Experts say when you discipline children, you should stay calm, be confident, praise good behavior, give gentle reminders, don’t ask small children if they want to go to bed—tell them it’s time to go, solicit their ideas in solving problems, and say to them “please” and “thank you.” Of course, when the Apostle Paul was advising the local church at Corinth on a discipline problem, he was not dealing with small children. But he knew the church needed to balance discipline with love and forgiveness. A man in the church had opposed Paul’s leadership. The apostle counseled the church to discipline the man for doing wrong. They did so, but even after the man repented, the church failed to forgive him and accept him back into the fellowship. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians CH 2, that this was not right. They should forgive the man and welcome him back. Otherwise, their failure to forgive him could lead to a permanent split and a worse situation. So today when members of our group offend, we should balance discipline with love and forgiveness. Otherwise, we may do more harm to the cause of Christ and His Kingdom.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
