'Discipline' in the Bible

If in spite of all this you still will not listen to Me and be obedient, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline and admonish you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire.

Know this day that I am not speaking to your children who have not known [by personal experience] and who have not seen [firsthand] the instruction and discipline of the Lord your God—His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm;

“He opens their ears to instruction and discipline,And commands that they return from evil.

“But the godless in heart store up anger [at the divine discipline];They do not cry [to Him] for help when He binds them [with cords of affliction].

O Lord, do not rebuke or punish me in Your anger,Nor discipline me in Your wrath.

Blessed [with wisdom and prosperity] is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord,And whom You teach from Your law,

To receive instruction in wise behavior and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness,Righteousness, justice, and integrity;

The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence];But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.

And you say, “How I hated instruction and discipline,And my heart despised correction and reproof!

He will die for lack of instruction (discipline),And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.

For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching [of the law] is light,And reproofs (rebukes) for discipline are the way of life,

On the lips of the discerning, [skillful and godly] wisdom is found,But discipline and the rod are for the back of the one who is without common sense and understanding.

He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son,But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].

There is severe discipline for him who turns from the way [of righteousness];And he who hates correction will die.

Discipline and teach your son while there is hope,And do not [indulge your anger or resentment by imposing inappropriate punishment nor] desire his destruction.

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;The rod of discipline [correction administered with godly wisdom and lovingkindness] will remove it far from him.

Do not withhold discipline from the child;If you swat him with a reed-like rod [applied with godly wisdom], he will not die.

“In vain I have punished your people [with the consequences of their disobedience];They received no insight from correction [and refused to change].Your [own] sword has devoured your prophetsLike a destroying lion.

Why should any living mortal, or any man,Complain [of punishment] in view of his sins?

In view of this, I also do my best and strive always to have a clear conscience before God and before men.

you are to hand over this man to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service].

Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule [who discipline themselves and conduct their lives by this principle], and upon the [true] Israel of God (Jewish believers).

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by showing favoritism or indifference to any of them], but bring them up [tenderly, with lovingkindness] in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

These practices indeed have the appearance [that popularly passes as that] of wisdom in self-made religion and mock humility and severe treatment of the body (asceticism), but are of no value against sinful indulgence [because they do not honor God].

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage];

and you have forgotten the divine word of encouragement which is addressed to you as sons,“My son, do not make light of the discipline of the Lord,And do not lose heart and give up when you are corrected by Him;

You must submit to [correction for the purpose of] discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Now if you are exempt from correction and without discipline, in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate children and not sons [at all].

For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose].

Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will].