Correction

Passages

Proverbs 15:31-32, 27:5-6, 27:17, 25:20, 26:4-5, 26:17, 25:11-12, 25:15

Sermon Summary

Doing correction well is really hard. It can be painful for both the one corrected and the one who corrects. It also violates powerful cultural norms that we must affirm everyone no matter what. Yet Proverbs insists that THE mark of a wise person is being correctable. Only the Gospel of Grace in Jesus can both cover our failures and transform us into correctable people over time. And only those who trust in God’s love will submit their lives to the pain of correction. When we seek to correct others, we pay close attention to timing, teachability and trust. Ultimately, we must be motivated by God’s own love for them, seeking to “sing them to themselves.”

Discussion Questions (choose any—you don't have to answer them all!)

1. [Optional starter question] What stood out or stuck with you from the sermon?
2. How good are you at receiving correction? Cite a recent example.
3. Are you more likely to correct someone else poorly, or to fail to correct them at all? Why?
4. Describe a time when someone corrected you well. What made it so effective?
5. How does God’s promise to not only save you by grace but transform you by grace make the Good News sweeter to you personally?
6. Describe a current situation where you may need to correct someone, but keep it anonymous. Invite the group to workshop whether and how you should. Make sure to evaluate timing, teachability and trust.
7. Homework: Ask someone close to you what it’s like to correct you. Listen. Write down some specific ways you can grow, and add them to your regular prayers for your own sanctification.

Resources Consulted

• Africa Bible Commentary, ed. Tokunboh Adeyemo
• The Message of Proverbs, David Atkinson
• Proverbs for Everyone, John Goldingay
• Tyndale Commentary on Proverbs, Derek Kidner
• The Five Books of Moses, Robert Alter
• Proverbs: A Shorter Commentary, Bruce Waltke
• Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & Song of Songs, Roland Murphy & Elizabeth Huber
• Proverbs for You, Kathleen Nielson
• Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Navigating Life, Timothy & Kathy Keller
• Proverbs: Wisdom That Works, Ray Ortlund
• The Stories We Live By, Timothy Keller & Michael Keller