It seems so embedded in our culture nowadays to turn down the value of rebuke and correction, being quick to label the stern discipline as judgemental, but when we really understand the fullness of the love of Christ it will lead us to value discipline and correction.
As painful and harsh as rebuke may sometimes be, there is undeniably so much benefit from being on the receiving end of rebuke. While of course, not all forms of rebuke and correction are done well by some believers, when we open ourselves up more to rebuke, we find that the discipline it brings can bring spiritual maturity much quicker than being in the absence of it.
Rebuke is best done in the context of a sound relationship. That's why Jesus tells us in Luke 17:3 to rebuke a brother. Rebuke outside of a good relationship can often be misguided, but rebuke from a mentor, brother or friend can build us up. Here are three benefits that learning to appreciate and accept rebuke brings.
Rebuke brings wisdom
Proverbs 13:1 says, "A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke."
The purpose of rebuke is teaching and correction, not manipulation. When we receive rebuke, we receive an outside perspective of our own lives that allows us to see things that we are too blind to see on our own.
Many times we receive rebuke from other people, but God can also rebuke us through His Word and through some circumstances. We must be open to such rebuke because it is God's way of blessing us with more wisdom. Proverbs 17:10 says, "A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool."
Rebuke sharpens our faith
When rebuke is given, it increases our faith knowing that we have people whom we can trust to give us the painful truth over a sugar-coated lie. As uneasy as it always is at first to receive rebuke, a relationship that is well guided by it brings more fruit of faith towards each other and towards God, and we also grow more in the knowledge of who He is through the instruction we receive. Titus 1:13 tells us, "This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith..."
Rebuke affirms our legitimacy
One of the evidences of a well-grounded relationship with other people and with God is the presence of discipline and rebuke. Discipline comes only as a result of love, and when we receive rebuke from others, our default should always be to view it as an expression of love rather than a blatant attack.
Hebrews 12:7-8 tells us, "It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons."
