Biblical Conflict Resolution

Handling conflicts and disagreements within the church body according to the Scripture.

Mt 5:23-24 — Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Mr 11:25 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.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Our Tone

1 Timothy 5:1 — Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;

Entrapment is Un-Christlike

Job 6:24-27 — Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred. 25 How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove? 26 Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind? 27 Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.

You act toward your friend as hunters do toward wild beasts. They dig a pit and cover it over to conceal it, and the hunted animal falls into it. So you endeavor to entrap your friend. Jeremiah faced this treatement:

Jeremiah 18:20 &mdahs; Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.

And ...

ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: Ye would cast lots upon the fatherless, and make merchandise of your friend.

PERNICIOUS WORDS: having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way:

ORPHAN: a solitary person in distress; as well as, an orphan or one desolate (forsaken, abandoned)

Thoughts to Develop

• When you disagree with a brother's conclusions do not ignore his concerns. Some are easily offended.

Conflict: our doctrines of sin and grace greatly influence our spirit when dealing with conflicts with people.

Our beliefs concerning how God accomplishes his work of salvation and sanctification in the individual.

My experiences are not necessarily normative or to be expected as so.

Disfellowship... When ? Lessed are the peacemakers

Reconcile to God , others to others, others with yourself

Genuine concerns and conflicting concerns

Honesty should be the only policy regarding our commitment to the truth.

Willingness to Let wheat and tares grow together. What limits are there to this?

Willingness to bear a reproach in order to help someone.

Know your place ... Bro sis son father mother friend

Judgment in where the breakdown in relationships are. And act as it is and not what I think it should.

Not my desire but God's glory in every situation.

Words wound.take up for each other.

Compromise....