Defiance: Why never to use punitive measures on a defiant child

Many parents have been there. A child being defiant. This is a common experience amongst American parents. Most American parents think that a defiant child is out to get them. However, the fact of the matter is that children defy their parents because they cannot accept set limits. 

God's Law on dealing with defiance in children is spelled out in Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. The key here is to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. One thing that hurts children's feelings perhaps more than anything is when children cannot accept a set limit. In many cases, children express displeasure for limits by acting defiant towards parents. This defiance comes from lack of emotional self-control in children, meaning what is simply disappointing to parents is catastrophic to children. The key to avoiding offense here is to be willing to give a meaningful apology for hurting your child's feelings with limits that they cannot accept. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-reference the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin term roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive measures on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment ultimately was received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

Defiance is a byproduct of limited self-control in children. Most adults can handle the word "no", and that is due to mature emotional development. This form of emotional maturity comes on its own, meaning there is no need to force children to grow up. Children grow up pretty much on their own, with children ultimately learning non-entitlement by way of the Christian example of parents. Children absorb the example of parents at their own pace, meaning there is no reason to beat non-entitlement into children.

Non-entitlement in children should be the goal of every parent. However, non-entitlement should not be beat into children. Non-entitlement in children comes from a non-entitled Christian parents. All a parent has to do is model non-entitlement in children, and back up their example with praise and encouragement when they are caught in the act of being good. See Eph. 6:4. 

The staple punishment in the broader Greco-Roman world was spanking to the bare bottom with an open hand. However, the Early Christians, contrary to popular belief, were not well-integrated into Rome. The Early Christians instead lived in urban enclaves, shunning the outside Greco-Roman world, and the world at large.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger with punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplice! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and burning sulfur, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

"Benign" deprivation: Why children need to hear the word "yes" more than the word "no"

Many parents subscribe to this false doctrine. Most parents support the concept of "benign" deprivation as a means to discipline a child. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, most parents need an attitude adjustment on this issue. Children need your "yes" far more often than your "no".

God's Law against "benign" deprivation is spelled out in Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. The key here is to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. One thing that hurts a child's feelings perhaps more than anything is telling a child "no" for most every little thing that they ask for. The idea is to give children most everything that they want, and absolutely everything that they need, with much overlap between the two. However, sometimes a parent needs to set a limit for safety's sake, meaning that safety is the only good reason to set a limit. Avoiding offense in children involves only saying "no" for safety's sake, and when you do have to set a limit, back it up with an apology for hurting your child's feelings with your set limits. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan customs of parenting, which were punitive in nature. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The idea behind offense avoidance in parenting is to say "yes" to your child far more than saying "no" to a child. The key here is to give your child most everything that they want, and absolutely everything that they need. There is much overlap between benign wants and needs in children, meaning if your child wants something, try to make it work somehow. 

Sometimes, you do have to set a limit a child, which should only be the case when children are clearly acting in a danger to themselves or others. Even then, there are nicer ways to put it than an abrupt "no", such as "that won't work", "that isn't possible", or "that can't happen". 

A common place of contention in parenting is in the store. Usually, the child takes something off the shelf, and usually, the parent demands "put that back", and then a power struggle takes place that need not be. In the Early Church, mothers took their children with them them to market. Usually, the child wanted licorice from the candy stand, and every mother then knew to buy the licorice for the child. She asked for the candy paid for it, then handed back to the child for them to enjoy. Children usually don't ask for much, but when they do, they should pretty much always hear your "yes". In most cases, they are asking for a candy bar at the store. You can afford it. 

Some children do ask their parents for things that are clearly expensive, such as a new bicycle. That is when you as the parent start saving their pennies for that one thing that a child wants. Simply tell your child "I can't give that to you now. Wait until I save up enough money". If the child insists on the item with "right now" statements, reassure them of your good intent by giving an informal apology, assuming you didn't lose your cool in setting limits. If you did lose your cool in setting limits, a formal apology is in order. 

The only reason a parent should decline a petitioned request in full is if the request is something dangerous and thus can hurt them. Even then, you should gently break the news to them, and then apologize for hurting their feelings, lest if be officially an offense. Any anger at children was banned in the Early Church, with the Early Christians likening parent anger at children to a viper lashing out at its prey - maybe the child got some warning, but that's about it. The only acceptable reason to get angry as a parent is in the case of a sexually entitled interloper, or else when their child is being abused otherwise.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Expanding child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for tougher laws on the books protecting children from abuse

Most American parents think that the Bible has no concept of child abuse, apart from obeying the law of the land. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents support the present-day child abuse definitions under state and federal law. However, the Bible has its own definition of child abuse - whatever the child victim perceives as abuse.

