born next after Absalom” (1 Kin. 1:5-6).

And, thirdly, God teaches us to discipline our children by setting us an example in the discipline of his own children. This is especially relevant for Christian parents, because God has already covered the sins of His children by the blood of Christ, yet He believes they need discipline in the shaping of their faith and character.

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be weary of His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:11-12).

“Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:19).

“Endure discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline? If you are without discipline, of which everyone has partaken, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers, and they corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed disciplined us for a short time according to their own judgment, but He does so for our profit, that we may partake of His holiness. Now no discipline seems to be joyful at the time, but grievous. Yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness in those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:7-11).

No one loves his children more than God does. And no one is more attentive to discipline us for our good. Every Christian parent should consider seriously that when our children are under our care, we are God’s representatives to prepare them for their heavenly Father’s discipline when they are no longer under ours. If they find God’s discipline surprising, we may have left something undone.

8. Parents are to encourage their children.

We receive this instruction through direct commands in the Bible to encourage our children rather than discourage them. The commands come in the negative form of warning, perhaps because we are so prone to dishearten our children with criticism, and so inept at authentic, spontaneous, non-manipulative praise.

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, lest they become discouraged” (Col. 3:21).

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger” (Eph. 6:4).

God gives us His own fatherly example of the encouragement of His own children.