As people reconciled to God by the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, we believe that we are called to respond to conflict
in a way that is remarkably different from the way the world deals with
conflict. [1] We also believe that conflict provides
opportunities to glorify God, serve other people, and grow to be like Christ.2[2]
Therefore, in response to God's love and
in reliance on his grace, we commit ourselves to respond to conflict according
to the following principles:
Glorify
God
Instead of focusing on our own desires or dwelling on
what others may do, we will rejoice in the Lord and bring him praise by
depending on his forgiveness, wisdom, power, and love, as we seek to faithfully
obey his commands and maintain a loving, merciful, and forgiving attitude.3[3]
Get
the Log out of Your Eye
Instead of blaming others for a conflict or resisting
correction, we will trust in God's mercy and take responsibility for our own
contribution to conflicts—confessing our sins to those we have wronged, asking
God to help us change any attitudes and habits that lead to conflict, and
seeking to repair any harm we have caused.4[4]
Go
and Show Your Brother His Fault
Instead of pretending that conflict doesn't exist or
talking about others behind their backs, we will overlook minor offenses or we
will talk personally and graciously with those whose offenses seem too serious
to overlook, seeking to restore them rather than condemn them. When a conflict
with a Christian brother or sister cannot be resolved in private, we will ask
others in the body of Christ to help us settle the matter in a biblical manner.[5]
Go
and be reconciled
Instead of accepting premature compromise or allowing
relationships to wither, we will actively pursue genuine peace and
reconciliation—forgiving others as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us, and
seeking just and mutually beneficial solutions to our differences.[6]
By God's grace, we will apply these principles as a
matter of stewardship, realizing that conflict is an assignment, not an
accident. We will remember that success in God's eyes is not a matter of
specific results, but of faithful, dependent obedience. And we will pray that
our service as peacemakers will bring praise to our Lord and lead others to
know His infinite love.[7]
Adapted from The
Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict. © 1997, 2003
by Ken Sande. All Rights Reserved.
For more resources to help deal with conflict
resolution go to Berean Bible Church - New Orleans, http://www.bereannola.com/peacemaker/
[1] Matt.
5:9; Luke 6:27-36; Gal. 5:19-26.
[2] Rom.
8:28-29; 1 Cor. 10:31-11:1; James 1:2-4.
[3] Ps.
37:1-6; Mark 11:25; John 14:15; Rom. 12:17-21; 1 Cor. 10:31; Phil. 4:2-9; Col.
3:1-4; James 3:17-18; 4:1-3; 1 Peter 2:12.
[4] Prov.
28:13; Matt. 7:3-5; Luke 19:8; Col. 3:5-14; 1 John 1:8-9.
[5] Prov.
19:11; Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 6:1-8; Gal. 6:1-2; Eph. 4:29; 2 Tim. 2:24-26;
James 5:9.
[6] Matt.
5:23-24; 6:12; 7:12; Eph. 4:1-3, 32; Phil. 2:3-4.
[7] Matt.
25:14-21; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:18; 1 Peter 2:19; 4:19.
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