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. Unofficially speaking, parental entitlement consists of a parent who is sorely disappointed when they don't get the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing in relation to children just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards a child is parental entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Whenever this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived as offensive or damaging by a child, it was deemed child abuse. See also Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. Child abuse in the Bible, as a legal concept, consists of entitlement in parents, leading to offense in children. The key to not abusing your child is to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin term roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment ultimately was received as prohibiting all forms of offenses inl children as perceived by a child, at minimum. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men. 

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers here to long-term damages, namely childhood trauma. The ancients in the Bible had a concept of childhood trauma. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell onto the parents for being too harsh with their child. An atheist was seen then as an abused child, not merely a "lost soul" to be "won over".

The ancients in the Bible even had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" in the New Testament is πορνεία  (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual relations or advances outside of the context of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage being equal in nature. A groom was only allowed a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Any sexual relations or advances towards a child, including any intergenerational marriage, was banned in the Early Church. Also prohibited was any pornography on the possession of an adult. Most child sexual abuse came in the form of father-child incest, with daughters being the usual targets. Fathers usually spent away their parent attractions towards children by way of righteous masturbation, meaning masturbation without pornography for health reasons. Child sexual abuse was rare in the biblical context, meaning next to non-existent. When it did happen, it was a huge moral outrage in the community. Sexual attraction to children was on the surface level in biblical times, meaning the joke level, with the abuse showing by the attempts of the abuser to hide their attractions towards child victims.

It is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into Greco-Roman society. The Early Christians instead lived in enclaves in major cities, policed into ghettos by the Roman authorities, shunning the outside Greco-Roman world, as well as shunning the world at large. The 1st Century Christians had their own music and cuisine, and even their own sectarian courts.

Child abuse in the Early Church was prosecuted by way of internal church investigation. This investigation started with a child confiding into a clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were summoned to appear before the council of 3 elders who presided over the internal investigation. If the parents at all got defensive in open court, they were swiftly excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God for their entitlement alone. Also excommunicated were any witnesses testifying on behalf of parents.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with Judaism as a whole prohibiting any punishment or force in parenting. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. Even King Solomon issued an attachment parenting manual, with the rod in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes as a sentence for a crime. It just so happens that these attachment parenting manuals were not translated into English until the 1960s. Before then, this knowledge about proper parenting was known only to the Jewish world. Around this time, pro-spanking pastors constructed the Revised context that serves to scare men in particular from exploring the Hebraic context of the Bible, as there is nowhere in the Hebraic condoning the sexual abuse of a child.

The Bible is America's book. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context as to how to live and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes, under the English common law, are rooted in the Bible. However, the legal defense of "reasonable chastisement" is rooted in dated biblical teaching. It is about time that we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense, and redefine child abuse under state and federal law as prohibiting anything perceived by the child victim as abuse. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torrents, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Test

This is just a test.

"Biblical spanking": Why the rod verses in the book of Proverbs are repealed verses

Many parents spank their child when they are misbehaving. Most parents believe that the Bible endorses or even commands spanking. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, most parents need an attitude adjustment in this regard. The Bible does not endorse punitive measures imposed on children at all. Instead, the Bible prohibits punitive parenting in all of its forms.

The phrase "spare the rod, spoil the child" is nowhere found in the Bible. However, 5 verses in the Bible are commonly cited as rod verses that endorse or even command spanking. One commonly cited rod verse is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He who spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

The Hebrew root word translated "son" is ben and refers here to a mature adult son. The Hebrew root word translated "rod" is shebet, and refers to, in the context of the book of Proverbs, the rod of correction, namely a switch. This passage ultimately refers to the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to the bare back of the errant son, within the context of a courtroom, as a sentence for a crime. Striking a fellow adult Jew outside of the context of a courtroom was considered physical battery, with striking a minor Jew being prohibited regardless of the crime, with children then being immune from prosecution. The reason for this commandment was that, otherwise, Jewish parents would have shielded their adult sons from guilt. The 40 minus 1 lashes was a final warning before an errant son was executed. 

Christ died and Rose on the Third Day so that we would be free from the harsh punishments of the Old Testament. Christ repealed the verses depicting the rod by enduring corporal punishment unjustly before being nailed to the cross. In the Early Church, corporal punishment was never used as a form of church discipline. The Early Christians instead shunned Roman flogging and executions.

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible nowhere legitimately condones the corporal punishment of children. The rod verses in Proverbs are nowhere repeated in the New Testament, with Heb. 12:5-6 instead referring to trials and tribulations sent by God the way of the believer. However, the Bible does touch on the spanking issue, and then some. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin term roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately was received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting any offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

All 88 of the books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with most Jews throughout history being anti-spanking. All of these biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals advocating attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod in Proverbs referring to a form of judicial corporal punishment that does not apply today. The rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses, meaning they were only binding on the Jewish people then.

