As the gospel renews us internally, it also flows out of us to bring renewal to our relationships. Nothing is more common to relationships than conflict. In this article, we will consider how the gospel helps us fight fairly. Perhaps the conflict was with your spouse, a family member, or a work associate. Now, set aside the circumstances of the argument what the issue was, how it made you feel, who was right or wrong and take a moment to ponder your actions during the conflict. Your behavior probably falls into one of two categories.
Some people are attackers. They like to be on the offensive. They place a high value on justice, so it matters greatly to them who is right and who is wrong.
Below are signs that you might be an attacker. On the other end of the spectrum are withdrawers. People with this tendency often find themselves on the defensive. They tend to avoid or ignore conflict and, when pressed into an argument, they respond in sullen silence or apathetic passivity.
These are typical ways we respond to disagreement, frustration, offense, or hurt. How, then, do we move toward resolving conflict in a biblical manner? This quarrel arose as the early church was expanding beyond Jerusalem and many Gentiles were being converted to faith in Jesus. The Jewish Christians imported some of their traditional practices into their worship of Jesus.
The Gentiles, on the other hand, had no allegiance to Jewish customs like circumcision or dietary regulations. Peter, a Jew, understood the gospel well enough to embrace the new Gentile believers with no strings attached Acts โ But his application of the gospel got tested when he found himself in mixed company. Some legalistic Jewish teachers from Jerusalem had begun to impose Jewish customs and laws on Gentile converts. When these teachers came to Antioch, where Peter was fellowshipping and eating with Gentiles, Peter began to separate himself from the Gentiles.
