Reductio Ad Absurdum: Can Truth Contain Falsity?

There is a kind of argument called Reductio Ad Absurdum. By this argument, we take a concept and reduce it to absurdity by taking it to extremes. Very few arguments can withstand this attack, but the basis of its validity is this: Truth cannot contain falsity. Something is either true or not true. A statement cannot be both true and not true at the same time. We test our syllogisms by asking if the result is likewise as true as the premises. We have seen before (search “reductio” using ^F) that the bible treats on reductio ad absurdum, albeit rarely. In fact, reductio ad absurdum of lust is adultery Mt 5: [28] But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

…and the reductio ad absurdum of hatred is murder 1 Jno 3: [15] Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

In forms of Government, we can suppose that the reductio ad absurdum of Atheism is Communism, while the reductio ad absurdum of Christianity is a Kingdom.

What then of reductio ad absurdum of virtue, Love for example?

Love is not lust as seen above. We should further observe that when Love is wrongly applied to money, it is the root of all evil(s.) 1 Tim 6: [10] For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Is Love not a virtue then? One might argue for love of virtue itself, but that calls for a reflexive case, and I do not have a definition of virtue, citing only 2 Pet 1: [5] And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
[6] And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
[7] And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
[8] For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The concept that Love can be perfected is addressed nonetheless (verse 7 above.) 1 Jno 2: [3] And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
[4] He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
[6] He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

And

1 Jno 4: [12] No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

We know that P -> Q is also represented ~P v Q. Making syllogisms with spoken language is bad protocol, and Euler diagrams are more appropriate. However, in a sort of shorthand, we could say that

If ~Obey commandments -> ~ Know (1 Jno 2:4)

If obey commandments -> Know (vs 5.)

In Jno 14: [15] If ye love me, keep my commandments.

[21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

We could say that

If Love -> keep commandments

Or to put it another way

~Love v Keep commandments.

Jno 15: [10] If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Could be cleaned up to say:

Keep commandments -> abide in Christ’s love :: Christ keeps Gods Commands perfectly -> Christ abides in God’s Love.

We conclude that to know God (Jno 14:15) is to Love him (1 Jno 2:3.) There is no absurdity to the Love of God

Deut 6: [4] Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
[5] And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
[6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
[7] And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Mk 12: [28] And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
[29] And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
[30] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Deut 6: [13] Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

Was quoted by Christ in temptation Mt 4: [10] Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

And Lk 4: [8] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Ex 20: [3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Deut 5: [7] Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

As an aside, when I was researching this, I ran across the example of Nehemiah 1: [8] Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
[9] But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

Here in prayer, Nehemiah makes a case with God, by quoting scripture, setting precedent for us to do the same. You could either argue that this is a conflation or a remonstration. The relevant scriptures are in Deut 4: [29] But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
[30] When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
[31] (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

And

Deut 30: [2] And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
[3] That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
[4] If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
[5] And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

If you argue that this is a conflation, you must allow that Nehemiah knew the Old Testament VERY WELL, to make this mistake. I rather think that it is an example of remonstration. Having observed as an aside that we can remonstrate with God in prayer, we return to the conclusion of our discussion of Love and its extremes:

Just as the right to contract is not absolute, so the right to Love is not absolute, else we could love lust and money. I suppose that this love of things that are not virtue is called “inordinate affection.” Col 3: [5] Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
[6] For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Despite this we are to be kindly affectioned one to another Ro 12: [10] Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

And not to lack natural affection. Ro 1: [31] Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

2 Tim 3: [3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

That’s my contribution to Philippians 4:8 for today.

How do we develop faith?

Ro 10: [13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved
[14] How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
[15] And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
[16] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
[17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This is how we develop the shield of faith. We know that it is our goal to speak very scripturally (I Pet 4: [11] If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.)

Heb 5: [12] For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (by specificity.)

…shows that we are to be taught these as babes in Christ. Under the old law, there was actually a command to speak of the law to children more or less at all times. Deut 11: [18] Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
[19] And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
[20] And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:

This is how the Lord fulfilled the promise to write his law in our hearts

[33] But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

This is quoted in Heb 8: [10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
[11] And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

... as fulfilled prophecy. We see that as we become forgetful, we renew our minds (Ro 12: [2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.)

When proof is demanded of the Christian, he may not be able to demonstrate God by a sign. Heb 11: [6] But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

If we had proof, we would not need faith. However, we CAN “by patient continuance in well doing,” prove what is the will of God. Ro 2:[5] …God;
[6] Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
[7] To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

When we have begun to do these things, we develop the shield of Faith (Eph 6:16) demonstrated by Christ in the wilderness (Lk 4:1-13.)

We spoke above of “knowing the Lord.” This is also the goal of the serious Christian. Consider 1 Jno 2: [3] And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
[4] He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
[6] He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

The word perfected is from the Greek to complete. We see how this is done in Jno 14: [15] If ye love me, keep my commandments..

Christ in fact indicted an audience one time by asking Lk 6: [46] And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
[47] Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
[48] He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

We see in vs 47 that we should both hear and do. This is also true of teaching. Mt 5: [19] Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Works do not save one. Eph 2: [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

However, in order for the faith to be a living faith, it must be accompanied by obedience. Jas 2: [24] Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

In fact, faith without works is dead, being alone Jas 2: [17] Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

We should never tire of being reminded of these things as we grow in Christ (2 Pet 1: [12] Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
[13] Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
[14] Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
[15] Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.)

(The phrase “in this tabernacle” refers to his physical body)

The whole of Jas 2 is a treatise on Faith.

What is the solution to sin?

When our sins have separated between us and God, what do we do? (Isa 59: [2] But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.)

