Hebrews 12:5-6: Why this passage does not endorse spanking

Many parents think the Bible is pro-spanking. This notion comes from the belief that a few verses in Proverbs, as well as one passage in Hebrews, allows for a parent to punish a child. However, the key passage in Hebrews is where the pro-spanking case falls apart. Heb. 12:5-6 does not even have to do with earthly parenting, but instead enduring hardship.

God's Word on enduring hardship is 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 interpreted correctly, gives me comfort. The Greek root word translated "scourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastigoó) and can have a figurative meaning to it. God does not literally whip His children. However, God punishes His children, like only He can, sending trials and tribulations the way of the believer. When you got home from a long day at work, you instead said "God whipped me hard today". This passage was meant as comfort to the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome.

God never intended for His Parenting example to be used by earthly parents. God indeed does punish His children, but that works because God only because He only punishes His children when it does not harm the child. However, earthly parents only punish their children when they in fact do harm the child. Heb. 12:5-6 does not have to do with an earthly spanking. However, God does weigh in on the spanking issue, and expands on it. 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, with this entitlement including any parent anger directed towards a child. It is not enough to stop spanking or punishing children - you need to avoid offense in children. However, hurt feelings is inevitable in parenting, and thus parents should be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever they hurt their child's feelings. Usually, a reassurance of good intent is all that is necessary. However, if you ever lose your cool as a parent, you should definitely apologize for losing your cool with your child, and then commit never to losing your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with your child 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 on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. 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 Bible is an anti-spanking document, with the writers of all 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - being Jews, with no Jew worth mentioning ever endorsing the punitive parenting of children. Even Jesus Himself, wrote a parenting manual, and right there opposed punitive parenting of children in earthly parenting.

Christian parents in the Early Church were not motivated by anger directed towards a child. A Christian mother, namely in the Early Church, instead worried a lot. Parenting in biblical times was motivated not primarily by anger, but by worry or concern. The only parent anger allowed then was to protect a child from an interloper. 

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!