Care Conversations 5 | Seeing Discipline as Transforming Love
Salvation, grace and discipline are a package, as we saw from Titus chapter two last week.
If we do not develop Biblical understandings of discipline and grace, we may well see them as binary opposites. Discipline will be seen as a means of restriction, a constraining of behaviour through rules, regulations, and penalties. We will have a view of God as judgemental, mean and sombre.
Alternatively, grace will be understood as freedom from legalism; an overlooking of wrong thinking and behaviour. A view of an indulgently kind God who loves us unconditionally regardless of our sinful behaviour.
The same grace of the Triune God, which is the origin and enabling of our salvation, is also an instrument and means of discipline. The actions are inseparable. God does not redeem His people and ignore or neglect ungodly thinking or living. Those whom He saves He commits to discipline.
Rather than seeing discipline simply as rules and penalties for bad behaviour; God sees discipline as firm, determined, intentional, loving and gracious care for our souls. His discipline is born out of kindness, care and concern so that we might love and serve Him and, love and serve one another; ‘pure and zealous for good works.’
God does not just demand this growth from us, but also equips us to do it.
“Where the law condemns, grace forgives through the Lord Jesus Christ. Where the law commands but gives no power, grace commands but does give power through the Holy Spirit who lives and works within us.”[1]
God’s love means that He will not ignore our wrong thinking and living, He will not overlook our sin, He will not be indulgent. His love ensures that He will not leave us alone. He is the faithful Father who covets what is good and right; what is best for us. He will intentionally shape us into loving, righteous and faithful children who live in grace and humility.
Both sin and grace are influential to a mammoth degree; neither is inert, both are dynamic agents of change. Paul points out that just as sin had the ability to reign in us-in other words, to determine our thoughts, heart and actions; now grace is to reign in our lives, similarly determining and ruling our lives.[2]
Take time to reflect upon whether we see discipline in this loving and dynamic way.
Blessings,
Brian
[1] Bridges, Jerry The Discipline of Grace p85 NavPress, Illinois, Reprint 2018
[2] Romans 5:21