Pain is a teacher, some say. Could they be right about it? Maybe they are, but it makes more sense to frame it another way. There are various teachers, but pain is a tool at the disposal of them all. Go out into nature and recall a time when you learned from this tool’s usage. Maybe you got a little bit too close to a nest of bees, or you foolishly slipped on a smooth wet rock after a fresh rain. We learn from these natural experiences (teachers) that we must avoid certain movements and behaviors to avoid repeated pain.

Sometimes the pain comes from people or man-made things. When we were younger our parents, grandparents, or other elders would caution us with things like, “Don’t touch that stove when we’re cooking. You’ll get burned.” Maybe the warning came from an older sister who threatened us with a black eye if we touched her stuff again. We don’t always listen to wise words of warning. In fact, disobedience and defiance comes naturally to humans from the time they’re old enough to understand what, “No,” means.

I have waxed philosophical enough, now to the point. Children are innately foolish. We are all born ignorant and as children we required vigilance and righteous guidance from parents or parental figures. In the Bible the book of Proverbs 22:15 states, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” Without proper guides children can quickly put themselves and others in danger. Parents are the ones primarily authorized (and obligated) by God Almighty to teach their children right from wrong. Praise or rewards are given for good behavior, while discipline of various sorts is dished out for bad behavior. Spanking is one of those disciplines.

No parent wants their child to grow up to be bad. And any godly parent will admit that they despise having to discipline their children. Especially when it comes time to bring out the hand, belt, paddle, flip-flop, or stick. I can almost hear the detractors (anti-spankers) saying, “I can’t believe you condone this. It’s 2023. Don’t you know that spanking causes children to be more violent?!” They might produce a research study like this one titled, “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Spanking Have Similar Associations with Early Behavior Problems.”

The authors of this article make it clear that their goal is to have spanking of children classified in the same category as abuse, neglect, domestic partner violence, parental mental health issues, parental drug abuse, parental imprisonment, and parental death. How did they conclude that spanking is as bad as legitimately traumatic events? They conducted interviews with 2380 families when the children were age 3, then again at age 5 to discover behavior patterns. A major flaw in this study’s design is that these researchers never included specifics regarding how spanking was handled in these homes. Were the children being spanked for every single thing (minor or major) that they did wrong? Were parents spanking in the heat of their anger? Did the parents explain to their children the purposes of their punishments? The study never tells us.

Convenient for the anti-spanking movement to have such an improperly conducted study at their disposal. In an article about the research one of the study’s authors, Julie Ma, Ph.D., M.S.W., is quoted saying “With spanking, you are showing kids that it is OK to hit people if you would like them to stop what they are doing. Kids learn that this is an appropriate behavior, and it prompts them to become more aggressive.” Her first sentence is true, but not in the way she means it. Spanking shows kids that it’s ok for parents (not children) to cause physical pain to their children as a way to curb undesirable behavior. It is appropriate, at times, for parents to resort to spanking as the method of teaching.

It seems common sense already, but spanking alone is not as effective as spanking coupled with a verbal lecture or explanation. When a parent spanks his or her child, the reason for the punishment should be made clear. Along with children’s innate ignorance from birth, they are also curious little creatures. They want to know the answer to the question, “Why?” When it comes time to deliver a punishment as severe as spanking, parents almost owe it to their children to inform them of their error. Because truthfully, they don’t always understand why their deeds were bad.

“Withhold not correction from the child: For if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from hell.” Proverbs 23:13-14

Don’t freak out folks! I know the word “beat” sounds very scary to some of the faint of heart, but it doesn’t mean “beat” in the modern sense. It’s about spanking. Notice how the author states, “he shall not die?” That’s quite right because, compared to the pain life brings when a child commits bad (evil) deeds, spanking causes only a brief sting. A sting which lasts for only a couple minutes, but which leaves a lifetime of wisdom. What’s the end of that last sentence in the passage say again? “And shalt save his soul from hell.” That’s the primary purpose of causing brief, temporary pain to the rear-end of your child. To drive out sin from their hearts.

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Hebrews 12:11

What is sin? Sin is a transgression (breaking through disobedience) of the law of God. When parents spank, they drive out their children’s desire for wickedness. As I previously said, parents are the ones primarily authorized by God Almighty to teach their children right from wrong. Not their children’s doctors, their teachers, and not even their pastors. And certainly not the government.

No amount of so-called scientific research should convince a Christian believer that spanking children is a form of abuse. In a recent thread on Elon Musk’s X, a page called The Gospel Coalition was getting ratioed for a pro-spanking article they had written. I noticed an immediate commonality among all of the anti-spankers. If you click on the profiles of each of them, it seems they’re almost always feminist or atheist. Which means they’re generally the same people who support murdering babies in the womb and “gender-affirming care” which mutilates the bodies of children.

Spanking is a biblically recommended form of punishment for the bad behaviors of our minor sons and daughters. So, dear Christian conservative readers, never let modern society shame you into thinking otherwise. Because ultimately, they’re staking the claim that they know more about morality than God Himself.

Children are a heritage from the Lord. Children are blessings and not curses. While they are challenging to raise, the challenges are GOOD. Ones with lasting benefits and positive rippling effects if done right. God will hold all parents accountable for proper child-rearing because all children are lent to parents by Him. I pray we who are raising God’s children are up to the blessed task.