Punishment

What do you think of when you hear the word punish? Spanking, grounding, or being sent to the principal’s office might come to mind if you are a child, but jail time, a fine, or being fired might be what comes to the mind of an adult. It would probably be a fair statement to say that if you are able to read this, then you have been punished for something that you have done at some point in your life. There has been much debate throughout the years on this subject. What should the punishment be for a crime? Is it too severe? Is it necessary or even ethical to punish someone? Many times culture dictates what punishment will be given out, and this will vary greatly from place to place. We can see this even inside our own country where laws vary from state to state. From parents disciplining their children to a government enforcing the death penalty, punishment is part of our everyday lives. In this article, I would like to look at what the Bible has to say on this subject and how it can help us to better understand the purpose and the proper enforcement of punishment. 

Corporal

I think that it would be safe to say that the views of someone like myself who was born and raised in rural Texas are going to be far different than a person who was born and raised in urban Vermont on the subject of spanking. Fortunately, we have a common denominator that can bring us all together, the Bible. Corporal punishment is defined simply as physical punishment, and includes everything from a slap on the hand to flogging. The purpose of physical punishment is the same as any other form of punishment, to train or correct. “You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell” (Pr. 23:14). This sounds terribly brutal to some, but it is the truth nevertheless. Some parents do not feel that spanking their child is an acceptable thing and that there are other means of discipline in correcting a child’s behavior. That there are other ways to disciple a child is undeniable, and I firmly believe that it is the parents’ own prerogative whether or not to spank their child, so I will only point out what God has to say about the matter. Christ said in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” It may seem like a hard thing to do, but in whatever form it comes, discipline and correction are essential when rearing a child. “Chasten your son while there is hope, And do not set your heart on his destruction” (Pr. 19:18).

Capital

There has been much controversy in the church on the subject of capital punishment. Some have used the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” (Ex. 20:13, KJV), in the Mosaic Law to show that God has never condoned killing, but this is a misinterpretation of the passage. Newer translations (NKJV, RSV) give the proper translation, “murder,” or the intentional taking of innocent human life. Others will go to passages like James 2:13, “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment,” to show that New Testament Christians are to show mercy and not take the life of another. Some, like David Lipscomb, in his book Questions Answered, say that it is well and good for the government to execute the condemned (Rom. 13:3-4), but that Christians should have no part in it. Brother Lipscomb rightly says that God, from the beginning, authorized capital punishment, “Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man” (Gen. 9:6). However, saying that Christians are not to be party is inconsistent with what the Bible teaches. Nowhere does it say that it is right for a non-Christian to do something, but it is not right for a Christian to do the same thing. Also if it was right for the governing body to perform executions but not a Christian, then it would be sinful for a Christian to hold a public office, be in the military, or be a police officer. As unpleasant as capital punishment may be, it has its place among us today, and still has the same purpose. “Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear” (Deut. 21:18-21).

Eternal

“But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 5-7). I will not say much on the subject of eternal punishment, for the inspired writer Jude has said a mouth full. Is there a hell? Yes. Is it eternal? Yes. Will I go there? “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk. 16:16).

Conclusion

Although it is not a pleasant subject to study, it is a necessary one. Let us remember, a little discipline today will go a long way towards receiving that greatest of rewards, but none at all will set us up for our greatest fall. “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him” (Lk. 12:5).