A Heritage of Ideas

 

---

 

Conflict

 

---

   

Conflict often occurs in our lives because of misunderstanding, disagreement, malice, ignorance and many other reasons. Whatever the reason, conflict does occur to all of us and usually more often than we like. There is no way to avoid conflict: it sticks to us the way flies stick to flytape: it seems the more we try to release ourselves from its grip, the more entangled we become.

 

Many Christians believe that they should never experience conflict, that everything (or God) will resolve all of their confrontations and they will lead this idyllic life of peace, harmony and contentment. The scriptures, however, present us with a much different image of life, especially for Christians:

 

      Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.^[1]

 

      If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.^[2]

 

Conflict often comes from opposing beliefs. As Christians, we cannot expect to live in a world in which the minority of people serve God and not expect to experience friction with the majority who do not serve Him. It is ludicrous to believe such a thing; yet many Christians are surprised when they experience opposition from non-Christians. We see these battles in the issues of school prayer, abortion, euthanasia, homosexual rights and school voucher programs. The world operates from a different mindset than the church; therefore we should not be surprised when we have conflict. As Christians, we also have to realize that we operate with different standards also.

 

 

Fighting Fair

 

      The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.^[3]

 

Although the Bibles warns us that we should expect persecution, tribulation and strife, it also warns us against developing a hateful, malicious, and blasphemous attitude. We can find this warning in Colossians:

 

      But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.^[4]

 

Now this may seem like an oxymoron: we will have strife in our lives but we are not to be full of strife ourselves. Actually, the two are quite different: strife will come into our lives in many forms, defending our faith, protecting the weak and innocent, and standing up for our rights, as well as from the maliciousness of others; strife should never come into our hearts in the form of malice, injustice, disbelief, hatred, dishonesty or perversion. We should always emulate Jesus Christ, during the good and difficult times in our lives. Conflict does not give us an excuse to be mean, nasty, rude or degrading. It especially does not give us the right to tear down the reputations of others through malicious gossip. The scriptures also give us clear guidelines of handling conflict between Christians. Clearly everyone should operate on this principle; it is, however, unreasonable to think that non-Christians are going to abide by God’s principles and be fair, honest and discrete. That is exactly how Christians should act though:

 

      Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.^[5]

 

This proverbial passage warns us not to fight others openly but, rather, to discretely and diplomatically try to resolve your differences. In doing so, you avoid being embarrassed and maligned by the dispute.

 

      Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and he alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.^[6]

 

Notice the passage in Matthew says that if you have a problem with another person, you should go to that person and try to settle it. You do not bring others into the conflict unless the person is not willing to resolve the dispute; if he is unwilling, you are to take two or three witnesses with you to arbitrate the matter. If the Christian is still unwilling to resolve the conflict, then you should avoid dealing with that person. It is a simple, but a profound principle. Can you imagine what the world would be like if people followed God’s directive? The courts dockets would not be backlogged from people using the court system to settle their disputes. Many family feuds would be resolved. Many families would remain intact. The ramifications would be enormous. Man has determined to follow his ideas rather than God’s directives, resulting in a chaotic world of malicious, devious, continuous fighting over values, power, wealth and relationships:

 

      From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your own lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.^[7]

 

Non-christians become embattled because of the lust and sinfulness of their hearts. Their sinful nature consumes them and those around them. Christians are called to a higher principle though: the principle of upholding God’s Love to everyone, including those who we do not think are deserving. II Timothy 2:24-26 says:

 

      And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

 

We are to not battle others, but try to teach them with patience and humility, understanding that they are not controlled by the Holy Spirit, but by their sinful nature. Furthermore, we are warned that if others disagree with God’s Word and His Principles we are not to debate them; we are to present God’s Truth to them and not engage in philosophical debates and theological struggles:

 

      If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: for such withdraw thyself.^[8]

 

We are to teach, not to verbally assault others who disagree with us. In fact, in Jude we learn that Michael the archangel was confronted by the devil over the body of Moses. Rather than arguing, Michael simply replied, The Lord rebuke thee^[9]. Now if the archangel of God would not argue with the devil, why are we arguing with those who oppose us?

 

 

 

---

Additional Scriptures: