Are you having difficulty training your children? Understanding two major truths are essential for parenting children successfully. Many readers of my book have commented that learning these important facts alone have been worth the cost of\u00a0the book. These truths are,<\/p>\r\n
This post will give parents an overview of\u00a0two of the child-training principles God has provided for them\u00a0to be successful in training their children to become mature individuals. Sadly, few parents know these truths.<\/p>\r\n
The quote, \u201cIf you wish to converse with me, define your terms,\u201d is credited to Voltaire[1]<\/a> but this concept has been used by many wise people throughout history as an essential principle for having a meaningful discussion.[2]<\/a> I have personally attempted to live by the logic that, \u201cBefore we debate, we first must define our words.\u201d Accordingly, the exact meanings of disobedience and rebellion must be determined before we can discuss how to deal with these issues.<\/p>\r\n In English, the word \u201cdisobedience\u201d has the opposite meaning of obedience,[3]<\/a> which is defined\u00a0as:<\/p>\r\n \u201cCompliance with an order, request, law; submission to another\u2019s authority or moral standards; strict observation of the law\/rules. Synonyms: compliance, acquiescence, tractability, duty, amenability, deference.\u201d [Comment: The English language is an amalgamation of words from multiple languages, such as Greek, Latin, French, Gallic, and others. This fact has created a language that is replete with multiple synonyms that often obscure determining precise word meanings.]<\/p>\r\n The word translated \u201cobey\u201d from the Greek language of the New Testament is a command and means \u201cto hear and obey.\u201d[4]<\/a> [Comment: It should be mentioned that the Greek words translated obey and submit in Scripture are not synonymous, and each has a distinctively different meaning.] [5]<\/a>\u00a0Therefore, disobedience is NOT to hear and obey.\u00a0Young children (and also untrained older children) are\u00a0often\u00a0so absorbed with their own thinking, they don\u2019t even hear your instructions. You can\u00a0often control this\u00a0problem somewhat\u00a0by requiring the child to repeat those\u00a0instructions back to you.<\/p>\r\n In English, the word \u201crebellion\u201d is defined as:<\/p>\r\n \u201cAn act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler; the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention. Synonyms: uprising, insurrection, mutiny, revolution, insurgency, rioting, disobedience, rebelliousness, insubordination, subversion, defiance, resistance.\u201d<\/p>\r\n Now that we have\u00a0considered the difference between the meanings of disobedience and rebellion, we can intelligently approach the proper solution for administrating them in the successful training of children. Just as there are differences between each of these negative behaviors, there are different ways to deal with each. Parents need to learn God\u2019s choice of\u00a0action\u00a0to\u00a0fix each of these problems. The words that represent these actions are punishment and chastisement.\u00a0(See my book, What the Bible Says About Child Training<\/em>, available at\u00a0Amazon.com,\u00a0https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/What-Bible-About-Child-Training\/dp\/1889700134<\/a>.)<\/p>\r\n ______________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\r\n In English, the word \u201cpunishment\u201d is defined as:<\/p>\r\n \u201cThe action of punishing or the fact of being punished; the infliction of a penalty in retribution for an offense; a penalty imposed to ensure the application and enforcement of a law. Synonyms: penalizing, punishing, disciplining, retribution, retributive justice, chastisement.\u201d<\/p>\r\n In English, the word \u201cchastisement\u201d is defined as:<\/p>\r\n \u201cTo inflict punishment or suffering upon, with a view to amendment; also simply, to punish, to inflict punishment (esp. corporal punishment) on. Synonyms: scold, upbraid, berate, reprimand, reprove, rebuke, admonish, chide, censure, lambaste, castigate, lecture, bawl out, reprehend.\u201d [Notice that this meaning has morphed over time from administering physical pain to one of simply stern talking.]<\/p>\r\n CONCLUSION:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n The forces available to parental authorities are chastisement to bring their children\u2019s willful and conscious rebellion under control, and punishment to teach them accountability for the actions of their disobedience. The administration of chastisement and punishment will be fully explained in another post. For now, you can think of punishment as\u00a0basically\u00a0the administration of just consequences for the breaking of a pre-established standard. It should never be confused with chastisement, although such confusion commonly exists today.<\/p>\r\n Example 1: Your son kicks you in the shin and runs away when you tell him to come to you. You think he should be \u201cpunished\u201d and so you take a privilege away. WRONG!<\/p>\r\n Example 2: Your daughter breaks one of your favorite ceramics when swinging her hands around at play. You think she is careless and decide to spank her. WRONG!<\/p>\r\n We will see what was wrong with each of these actions\u00a0and what would have been correct according to biblical teaching in our next post.<\/p>\r\n If you have questions on this paper or any of the following ones, please feel free to e-mail me after you have read my book. If you would like to open a discussion about biblical parenting, you could do that with a Comment on FBR\u2019s Facebook page.<\/p>\r\n In Christ, R. Fugate<\/p>\r\n ___________________________________________<\/p>\r\n [<\/strong>1]<\/strong><\/a> Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy<\/em> (Chapter 2, Aristotle and Greek Science, Part 3, The Foundation of Logic).<\/p>\r\n [<\/strong>2]<\/strong><\/a> Author Comment: Language has degraded in meaning over the past century so that it has taken on an existential, subjective connotation, i.e., as if words have no\u00a0meaning except what one choses them to mean to him at the moment.<\/p>\r\n [<\/strong>3]<\/strong><\/a> All English word definitions are from The Oxford English Dictionary.<\/p>\r\n [<\/strong>4]<\/a> Greek, hupakouo<\/em> \u201cobey.\u201d Compound word consisting of the preposition hupo<\/em> \u201cunder\u201d and akouo<\/em> \u201chear\u201d; literally \u201cto hear under,\u201d thus to obey what is heard. Bible verses that apply to the obedience of children are Ephesians 6:1, 5; Colossians 3:20, 22; 2 Thessalonians 1:8 and 3:14.<\/p>\r\n [<\/strong>5]<\/strong><\/a> Greek, hupotasso<\/em> \u201csubmit, subordinate.\u201d Compound word consisting of the preposition hupo<\/em> \u201cunder\u201d and tasso<\/em> \u201cput in place, station\u201d; literally \u201cto place under,\u201d thus to submit to a subordinate position\u00a0(Romans 13:1, 5; Titus 2:9, 3:1; James 4:7; 1 Peter 2:13). Note: The distinction between hupakouo<\/em> and hupotasso <\/em>is that hupakouo<\/em> emphasizes the strict following of verbal commands (mandatory compliance) regardless of personal willingness, while hupotasso<\/em> emphasizes the attitude of voluntary compliance with accepting the known will or position of another.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Are you having difficulty training your children? Understanding two major truths are essential for parenting children successfully. Many readers of my book have commented that learning these important facts alone have been worth the cost of\u00a0the book. These truths are, Continue reading CHILD TRAINING 101 A: THE BIBLICAL DEFINITIONS OF DISOBEDIENCE AND REBELLION, AND OF THE DIFFERENT TREATMENTS FOR EACH<\/span>