At times our sense of compassion leads us to be at odds with God and His work. God tells us to rebuke sin. We tend to excuse it. God instructs us to repent of our transgressions. We want to explain why it is not our fault. God commands parents to discipline our rebellious children, but we want to show mercy and give them another chance!
Sin leads to death (Romans 6:23). It destroys everything it touches. It must be radically rooted out of our lives at the earliest possible moment before it develops into a sinister habit. We will not grow to despise sin if we never suffer its consequences. We will not learn to fear the Lord if His commands are routinely ignored. Without the fear of the Lord, there is little concern for sin.
While it might seem like enlightened parenting to choose not to discipline your wayward child, it is actually shortsighted. Those who have not learned to dread sin will not flee from temptation. They will not grieve over their transgressions. They will not understand the gravity of their rebellion against God and His word. They will not hasten to be restored into divine fellowship when they fall. And, as a result, they will not experience God’s forgiveness and restoration. There is simply too much at stake to not diligently discipline our children.