What Does Discipline Mean In The Bible?

Discipline is an important concept in the Bible that refers to instruction, training, and even punishment with the goal of developing moral character, obedience, and self-control. If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: in the Bible, discipline refers to God’s sometimes painful shaping and pruning of believers in order to make them more Christlike.

In this comprehensive article, we will explore the meaning of biblical discipline, looking at concrete examples from Scripture and what they teach us about God’s purposes in disciplining His children.

We’ll examine discipline from God toward both Old and New Testament figures, explain what forms this discipline takes, and reflect on why a loving Father sometimes uses painful means to train His followers.

Understanding Biblical Discipline

Definition and Key Concepts

Biblical discipline refers to the training and correction of a believer with the goal of developing Christ-like maturity, self-control, and obedience (Hebrews 12:7-11). At its core, it is an act of love, not punishment (Proverbs 3:11-12). Key concepts include:

• Discipline involves setting clear expectations and boundaries, as well as consistently enforcing them with fair consequences.
• The purpose is to shape behavior and values, not inflict harm or embarrassment.
• Discipline requires patience, wisdom, and discernment to determine the most effective methods for each situation.
• It aims to restore relationships, not sever them. Reconciliation and forgiveness are vital parts of the process.

When properly understood and applied, biblical discipline protects from harm, produces responsible behavior, teaches life skills, deepens relationships, and helps conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

Discipline vs. Punishment

Although sometimes used interchangeably, discipline and punishment have distinct differences in the Bible:

In short, discipline aims for growth and redemption, while punishment mainly focuses on enforcing rules and restraining bad behavior. God Himself disciplines believers out of unconditional love (Hebrews 12:6).

Discipline in the Old Testament

Examples of God Disciplining His People

In the Old Testament, God would often discipline His people Israel when they strayed from following His laws and commands. Here are some examples:

• God brought a famine to the land when Saul broke an oath (2 Samuel 21:1).
• After David sinned by taking a census of Israel, God sent a plague as judgement (2 Samuel 24:15).
• God allowed Israel’s enemies to oppress them when they fell into idolatry and sin (Judges 2:11-23).
• The Babylonian exile was God’s discipline on Israel for their long history of rebelling against Him (2 Kings 17:7-23).

In these cases, God was acting as a loving father who corrects His children’s wrongdoing so they can learn from their mistakes. His discipline aimed to bring Israel back into right relationship with Him.

Means and Purposes of Discipline

God used various means to discipline His people in the Old Testament. These included:

• Natural consequences – Allowing Israel to experience the results of their poor choices.
• Defeat by enemies – Using foreign armies to oppress Israel.
• Exile – Removing them from the Promised Land.
• Disease and famine – Afflicting the people and land.

The purposes behind God’s fatherly discipline were:

• To punish Israel’s sin and turn them from idolatry.
• To spur repentance and revival among His people.
• To refine and purify them as silver is refined (Isaiah 48:10).
• To train them to obey Him from the heart, like a child learns obedience from discipline.

Though painful, God intended His discipline to ultimately restore Israel’s relationship with Him. It aimed for their holiness more than their happiness. As Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Discipline in the New Testament

Jesus and Discipline

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ taught extensively about spiritual discipline and its importance for followers of God. Though Jesus preached grace and forgiveness, he also emphasized personal responsibility and commitment.

Jesus practiced spiritual disciplines like solitude, prayer, fasting, and service, setting an example for believers.

According to the Gospels, Jesus spent much time alone with God, often rising early in the morning or withdrawing to desolate places to pray (Mark 1:35). He fasted for 40 days before beginning his ministry (Matthew 4:2).

Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer as a model for how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). He also exhorted them to forgive others, love their enemies, and “take up your cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Jesus exemplified servant leadership by washing his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17).

His life modeled self-sacrifice, humility, and putting God’s will above personal desire.

In his teaching, Jesus emphasized spiritual disciplines like generosity, honesty, patience, and seeking God’s kingdom above all else. He warned against hypocrisy and focusing on external acts rather than internal transformation (Matthew 23:25-28).

Jesus also stressed accountability, exhorting his followers to “watch and pray” against temptation (Matthew 26:41). Through parables like the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-29), Jesus underscored that obedience to his words requires self-discipline and perseverance.

Discipline in the Early Church

The early Christian church continued Jesus’ emphasis on spiritual discipline. Acts 2:42 describes how the first believers devoted themselves to “the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” They were unified, shared their possessions, and met together frequently.

The Apostle Paul instructed churches about orderly worship, moral conduct, and proper administration of communion and spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:40). He exhorted Christians to set an example for others in speech, life, love, spirit, faith and purity (1 Timothy 4:12).

Paul wrote extensively about the importance of self-control and personal holiness, encouraging believers to “train yourself to be godly” (1 Timothy 4:7) and “make every effort to add to your faith goodness…knowledge… self-control…perseverance” (2 Peter 1:5-6).

He described Christian living as an athletic discipline requiring focus and determination to finish the race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Other New Testament writers like James and John emphasized good works, loving one’s neighbor, and obedience to God’s commands.

The early church exercised discipline when necessary, as when Paul urged the Corinthians to expel an immoral member from their fellowship (1 Corinthians 5:1-5). Elders were appointed to provide spiritual oversight (Acts 20:28, Titus 1:5-9).

Yet this discipline aimed at restoration; the goal was to grow in maturity, wisdom, and righteousness as a body of believers.

Interpreting Discipline in Our Own Lives

Learning from Biblical Examples

The Bible provides many examples of God disciplining His people to help them grow in faith and Christlikeness. King David’s sins with Bathsheba and against Uriah resulted in the death of his infant son (2 Samuel 12:13-14).

This terrible event taught David to turn from his pride and selfishness and seek the Lord wholeheartedly. The apostle Paul received a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him humble amid the amazing revelations he had received (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

God allowed Paul’s suffering to teach him to rely on Christ’s power rather than his own abilities.

We can learn important lessons from these stories. Discipline, while often painful, aims to make us more like Christ. It exposes our tendency to go astray and highlights areas of our life needing change. Discipline humbles us and helps us surrender control to God.

David learned to lead Israel justly after his discipline; Paul discovered sufficiency in God’s grace through his suffering. Though difficult, embracing discipline leads to spiritual growth and obedience.

Embracing the Goal of Christlikeness

Since discipline aims to fashion us into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29), we must keep the goal of Christlikeness central. This means humbly submitting to trials and being willing to learn, grow, and change.

It involves clinging to God, seeking Him earnestly, and trusting His heart and purposes even amid pain. As Hebrews 12:11 assures, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Practically, we can prepare for discipline by spending time daily in God’s Word, allowing Scripture to penetrate our hearts and expose areas needing change. We can pray for openness to correction and wisdom in applying lessons learned.

Most importantly, embracing discipline requires unconditional surrender to God’s agenda of making us like Christ, not pursuing our own dreams and pleasures.

As Dallas Willard observed, “Hastening forward to spiritual maturity and freedom is the spiritual life….Such is the heart of the matter in the discipline of the spiritual life: taking on the character of Christ and learning how to receive Him and His life into our own.”

Approaching discipline with an aim for Christlikeness allows us to cooperate fully with God’s refining work.

Conclusion

In closing, biblical discipline is not about petty punishment but rather loving parental training toward growth and maturity. As Hebrews 12 reminds us, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Understanding the true meaning of discipline can help us accept even painful shaping experiences from God our Father.