Positive reinforcement: How to discipline your child without punitive measures

Many parents want their children to have discipline. This is a common goal amongst American parents. Most American parents insist on discipline for their children. However, most parents conflate discipline with punishment. However, there are better ways to discipline a child, with these alternatives found in the Bible.

God's Law on child discipline is spelled out in Ephesians 6:4 KJV:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

 This first stanza clarifies for the second that discipline should not hurt. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or else stop punishing your child altogether for that reason. You need to avoid offense in children/ If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It is no different when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize for hurting your child's feelings. Parent anger directed towards children is a common way for children to have hurt feelings. If you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 stanza here 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 onto children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this first stanza of this commandment ultimately was received 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.

This second stanza states what discipline is appropriate in parenting, with the first stanza ruling out anything punitive with a child. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers here to a specific type of nurturing, namely of the teaching sort. Christian parents in the Early Church looked for preferred behaviors in children, such as self-discipline and self-control. Whenever children showed these good traits, they were given lavish praise and encouragement for more of the same. Christian parents in the Early Church imparted a good example for children to emulate, with this good example being backed up by praise and encouragement  as opposed to punishment or shaming. Children growing up in the Early Church found their own discipline, and when they did find discipline, they were lavishly praised and encouraged for their good traits. Children also need religious instruction, as religion is a human need for children and adults alike. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and is more aptly translated as "instruction" in more modern versions of the Bible. The Apostle Paul here was discussing religious instruction. Starting at age 6, fathers left out a Bible for children to discover and explore, with the Bible being left open to a reassuring passage (such as the Beatitudes). Children taught themselves how to read on a Bible. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were lavishly praised and encouraged to keep on studying the Bible. Fathers then interjected something along the lines of "you can ask me anything about that book". From there, religious instruction came in question and answer format. Children were curious about Scripture, with fathers being quick to give pointers on the context.

Children sometimes get themselves into mischief. All children will get into mischief at some point in their childhood. The idea is laugh with your child when they get into mischief. Most childhood mischief comes from lack of self-control in children, with children naturally acquiring the skill of self-control at around age 8. When this self-control shows in children, it is a good time to praise and encourage self-control in children. There is never a child that never shows good traits. 

Sometimes, a parent needs to ser limits, namely for safety's sake. However, children accepting limits is  whole other story. Whenever your child cannot accept a set limit, you need to apologize for hurting your child's feelings with your limits. Sometimes, limits are set out of anger, in which case you need to apologize for hurting your feelings with your anger, with all anger directed towards a child being entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. 

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!

Passing down the faith: How to instruct your child in the Lord without punitive measures

Many parents want their children to have values. This is a common goal for parents to have. Most American parents want their children to have religion. However, most parents impart Judeo-Christian values onto children by way of punitive measures. The fact of the matter is that children don't need a religion beaten into them. Children can come to religious conclusions on their own.

God's Law on child discipline, including religious instruction, is spelled out in Ephesians 6:4 KJV:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The first stanza of this commandment clarifies for the second that religious instruction should not be punitive in nature. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refer 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 children, including for things such as refusing to pray or not assuming grateful postures. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing them altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way with children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need be willing to apologize for hurting their feelings. If you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology to your child for hurting their feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 first stanza of 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, and is a Latin term roughly translated roughly as "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive measures on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. But, this stanza of this commandment ultimately was received by the parish at Ephesus as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by the 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.

Children do not need to have a religion beaten into them. Religion is a base human need for children and adults alike. The Greek root word translated  "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and is more aptly translated as "instruction" in more modern versions of the Bible. The Apostle Paul here was discussing religious instruction. Starting at age 6, fathers left out a Bible for children to discover and explore, with the Bible left open to a reassuring passage (such as the Beatitudes). Children taught themselves how to read on a Bible. Whenever children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were praised and encouraged to keep studying the Bible. Fathers then interjected something along the lines of "you can ask me anything about that book". From there, religious instruction came in question and answer format. Children then were curious about Scripture, with fathers being quick to give pointers on the context.

Children oftentimes refuse to go to church. This is a common and developmentally normal behavior for toddlers and preschoolers. The fact of the matter is that children that young are too young to be taught a religion. If a child does not want to go to church, leave them home with the woman of the house, with the man of the house praying for his family. They eventually, at around age 6, will start to form their own religious beliefs. 