Consider the verse immediately preceeding: Isa 59: [1] Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

Here we see that the second verse explains why we feel that God does not hear us at times. Even King David said Ps 42: [1] As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
[2] My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
[3] My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
[4] When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

This is similar to Ps 73: [10] Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
[11] And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

We should be confident that God hears prayer based on I Jno 5: [14] And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
[15] And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

What characterizes the persons who are heard? I Jno 3: [18] My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
[19] And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
[20] For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
[21] Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
[22] And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

How does a person obtain this confidence? We have discussed before that a person can make a contract with God, by being baptized into Christ’s death (Ro 6: [3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
[4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
[5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
[6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
[7] For he that is dead is freed from sin.)

What does this contract do for us? I Pet 3: [18] For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
[19] By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
[20] Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
[21] The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

We discussed that baptism was immersion, based on the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch. Consider then that the main purpose and benefit of immersion baptism is the forgiveness of sins.

Remember the old saw “and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free?” In context it reads Jno 8: [31] Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
[32] And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
[33] They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
[34] Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
[35] And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
[36] If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

When we come to decision like the decision to be immersed for the forgiveness of sins, we should also count the cost. Speaking of Jesus, the physician says: Lk 14: [25] And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
[26] If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
[27] And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
[28] For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
[29] Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
[30] Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
[31] Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
[32] Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
[33] So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
[34] Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
[35] It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Not only so, but we also consider that if we are re-born in Christ, we are defenseless is some sense (1 Cor 3: [1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
[2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
[3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?)

As such, we contemplate the analogy of walking. Ro 8: [1] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
[2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
[3] For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
[4] That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

I was around two years old was when I first began to walk. As you may well imagine, I fell down a lot. At the age of 6 I fell less, and by 21 it was a rare occurrence. I am not yet old, but at the age of 65 or 70, falling becomes a very serious occurrence. If I broke a hip at that age I would need surgery, or be crippled to the extent that I could not live unaided. So, with the Christian a sin represents falling down. How do we recover? Pr 24: [16] For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
[17] Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
[18] Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

This shows us that falls will happen. How do we recover? I expect that this is accomplished by the same mechanism that “God doth know” in Ps 73. By repentant prayer. Lk 24: [45] Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
[46] And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
[47] And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

…associates repentance with remission of sins. In Biblical times, the word repent was so well understood that it may not have been explicitly defined. As of this writing, I have not studied it exhaustively, but there are things that we can say about repentance.

It is something God can do: Gen 6: [5] And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
[6] And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
[7] And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Here we could say that God was sorry, but he had done nothing wrong. It was man’s choice to sin that caused the problem (Ecc 7: [29] Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.)

To look at an exhaustive list of the word “repent” in the bible, click here. To search any word or phrase in the bible, click here.

Since God had done nothing wrong, being sorry is not all that was involved, but grief was associated. God was grieved, but it is not him only that is grieved when repentance occurred: 2 Cor 7: [8] For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.
[9] Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
[10] For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
[11] For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

(Note: vs 11 shows a progression of spiritual responses to sin.) Here the apostle Paul shows that he intended to provoke repentance, and vs 9 rejoiced at it. Having being said that sorrow is not repentance, what exactly is repentance? I suggest that it is a change of mind. A test of repentance is “would you do it again?” If you would then you probably have not repented. Another similar phrase is “turn from.” Here Paul and Barnabas earnestly entreated others. Ac 14: [15] And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

Once one has made a contract with God by baptism, sins must be repented from. Having repented, we seek forgiveness, or we would not be grieved. Christ set the example of praying for forgiveness in his famous model prayer, but also set the precedent that it would be conditional. Mt 6: [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
[13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
[14] For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
[15] But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

A lesson on “when I cannot morally blackmail my brother into forgiving me,” is for another time. Generally we are to be forgiving, and forgive those who ask for forgiveness. We do not expect God to forgive use if we do not ask him. In Mk 11: [24] Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
[25] And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
[26] But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

…Jesus speaks. Recall that we should believe that we receive for a reason; we believe because we obey (I Jno 3: [22] And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.)

Having repented and prayed for forgiveness, we have the benefit of the request. Beyond that, if we are having a continuing problem with sin, we have things we can do. Jas 5: [16] Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Here the fault may not be the same thing as the sin. For example, with adultery, the fault lies with lust (Mt 5:28.) With murder, the fault lies with hatred (1 Jno 3: [15] Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.)

Again, I submit that this is a reductio ad absurdum of hatred, but if I was to be drawn into murder, the fault would lie in an initial hatred. Identifying a fault is not always easy. If the problem persists, one may choose to make a public declaration of it to the Church. This gives one pause in a social sense, very much like shaving one’s head might, but it accomplishes a purpose. One shouldn’t go about making a trivial matter of shaving your head either.

Let’s consider what is entailed by the promise of 1 Jno 1: [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We have forgiveness, but then he speaks in the same breath of being cleansed from all unrighteousness. Here we confess a sin, not a fault, and the audience is not defined. God is my usual audience for such admissions. We think of cleansing as washing, but in Ps 51: [6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
[7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
[8] Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
[9] Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

In context, King David (who did not write ALL the Psalms,) associates the cleansing with a figurative breaking of bones. In Hebrews, we see that Heb 12: [5] And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
[6] For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

…he quotes an Old Testament passage in vs 5, and concludes in Vs 6 the correction we are talking about is like corporal punishment. That it is figurative could be argued from Pr 17: [10] A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.

So, we have discussed Godly sorrow, repentance and how to obtain forgiveness both before and after salvation. Our incentive not to sin is in Heb 6: [6] If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

…we do not wish to crucify Christ again, and put him to an open shame.