- Punishment is for the purpose of justice, to inflict penalty for an offense. Punishment is payback for wrongs done. That is what God did to Jesus on the cross for you and me.
- Discipline is for the purpose of maturing us, to correct us and to promote positive growth. That is what God does for us.
- Punishment focuses on the past things that we have done and reflects God's anger.
- Discipline focuses on the future and reflects God's love.
- Punishment produces fear, guilt, hostility and anxiety.
- Discipline produces security.
The trouble with us is that we live in a time/space world.
We don't understand the eternal dimension, so when we do something wrong, we think God wants to punish us and he is
angry with us.
But he is not angry with us, because he has already been angry with us and punished us two thousand years ago.
Now all he has left to deal with, is to bring discipline, correction and adjustment to bring us to maturity and he does it with love.
From: Living In The Grace Of God - Rob Rufus - Publisher: Zondervan Bible Publishers 1997
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