Most Christian parents rush the normal religious development of children. Most Christian parents do things such as punish children for not showing grateful postures. I myself tie my hands behind my back, and nobody made me.. Grateful postures are simply a sign of good religious development. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke your children to anger throigh 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 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 shouldn't hear the word "no" from parents "frequent and often"

Many parents buy into it. It is the attitude that children need to hear the word "no" from parents "frequent and often" to "prepare them for the real world". However, children don't need to be toughened up for the real world. They aren't ready for the real world. They are only children.

God's Law on "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. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. One thing that perhaps hurts children's feelings the most is being told "no" for every little thing that they ask for. The idea is to only say "no" to children when absolutely necessary, meaning for safety's sake only. Whenever a child asks for things that are dangerous, you then should say "no". Another valid reason to say "no" to a child is when they are behaving in an unsafe manner, such as playing ball in the house, or else going to touch a hot stove. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to avoid hurting their feelings unnecessarily with the frequent use of the word "no". However, sometimes the word "no" is necessary, in which case the parent should apologize for setting the limit with children. 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 parenting customs, which were puntive 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 as a parent is to give your child most everything that they want, and absolutely everything that they need. A benign want counts as a need for a child. Children have limited self-control, with this lasting until age 8. The word "no" is earth-shattering to a child. Christian parents in the Early Church knew more than parents today how to accommodate children in their upset - only say "no" seldom, meaning preferably almost never.

One place of contention in parenting is the store. Usually, the child is asking for something, such as a candy bar, and usually, the parent says "put that back", and from there, the power struggle ensues. Why not just get the child what they want? They aren't usually asking for much. If a child wants something expensive, just save your own money to get them what they want. Don't make them work for the money. Work for the child's money yourself. In the Early Church, children all wanted licorice from the candy stand. The parent happily paid for the licorice themselves, and then let the child enjoy the candy that they wanted.

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!

Defiance: Why never to use punitive measures in dealing with defiance in children

Many parents have been there. A child acting defiant. Most American parents think that a defiant child is defiant because the child is trying to "undermine parental authority". However. children aren't out to get you. They just are developmentally unable to accept your 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. It is one thing to stop spanking your child when they are defiant. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or else stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. Perhaps what hurts children's feelings more than anything else is a parent setting a limit that the child cannot accept. They aren't out to get you. They simply cannot accept a set limit. Children have limited control over their emotions, and this is the case until age 8. This means that whatever is merely disappointing to an adult is earth-shattering for young children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to apologize for hurting your children's feelings with your limits, ideally in the face of their defiance. In many cases, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent. 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, 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 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. But, this commandment was ultimately 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 in children is a common and normal behavior in children. Most all children have their moments where they act in a defiant manner. This is not due to children seeking to "undermine parental role". They simply cannot accept set limits, in which case you should apologize straight to your child for hurting their feelings, ideally in the face of their defiance.

Young children have limited control over their emotions. This is the case until they turn 8. What is simply disappointing to adults si earth-shattering to young children. The key here is to apologize to your children whenever you hurt their feelings with your anger. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke your 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 stronger laws against child abuse

Many parents think that the Bible has no concept of child abuse apart from obeying the law of the land. Most American parents support the present-day child abuse definitions under state and federal law. However, God's Law is above the law of the land. 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 ultimately consists of a parent being 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 being parents. 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 then was perceived by a child as offensive or damaging, 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. Whenever you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It is no different when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize whenever you hurt your child's feelings. In many cases, 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 hurting your feelings with my temper" 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 with them their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase 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. But, this commandment was ultimately 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. 

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers here to long-term damages, namely childhood trauma. The ancients had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. If a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell on the parents of the non-believing child, not the child themselves. An atheist in the Early Church was seen as an abused child, not a "lost soul" to be "won over".

The ancients even had an understanding of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" in the Bible is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual relations outside of the context of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage having to be equal in terms of chronological age. A groom was only allowed a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Any sexual relations with a child then, including intergenerational marriage, was banned in the Early Church. Mary may have been 14 when Joseph married her, but Joseph was 13 at that time. Any pornography in general was prohibited in the Early Church, including that which depicted children. Most child sexual abuse then came in the form of father-child incest, with daughters being the usual victims. Fathers who had an attraction to their children usually masturbated to thoughts of their children. Attraction to children then existed on the surface, with there being no shame in admitting to being attracted to a child. Child sexual abuse in the biblical context was rare, meaning next to non-existent. When a child was being sexually abused, they knew exactly what was happening, and self-reported their own abuse.

It is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban enclaves that shunned the broader Greco-Roman world, and the world at large. The Early Christians even had their own court system that was binding into the end of the 1st Century. 

