"Biblical spanking": Why the rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses

Many parents use the Bible as an excuse for spanking their child. In the book of Proverbs, there exist 5 passages known as rod verses. These verses are often used as an argument for spanking a child. However, these verses are ultimately repealed verses. Nowhere does the Bible say to spank a child. 

There are 6 verses that mention the rod in the book of Proverbs of Proverbs, with the most widely quoted verse being 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, in the context of Proverbs, the rod of correction, namely a switch. The rod verses in Proverbs ultimately refer to a form of judicial corporal punishment known as the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to a father or next-of-kin, to the bare back, in the context of a courtroom, as a sentence for a crime. Under Jewish law in the Old Testament, striking  another Jew was prohibited outside the context of a courtroom, with striking a minor child being prohibited in all settings. The 40 minus 1 lashes were a final warning before an errant son was put to death, and could only exist in that given context. The reason for this commandment is that, otherwise, the father would just refuse to whip his son, as Jewish parents then were slow to blame their adult children for anything.

Christ died on the cross in order to repeal the harsh punishments of the Old Testament. Christ experienced both capital and corporal punishment unjustly, and so the Early Christians banned such punishments, and shunned all whippings and executions under Roman law. It is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into Greco-Roman society, with the Early Christians living in enclaves in big cities, shunning the outside Greco-Roman world. Corporal punishment seeped its way into Christian Church by way of European pagan influence on the Western Christian Church, with the European pagans being brutes with their children.

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. Nowhere in the New Testament are the rod verses repeated, with Heb. 12:5-6 referring to trials and tribulations being sent by God the way of His elect. 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 stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. A child has the right to take offense when their parents are acting entitled, including towards them. Children usually take it personally by crying tears of displeasure. Whenever your child takes it personally, you need to be willing to give an apology as soon as possible. Usually, all that is necessary is an informal apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out if 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 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 aa entitlement in the Early Church. Whenever your child takes it personally, with their feelings being hurt, you should apologize appropriately, lest it be officially an offense. 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 custo 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 by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting any offense in children stemming from entitlement in parents, 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.

Parent anger directed towards children was completely prohibited in the Early Church.  Most parents in the Early Church were motivated by anxiety, being expressed usually as worry or concern. The only time parents were allowed to get angry was to protect their child from interlopers. Anger at a child then was seen as akin to a viper - maybe the child was given some warning, but that was about it.

Children in the Early Church were not seen as bad or sinful, even when they acted up. Whenever children got into mischief, the parents had a good laugh before cleaning up their messes. Children in the Early Church were instead seen as among the poor and the vulnerable, with God identifying with the vulnerability of children. See Matt. 25:31-46. 

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!