Respect & Discipline: Two Christian Virtues To Practice

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.’ (Hebrews 12:11)

Many of you who read this blog know I often state ‘Tolerance (of sin) is not a Christian virtue’.  I realize this is a negative connotation that, while proper and Truthful, is not balanced by any ‘virtues’ that are indeed Christian.  There are two in particular I will provide, with an emphasis on one of them in today’s post.  The two virtues (and there are many more) I submit today are Respect and Discipline. 

Respect is one that in today’s secular society lacks, especially in the rhetoric of public discourse in social media and interpersonal interaction.  We see the lack of respect to others most prominently in politics, both in the United States and on the global stage.  Name-calling, ridicule, and demeaning groups of people, done by all on either the left or the right, takes no consideration the others’ point of view, even if there is validity and more importantly a Godly Truth in their viewpoint.

It can occur in Christian circles as well.  There are those who align themselves with groups within denominations or a set of beliefs.  An example is the group of pastors and laymen that rally around the King James Version of the Bible; there are some within that group that vehemently oppose the Bible in any other Translation, and go so far as to attempt to demonize Christians who use the New Living Translation or the New International Version – some even dispute the New King James Version that provides the ‘KJV’ into a more modern English typeset. 

It is OK to prefer one version over another; we are all different, and learn and understand things differently.  Thankfully I received a New International Version (NIV) that is in ‘plain English’, as I had tried to read and understand the KJV but couldn’t.  However, I respect those who read and use the KJV to study the Word and to prepare sermons or lessons from it.  The different translations allow more people to grasp the Truth of the Bible, in a method best suited for them.  The only ‘bad’ translations are those that take away God’s meaning and purpose of His Word, and replace them with a secular, worldly meaning.  (That is a lack of respect toward God, and no Christian should respect that.)    

There are some things in Christian circle that aren’t so black and white; the question of being ‘pre-Tribulation’ versus ‘mid-Tribulation’ versus ‘post-Tribulation’ Rapture of the Church to Jesus can also provide a disrespectful reaction to those who are ‘pro’ on one and ‘anti’ on the others.  It is good to debate and counter opposing viewpoints but it should be to ‘agree to disagree’ respectfully, and move on finding what both do agree on, in Righteousness and Truth.

Discipline is a word that invokes a couple of thoughts.  A while back, I heard a young man’s thesis dissertation ‘actin cell breakdown rates from sucrose’, to complete his Masters of Biotechnology degree.  (It’s OK, I didn’t understand it either.)  He passed with flying colors, as he should, because that is his discipline; his course of study over the last six years of scholastic focus.  From this word comes ‘disciple’ or someone one training or studying under a discipline.  In the same way, we used discipline as a verb, such as ‘I disciplined our child today to stay out of the cookie jar’.  You discipline to correct your child and to focus them away a bad trait (stealing cookies) and modify behavior into one with a good trait (ask for a cookie). 

Whether it is a willing study of ‘actin cells’ or an unwilling corrective action to stop a cookie thief, usually discipline is not easy or pleasant.  It takes time, patience, and effort to get a point of Truth across to where it sticks.  Christianity is the same way.  Jesus had to train His disciples into the Discipline of His way and the Gospels.  They didn’t always get it at first, and as they walked with Him, they did things that were ‘human’, causing Jesus to correct them, sometimes with a righteous harshness (“Get behind me, Satan!…” (Matthew 16:23)). 

Jesus taught His disciples all the way up to and after the Crucifixion, and after His Ascension through the introduction of the Holy Spirit.  It was painful to see Peter learning his lessons, first almost drowning in the Sea after he took his eyes off Jesus, later getting smacked down in boasting he would follow Jesus to the end only to deny Jesus three times.  But Peter became the Apostle to lead the efforts to bring the Gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles. 

You can almost feel the ‘lesson’ learned by Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus, which lead to His evangelistic journeys across Asia Minor and the Mediterranean.  Both Peter and Paul were full of unbridled energy prior to Christ, but afterwards through’s Christ’s discipline both became Disciples in the Discipline of Christ.  Their ‘course of study’ in Christ and His Gospel produced that harvest of righteousness (both were highly successful in their evangelistic efforts) and both gained the Peace of Christ, and prepared them for continuing to be ‘professors’ in the Discipline of Christ.  It wasn’t easy for them to be Disciples, and both died relatively violent deaths because of it, but it did prepare them for that eventuality. 

Being a disciple of Christ takes time and energy; you have to read the Bible, pray for understanding, hang out and talk with other Christians.  Faith makes you a Christian, working at it makes you one who can be prepared to be used for His glory and will give you a peace and satisfaction you otherwise would not know.