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

Many parents use the Bible as an excuse for punishing children. The core of the pro-spanking argument is Hebrews 12:5-6. Without this passage, the pro-spanking argument would go up in smoke immediately. The fact of the matter is that Heb. 12:4-8 has nothing to do with earthly parenting, and only refers to God parents believers.

God's Word states 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.

When this passage is applied properly today, it can be comforting during trying times. This passage was meant by the Apostle Paul as validating reassurance for the Hebrew Christians in their persecution came from Rome. The Greek root word translated "scourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastugoó) and has a figurative meaning to it. The rod here is a metaphor for enduring hardship. Instead of saying "I had a long day at work" you instead would say then "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally reach down from the heavens and whip His children. However, God does punish His children, sending trials and tribulations the way of the believer. However, God only punishes His children when it does not harm them, but earthly parents only punish their children when it does indeed harm them.  

The passage in Heb. 12:5-6 does not have anything to do with earthly parenting, as God never intended for humans to follow in His parenting example. However, the Bible does weigh in on the issue of spanking and punishing children in the context of earthly parenting. 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, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is not enough to stop spanking and punishing children - you need to ideally avoid the slightest of offense perceived by your child. However, offending your child is inevitable in parenting, in which case you should be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you offend your child. Usually, an informal apology should suffice, with statements such as "I'm sorry, but I needed to set X limits for Y reasons". However, if you lose your cool at all, you are in entitlement territory, and thus you need to give a formal apology such as "I apologize for losing my cool with you", with you then committing to not losing your cool again with your child. Any time you cause your child to be upset, you have offended your child, and thus you need to apologize, with any refusal to apologize for hurt feelings being a form of entitlement. A provocation to anger is a specific form of offense stemming from entitlement, with entitlement leading to offense. However, a provocation to anger imposed onto a child can happen when parents defend upsetting their children. 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 phrase which roughly translates to "power to the parent", which includes the power of parents to impose punitive sanctions on their children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment. 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.

Spanking started out as an Ancient Greek method of punishing children. Most children in Ancient Greece were punished by parents with methods such as spanking. The Early Christians were largely hated due to being "too soft" on their children. But, the Early Christians didn't care about being hated for their parenting convictions - and practiced attachment parenting anyway.

When Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 312, he retained his pro-spanking pagan beliefs, carrying with him his pagan belief in favor of spanking and other forms of punishment as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. This led to the Latinate Bible being grossly mistranslated in favor of Constantine's pagan view supporting the punishment of children. 

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!