ACCEPTING rebuke is not an easy thing, especially when it is not sugar -coated. Most people will immediately defend themselves and explain away why they did what they did.
It is the rare man or woman who accepts rebuke humbly, and thanks the person who has rebuked them, for pointing out their error.
Scripture teaches us that the ability to heed correction is the hallmark of a wise man or woman. In the spiritual "courtroom" of our lives, acknowledging a mistake is the first step toward a favorable verdict and true transformation.
The Anatomy of Discipline
Accepting correction is fundamentally an act of humility. It requires us to admit that our way was not the right way. Proverbs 15:32 gives us a stark choice: “Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.”
When we reject correction, we aren't just protecting our egos; we are actually harming our own progress. Conversely, the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, noted that discipline is the path to long-term honor:
"Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise." (Proverbs 19:20)
The Role of a True Friend
It is important to distinguish between the critic and the corrector. An enemy often rejoices in our mistakes, hoping we continue in error. But a friend—one who is "bothered" enough to speak up—is a divine gift. Proverbs 27:6 reminds us: "Faithful are the wounds of a friend... but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." A friend’s correction is a wound that heals; an enemy’s praise is a kiss that kills.
Correcting in Love: The Nathan Model
How we receive correction often depends on how it is given. Many adults struggle with correction today because they were corrected harshly as children, leading to low self-esteem and insecurity. There is a vast difference between attacking someone's character and addressing their actions.
Consider the encounter between Prophet Nathan and King David in 2 Samuel 12. David had committed adultery and murder—sins of the highest magnitude. Yet, Nathan’s rebuke was surgical and factual:
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He kept to the facts: He pointed out what David had done (despising the word of the Lord).
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He avoided character assassination: He did not scream, "You wicked, shameful murderer!"
When we attack a person's ego, they immediately jump to the defense. But when we speak the truth in love, keeping to the facts of the error, we provide a bridge for the other person to walk across toward repentance.
The King’s Response: Humility in Action
King David’s reaction to Nathan is one of the greatest examples of humility in the Bible. He didn't say, "I am the King, how dare you speak to me this way!" He didn't offer excuses about his stress or the circumstances.
His response was immediate: "I have sinned against the Lord." (2 Samuel 12:13).
This internal posture is beautifully captured in Psalm 51, where David admits that God is "right in Your verdict and justified when You judge." David understood that to be corrected by a man sent by God was to be corrected by God Himself.
The Profit of Correction
If we cannot accept a rebuke from a fellow believer, we will likely struggle to accept it from God's Word. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, Scripture is profitable for four specific things:
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Teaching
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Rebuke
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Correction
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Training in righteousness
The purpose of this process is not to shame us, but to ensure the man or woman of God is "thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Prayer Points
1). Ask the Lord to forgive you for the times when you have rejected rebuke or correction out of pride and ego.
2). Ask the Holy Spirit to help you accept rebuke and correction from the Word of God and from other believers.
3). Thank the Lord that He has given us the Holy Spirit who teaches, rebukes, corrects and trains us in righteousness.