Biblical conflict control!
by Clint Baker
Romans 12:18 Says "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live
peaceably with all men." God told us right before this not to repay
evil for evil. In vrs. 18 He says "if possible", God wants us to do
everything possible to live in peace, he also expects, even though we
may not be the one at fault, to go be the one to try to make it right.
But it will not always come because it also depends on the others
persons attitudes and responses. But we as mature Christians need to be
the ones to make the first move, God expects this. The Bible makes it
clear that no church is exempt from conflict but this offers
opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.
To help us
with this, Jesus gave us the example of the work of a peacemaker
(Mat.18:15-20, 5:9). In doing this, Jesus is the ultimate role model
(Eph. 2:14-18). All Christians in conflict should use God's pattern for
making peace to show unbelievers their shared faith and the love of
Christ. Each party involved, whether directly or indirectly has a role
in the process of mending the conflict. Jesus tells us this in Mathew
5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of
God." Those who study the Bible refer to this as showing "common grace",
an small example of the grace that God has given us through the
sacrifice of His Son Jesus!
We should also as Christians be
the first to try to reconcile a conflict between ourselves and
nonbelievers in the same way. If they do not except apology, then we
again have done all we can do. The one thing that we can do in both
cases though is as God's Word says, Pray and be kind to your enemies,
"for it is like pouring hot coals upon their necks." Because at this
point it is between them and God, not you and them. (Matt.5:44,
Proverbs 25:22)
I will close by this quote, I believe by
Richard Baxter, "Do all you can to be reconciled to others, but remember
that you cannot force others to do what is right. If you have done
everything within your power to resolve a conflict, you have fulfilled
your responsibility to God and may stop trying to solve the problem
(Rom. 12:18)… It is not necessary or wise to waste time, energy, and
resources fretting about someone who stubbornly refuses to be
reconciled."
December 2011
Clint Baker
I am so glad you shared this topic. For the past three years I have struggled to reconcile with my sister (now in the church of Scientology, with no success.
ReplyDeleteMy prayer is to be able to say I have done what I can and have a clear conscience before the Lord.
Thank you.
Great post, Clint. Biblical reconciliation is one thing that I think most Christian's don't understand. I think most people think it means saying, "sorry" and "it's fine" or just "letting time heal the wounds" but really it is so much deeper than that. It involves repentance and forgiveness. Without biblical reconciliation there can't be restoration.
ReplyDeleteWe've had to deal with this in the church and with family.