"Biblical spanking": Why the rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses

Many parents use the Bible as an excuse for spanking or punishing children. Most American parents cite 6 verses in Proverbs that mention the rod of correction as their "proof" that there is such a thing as a "biblical spanking". However, the Bible does not endorse any punishment of a child whatsoever.

One of the most popular rod verses used by pro-spanking parents is found in Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

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

The Hebrew word translated "son" is ben and refers here to a mature adult son. The Hebrew word translated "rod" is shebet and refers here to the rod of correction, namely a switch. The rod of correction here refers to the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to the bare back, in the context of a courtroom, as a sentence for a crime. It was unlawful then to strike a fellow adult Jew outside the context of a courtroom, and it was never lawful to strike a minor child even as a sentence for a crime. The whole reason for this passage is that, otherwise, fathers would refuse to whip his son. The court deputized the father of the errant young adult to whip said descendant. The 40 minus 1 lashes was a final warning before a criminal offender was put to death.

The harsh punishments of the Old Testament are repealed verses. Christ abolished all capital and corporal punishment with His Work on the cross. Christ repealed the rod verses in Proverbs by enduring the 40 minus 1 lashes from the Roman authorities unjustly. The Early Christians shunned all Roman whippings and executions, and did not whip or execute parishioners who committed moral offenses. 

There is no such thing as a "biblical spanking" anywhere in the Bible. The rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses, as they are nowhere found in the New Testament. 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 child. However, it is not enough to simply stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your children altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adult, s. 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 other adults, 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 their feelings with limits not set out of anger. 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 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 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. However, this commandment was ultimately received as a prohibition on all offenses as perceived by a child. 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.

In the Early Church, throughout its history, deacons had to deal with entire parishes who were infiltrated with pro-spanking interlopers. These interlopers were usually Greek Christians, and they too cited the book of Proverbs for their "proof" that spanking is biblical. Paul would have none of it in the parishes that he oversaw, and gave a commandment to the parishes at Colossae and Ephesus in order to convict a group of Greek Christian parents who brought the punitive parenting into the church.

Not only was spanking banned in the Early Church, but so was any anger directed towards a child. Most Christian parents in the Early Church were not motivated by anger, but were instead motivated by worry or concern. Any anger at a child was seen then as akin to a viper lashing out at its prey - maybe the child was warned beforehand, but that was about it.

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!