Child abuse in the Bible was prosecuted by way of internal church investigation. In most cases, this investigation started with a child confiding into a clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were summoned to appear before a panel of 3 church elders who would preside over the investigation. If the parents were defensive at all, instead of answering to the court directly, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God, as well as any witnesses that came to testify on behalf of the 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 anything punitive with a child being banned under Jewish law. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual for minor children, with the rod in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes administered to an adult child 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 level of parenting knowledge was only known to the Jewish world.

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, come from biblical teaching. However, the criminal defense of "reasonable chastisement" is based off of dated biblical teaching. It is about time that we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense, and amend the child abuse definitions under state and federal law to include anything that the child victim perceives 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 abuss 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!

"Spare the rod, spoil the child": Why the rod passages in Proverbs are repealed passages

Many parents spank their children. Their main excuse for spanking children, arguably speaking, is 5 mentions in the Bible that mention the rod of correction. Most American parents believe that these verses in Proverbs condone or even command spanking children. However, the teaching of "biblical spanking" is  a man-made teaching. The rod passages in the book of Proverbs are repealed passages.

A total of 6 verses in Proverbs mention the rod explicitly. One favorite passage cited by pro-spanking parents in the Bible is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

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

The Hebrew root word translated "son" is ben and refers to a mature adult son. The Hebrew root word translated "rod" is shebet and refers to the rod of correction, namely a switch. This passage ultimately refers to the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to the bare back of an adult offender, in a courtroom setting, as a sentence for a crime. It was unlawful then to strike another adult Jew outside of the context of a courtroom. Striking a minor child was banned under Jewish law in all settings. The reason for this commandment was that, otherwise, Jewish fathers would shield even their adult sons from blame.

Christ died and Rose on the Third Day in order to repeal the harsh punishments of the Old Testament. Christ banned corporal punishment entirely by enduring corporal punishment unjustly before being placed onto the cross. The Early Christians never used corporal punishment as a means of church discipline. Instead, Christians who committed moral offenses were excommunicated if they defended their sins in open court. 

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible never legitimately condones or commands striking a child as a form of domestic corporal punishment. However, the Bible does weigh in 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 children. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your children, or even stop punishing them altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Whenever you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize to your child for hurting their feelings. In many cases, all that is necessary is a reassurance coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, for hurting your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger,, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limits for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit to never lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children 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 as "power to the parent" , namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. But, this commandment was ultimately 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.

Pro-spanking parents, in the Early Church, were seen as church infiltrators. These parents cited the same rod verses in Proverbs for pro-spanking excuses that parents cite today. Paul would have none of it in the churches that he oversaw as a deacon, and sent anti-spanking commandments to both the parishes ar Colossae and Ephesus. Contrary to popular legend, the Early Christians were not well-integrated into Greco-Roman society, with Christians then living in urban enclaves that shunned the outside world.

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 bight 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 believe that the Bible condones or even commands the corporal punishment of children. Most Christian parents cite 5 passages in the book of Proverbs and 1 passage in the book of Hebrews as their "proof" of spanking being "biblical". However, the New Testament evidence cited for the teaching of "biblical spanking" sits on shaky ground. The passage in Hebrews 12:5-6 does not refer to earthly parenting, but instead refers to God sending trials and tribulations the way of the believer.

God's Word on enduring hardship is cited in Hebrews 12:5-6 KJV:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation that 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. This metaphor is known as rod language. When a Christian man then got home from a long day at work, he instead said "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally come 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 His children that He loves the most. However, God only punishes His children when it does not harm them, whereas earthly parents only punish children when it does, in fact, harm them. The Apostle Paul here was reassuring the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome. 

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible nowhere legitimately supports or commands the use of corporal punishment in parenting, with the rod verses in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes to an adult as a sentence for a crime. God does not want His Parenting methods to be used by earthly parents, 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 children, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Whenever you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize to children whenever you hurt their feelings. In many cases, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, 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, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper", 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. But, this commandment ultimately was received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by the 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 a spanking to the bare bottom with an open hand. However, most of the Early Christians shunned punitive parenting as of this world. However, some parishes had a clear problem with punitive parenting infiltrators. Paul would have none of it in the churches that he oversaw,  sending anti-spanking commandments to the parishes at Colossae and Ephesus. 

It is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban enclaves in major Greco-Roman cities, shunning the outside world. The Early Christians even had their own court system that was binding into the end of the 1st Century. 

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!