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This is something I wrote on another forum that I thought would be good to discuss here. 
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The purpose of confrontation of sin is not to punish a person, but to help them realize again who they are in Christ, because in order to desire sin, you have to believe a lie about your identity and who you are. As a Christian, if you sin, it is because you are using it as a coping mechanism to deal with a wound in your heart(whether aware of it or not). In order to have not been healed of this wound, you have to believe a lie about yourself, God, or other people. Once you truly realize who you are, your identity in Christ, you rarely think about sinning because you no longer have any desire to or feel a need to. The goal is not to get someone not to sin, but to completely change the way they normally think(the definition of repentance). Repentance doesn't only mean being sorry for sin, but actually changing the way you think to the way God thinks. It is truly believing God's truth that sets you free from all unrighteousness through the blood of Jesus.
Punishing someone only disempowers the person in shame to not be able to truly deal with what is going on in their heart. If you punish the person now they are dealing with shame and guilt on top of dealing with their sin. Punishment brings about guilt and shame which is why it is not the correct way of dealing with sin. Discipline and punishment are not synonymous. Discipline pulls on a person to come closer and to learn from their mistake. Punishment alienates a person from the Punisher and hurts the relationship between them. The natural impulse when you are punished is to separate yourself from the Punisher. When someone disciplines you, your natural impulse is to reconcile the relationship. This is why it says that God disciplines those He Loves. Discipline is only possible in the context of a Loving relationship. Punishment can happen without a Love relationship. The only context that punish was ever used in the Bible was for sin under the Old Covenant. Punishment was a requirement of their covenant if they sinned. But we aren't in that covenant anymore. And since our sins are atoned for by the blood of Jesus, God no longer has any need nor desire to punish us, though He still disciplines us to get us back on the right track. Do you see the distinction between the two?
Blessings,
Machew
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The purpose of confrontation of sin is not to punish a person, but to help them realize again who they are in Christ, because in order to desire sin, you have to believe a lie about your identity and who you are. As a Christian, if you sin, it is because you are using it as a coping mechanism to deal with a wound in your heart(whether aware of it or not). In order to have not been healed of this wound, you have to believe a lie about yourself, God, or other people. Once you truly realize who you are, your identity in Christ, you rarely think about sinning because you no longer have any desire to or feel a need to. The goal is not to get someone not to sin, but to completely change the way they normally think(the definition of repentance). Repentance doesn't only mean being sorry for sin, but actually changing the way you think to the way God thinks. It is truly believing God's truth that sets you free from all unrighteousness through the blood of Jesus.
Punishing someone only disempowers the person in shame to not be able to truly deal with what is going on in their heart. If you punish the person now they are dealing with shame and guilt on top of dealing with their sin. Punishment brings about guilt and shame which is why it is not the correct way of dealing with sin. Discipline and punishment are not synonymous. Discipline pulls on a person to come closer and to learn from their mistake. Punishment alienates a person from the Punisher and hurts the relationship between them. The natural impulse when you are punished is to separate yourself from the Punisher. When someone disciplines you, your natural impulse is to reconcile the relationship. This is why it says that God disciplines those He Loves. Discipline is only possible in the context of a Loving relationship. Punishment can happen without a Love relationship. The only context that punish was ever used in the Bible was for sin under the Old Covenant. Punishment was a requirement of their covenant if they sinned. But we aren't in that covenant anymore. And since our sins are atoned for by the blood of Jesus, God no longer has any need nor desire to punish us, though He still disciplines us to get us back on the right track. Do you see the distinction between the two?
Blessings,
Machew
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