Lessons from Paul on handling conflict and other difficulties
By Dean Collins
I have often written about difficulty. And I will again. As followers of Christ, we “share his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). We live here in a world broken by sin. And while we have experienced forgiveness for our sins through the cross of Calvary and are being renewed daily, we remain in between our moment of transformation and the final return of Christ when all brokenness will be restored. And in the in-between, there will always be difficulties, tensions, sickness, suffering, and challenge.
Jesus did not hold back in his explanations of the things to come with his disciples, and neither did the apostle Paul in his epistles. They both foretold of suffering and modeled a path we can follow in how to endure suffering. As I read the first chapter of 2 Corinthians, I am struck with how the apostle Paul managed a relationship with his brothers and sisters in Corinth in a season of tension and strained relationships.
Some in the church saw Paul as weak and demonstrating cowardice because he had not come back to Corinth to face those who disagreed with him. But Paul insisted he was and would be for this church and, more importantly, Jesus was with them and for them. I think there are some lessons to be learned from how Paul handled this challenge and opposition.
1. Approach difficulty with simplicity and godly sincerity, not earthly wisdom. The temptation might always be to drift to the world’s solutions in managing conflict and addressing people problems. It seems that current culture suggests we call out conflict, make it public, and tell others who we think is right and wrong. Paul suggests that we address conflict and difficulty with simplicity, which I believe involves humility. If we want to operate with God’s wisdom and display his sincerity, then we must pray to understand our role and responsibility before we jump into correcting someone else.
2. Remember we will often receive criticism even when we do the right thing. Paul hadn’t actually done anything wrong in regard to the Corinthian church. There were reasons he had not been able to see them in person. Their criticism was not justified, and yet they were still critical of Paul. It takes a higher level of spiritual maturity to endure unjust criticism. I will confess this sometimes comes easier than at other times. Meanwhile, when we discover we are wrong, spiritual maturity and godly sincerity should allow us to admit our mistakes and receive correction.
When addressing the mistakes of others, godly sincerity and clarity mean that we can point out the mistakes of others, offer forgiveness, and work to find new ways to support each other and solve conflicts.
3. Focus on Jesus. While it might seem overly simplistic, in reality everything we do must be centered in the mission of Christ. Jesus is the one who came to earth to reconcile us with God and us with each other. In order to do our part we must remember that while the world may operate from an us-and-them mentality, we cannot. God loves and is for each of us. It is important that we remember God loves, died for, and wants to have a relationship with the people we are in conflict with. We may be the very ones God wants to use to demonstrate how much he loves the person who has wronged us.
4. God has placed his Holy Spirit in us as a seal that indicates we are his. He promises us that we will be in eternity with him. We can shout AMEN! What God has promised he will deliver. As his beloved, we treat others with kindness, and sincerity and never boast in our rightness. Instead, we brag on Jesus and what he has accomplished in us and understand he wants to establish the same even in those who oppose us, resist us, and try to hurt us.
Lord Jesus thank you for the amazing gift of forgiveness and a transformed life in Christ. Thank you for the promise you have given and sealed through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Forgive us when we default to thinking and acting with earthly wisdom when we have divine help available to us. Help us treat others with kindness and the simplicity and godly sincerity that you have given us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
2 Corinthians 1:12-24 ESV
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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