Limits
Love sets limits. It creates boundaries and expectations. When God set a clear boundary in the Garden of Eden it was to protect Adam and Eve. It wasn't a command to obey or else, but a clear line not to be crossed for their own sake.
When Adam and Eve failed to obey and they ate the forbidden fruit, there was a set of consequences they had to live with. They were removed from the garden and they had to work hard manual labour for their food from now on.
Discipline
Discipline is an act of love. In our school setting, discipline is a reconciliation of relationships. Jesus came to earth to reconcile our sins so we can have a personal relationship with God.
When students cross the boundaries of acceptable behavior there are consequences, but there is also reconciliation done in grace. At the heart of who we are at MCA is a core understanding that we are all sinners that run up against God's boundaries of acceptable behavior. And because He can forgive us and love us through our misbehaving, we can with students as well.
What sets a Christian school apart from a secular school is this: How we bring reconciliation to a relationship when it has been damaged. Is it cut off completely or healed?
