He Who Neglects Discipline ...
I have a teenaged son with Down Syndrome. He likes telling me he is all grown up despite having the maturity and understanding of a 3rd or 4th grader. He does not like being corrected and his newest response to correction is to hold up his hand making a talking hand motion. Whenever he is having this reaction, he isn’t listening and isn’t learning and more often than not ends up harming himself.
Today I sat down with him and discussed some Bible verses related to wisdom and correction in an attempt to explain why this behavior was only hurting himself. (Due to his immaturity, logic and facts don’t always work.)
Afterwards, I thought that all of us adults could probably use this same lesson. We don’t like being corrected by the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and definitely not by other Christians. It takes a lot of maturity to actually seek out correction, but that is what we are called to do.
He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof
Will dwell among the wise. (Proverbs 15:31)
If we want to be wise, we have to listen to “life-giving reproof.” Where can we get this “life-giving reproof?” Obviously the Bible gives it, but also mature Christians can give us “life-giving reproof.” A wise person will always listen and evaluate correction from a fellow Christian, especially one who has proven to have Biblical knowledge and wisdom. This doesn’t mean we will take their advice 100% of the time. It must be judged by the truth in the Bible, but it should be honestly considered. Even the greatest theologians have at least one point of error. If we fail to listen to correction and evaluate it biblically, we can be more easily led astray.
He who neglects discipline despises himself,
But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. (Proverbs 15:32)
The benefit of listening to correction is acquiring understanding. The curse of not listening to correction is the harm it causes to ourselves. The harm is so great, only a fool or those who despise themselves would act this way.
The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility. (Proverbs 15:33)
Wisdom comes from the fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord leads to seeking His will. Seeking His will leads us to the correction of the Bible and mature Christians. We then have to humble ourselves and look at our mistakes and failures. We all want to think of ourselves as good, honest, and wise, but we all do bad things, tell lies, and act foolishly. The only way to fix these (and only after repenting, trusting Jesus as Savior, and submitting to His will) is to honestly assess our own failings — whether foolish, uninformed, or willful. It takes a lot of humility to fully do.
As an employer, the one trait that I can’t stand in an employee is a person who can’t or won’t admit any mistakes. We all make mistakes. A person who wants to learn can be taught. A person, who refuses to admit making any mistakes and who always blames someone else, is untrainable.
Sometimes I wonder if God feels the same way with us because we refuse to admit our failings.
Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction. (Jeremiah 17:23)
We always need to listen to God. The three main ways are to read the Bible, to seek wise council, and to pray for leading. When we choose to seek council and prayer, we still need to check the answers given against the unchanging truth in the Bible.
When we refuse to read the Bible, we are not listening to God. Although there are definitely some things in the Bible that are confusing and not immediately clear, the primary tenants in the Bible are readily understandable by even a young child. Sometimes I wonder if the reason people don’t read their Bible and say it is too confusing is because they don’t like what they are reading. It is “confusing” because God is telling us what we don’t want to hear. It is “confusing” because God is telling us what we don’t want to do. If we actually read and understand, it will mean we will have to make changes to our thoughts and actions.
It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man
Than for one to listen to the song of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7:5)
We need to remember, both as the giver and receiver of a rebuke, that the truth and God’s word are useful for wisdom. Biblical correction is a loving action that is for the good of the receiver of correction. It should be given in a loving manner and received in a loving manner. We may want to “listen to the song of fools,” but we should seek “he rebuke of a wise man.”
When I was a young Christian in college, I sometimes went to a tiny church in my college town and sometimes went to a huge church in my hometown. The large church had a large Sunday school group taught by a man who taught me to love exhortation. When ever I hear the word “exhortation,” I think of him. Exhortation is a mix of correction and encouragement.
When I first started attending the Sunday school, I avoided the teacher. He didn’t lecture. He asked questions. He asked uncomfortable questions. They weren’t uncomfortable because they were inappropriate. They were uncomfortable because the answers to these questions required a change in world view, a change in thought, or a change in actions. He led us to the truth without lecturing about the truth. By helping us to find the truth by ourselves (through the Bible), the truth became a part of us. We knew what we believed and why, so were not easily led astray.
For months, I’d sit far away from him and try to hide, so I wouldn’t get the uncomfortable questions. Over time, after being asked some of these questions, I saw how they led me to the truth. I changed from hiding from him, to seeking him out. I went from trying to avoid being questioned and challenged in my beliefs to seeking out the correction because it helped me grow in my faith, discover the truth (not my truth), and grow closer to God.
At this point, I can’t even remember my teacher’s name, but I will never forget or stop being thankful for the things I was taught in that Sunday school class, the greatest of all being to seek the truth and never fear correction.
I decided to end my post with a passage from Psalm 119 about how we should love God’s word, the truth, wisdom, His commandments, and His corrections. The problem was narrowing it down. I’ve included one section, but would recommend reading all of Psalm 119. Read this passage considering what it says about what our love of learning about God and His commands should be.
Mem.
O how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever mine.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
Because I have observed Your precepts.
I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
I have not turned aside from Your ordinances,
For You Yourself have taught me.
How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
From Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way. (Psalm 119:97-104)
Trust Jesus.
your sister in Christ,
Christy
Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated
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So well written - thanks, Christy. You motivated me to send a thank you note to someone who had the courage to admonish me last year. (It was justified; I needed an attitude adjustment on a particular issue.) Most Christians are afraid to correct one another, but if it's done gently, privately, and with Christian love, it's very valuable and very biblical.