The Hebraic understanding of attachment parenting is new to the Christian world. The attachment parenting manuals in the Bible were not translated into English until the 1960s. Before then, this knowledge was only known to the Jewish world. Around the time that these parenting manuals came about, pastors and priests coined a false context known as the Revised context, with the intent to scare men in particular from learning about the Hebraic context of the Bible. The Hebraic context of the Bible does not endorse intergenerational marriages of any kind, with marriages then needing to be equal in nature, meaning the bride had to be the same age as the groom or up to 4 years older than the groom. Mary was 14 when she married Joseph, but Joseph was 13 at the time of the marriage. There is nothing to be feared of the Hebraic context of the Bible. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

"Biblical spanking": Why the rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses

Many parents spank their child when they are misbehaving. Most parents believe that the Bible endorses or even commands spanking. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, most parents need an attitude adjustment in this regard. The Bible does not endorse punitive measures imposed on children at all. Instead, the Bible prohibits punitive parenting in all of its forms.

The phrase "spare the rod, spoil the child" is nowhere found in the Bible. However, 5 verses in the Bible are commonly cited as rod verses that endorse or even command spanking. One commonly cited rod verse is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He who spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

The Hebrew root word translated "son" is ben and refers here to a mature adult son. The Hebrew root word translated "rod" is shebet, and refers to, in the context of the book of Proverbs, the rod of correction, namely a switch. This passage ultimately refers to the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to the bare back of the errant son, within the context of a courtroom, as a sentence for a crime. Striking a fellow adult Jew outside of the context of a courtroom was considered physical battery, with striking a minor Jew being prohibited regardless of the crime, with children then being immune from prosecution. The reason for this commandment was that, otherwise, Jewish parents would have shielded their adult sons from guilt. The 40 minus 1 lashes was a final warning before an errant son was executed. 

Christ died and Rose on the Third Day so that we would be free from the harsh punishments of the Old Testament. Christ repealed the verses depicting the rod by enduring corporal punishment unjustly before being nailed to the cross. In the Early Church, corporal punishment was never used as a form of church discipline. The Early Christians instead shunned Roman flogging and executions.

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible nowhere legitimately condones the corporal punishment of children. The rod verses in Proverbs are nowhere repeated in the New Testament, with Heb. 12:5-6 instead referring to trials and tribulations sent by God the way of the believer. However, the Bible does touch on the spanking issue, and then some. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus ,in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin term roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately was received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting any offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

All 88 of the books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with most Jews throughout history being anti-spanking. All of these biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals advocating attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod in Proverbs referring to a form of judicial corporal punishment that does not apply today. The rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses, meaning they were only binding on the Jewish people then.

The Hebraic understanding of attachment parenting is new to the Christian world. The attachment parenting manuals in the Bible were not translated into English until the 1960s. Before then, this knowledge was only known to the Jewish world. Around the time that these parenting manuals came about, pastors and priests coined a false context known as the Revised context, with the intent to scare men in particular from learning about the Hebraic context of the Bible. The Hebraic context of the Bible does not endorse intergenerational marriages of any kind, with marriages then needing to be equal in nature, meaning the bride had to be the same age as the groom or up to 4 years older than the groom. Mary was 14 when she married Joseph, but Joseph was 13 at the time of the marriage. There is nothing to be feared of the Hebraic context of the Bible. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Hebrews 12:5-6: Why this passage is not a pro-spanking passage

Many parents think that the Bible endorses or even commands parents to spank or punish their children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents cite a few verses in Proverbs and a passage in Hebrews as their "proof" that spanking is biblical. However, Heb. 12:5-6 does not refer to earthly parents spanking a child, but instead refers to enduring hardship.

God's Word on trials and tribulations is spelled out in Hebrews 12:5-6 KJV:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

This passage, when understood correctly, is comforting to me. The Greek root word translated "scourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastigoó) and can have a figurative meaning to it, as is the case here. This form of metaphor is called "rod language". When a Christian then got home from a long day at work, he instead said "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally reach down from the Heavens and whip His children. However, God does punish His children, as only He can, sending trials and tribulations the way of the believer. However, God only punishes His children when it does not harm them, whereas earthly parents only punish their children when it does, in fact, harm them. This passage was intended as comfort for the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome.

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible does not legitimately endorse or command force in parenting, as God does not want earthly parents to use His Parenting methods, lest they get it wrong. However, the Bible does touch on the spanking issue, and then some. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. 

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to simply stop spanking your child, or else stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, when you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin term roughly translated to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions onto children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment ultimately was received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting all offenses in child as perceived by a child, at minimum. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The staple punishment in the broader Greco-Roman world was spanking a child on the bare bottom with an open hand. However, the Early Christians shunned such parenting as of this world, and saw it as pagan in nature. Pro-spanking parents then were treated as church infiltrators, with this infiltrators even citing Proverbs as their "proof" that spanking was biblical. 

It is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban enclaves, shunning the outside world, with the Christians then being policed into ghettos in major Greco-Roman cities. The Early Christians were piss poor, but still managed to please the petitioned wants of their child.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!