Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
Week 5: Chapter 4 — The Media of Change: Your Authority and God's Power
Read Chapter 4 of Shepherding a Child's Heart. Primary Scripture: Romans 13:1-2; Hebrews 12:9-11.
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God has given parents genuine authority over their children — but that authority is not an end in itself. This chapter asks: what is parental authority for, and how does it connect to God's own authority?
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Tripp argues that parental authority is derived authority — it is delegated by God for God's purposes. How does this understanding of authority differ from authority as personal control or ownership?
2.He identifies two media of change available to parents: the exercise of authority (including discipline) and the ministry of the Word. Why does Tripp insist both are necessary? What happens when parents rely only on one?
3.Hebrews 12 describes God's discipline of his children as the expression of a Father's love, not his anger. How does this reframe the way parents should think about the discipline they administer to their own children?
a.What is the ultimate goal of discipline according to this passage?
b.How should this goal shape the attitude in which discipline is administered?
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