Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
You’ve noticed, I’m sure, that disagreement and conflict is a major part of the human journey. If you’ve been a parent, then you remember how often you corrected or reprimanded or disciplined your child. If you had more than one child, I’m sure you remember many times you were the referee or maybe even the police in your home! And all of us remember the childhood fights we were in, right? Perhaps you even have a scar or two from sibling quarrels which turned into brawls! Sadly, as we age our disagreements become more complex and require more sophisticated resolutions, thus the need for courtrooms, judges, juries, attorneys, laws, police and prisons. And it’s true no matter where you live in the world or what generation you are part of, right?
Once again, our friend the apostle Paul has such wise and relevant things to say! We’re with him these days as he is writing to the Christians in Corinth, in the sixth chapter of his letter that we know as 1 Corinthians. Paul was shocked that he’d heard a report from Corinth that believers were unable to resolve their differences and so were hauling each other into public court! Paul writes: “Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge disputes between believers? But instead, one brother goes to court against another – and this in front of unbelievers!” (1 Cor. 6:5,6) Do you hear Paul’s concerns here?
First is the fact that people claiming to be brothers and sisters in Christ cannot resolve their differences without a legal battle in court!
Second is that when Christians haul each other into public court, they often stand before arbitrators or judges or juries who are NOT believers in Jesus and therefore worldly wisdom is applied rather than Godly wisdom.
And third, maybe most grievous, is that unbelievers watching this conclude that the work of God transforming a person into a God honoring Christ follower is not genuine. While Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace” He is evidently not able to help His followers find mutually respectful agreement in their differences and those differences explode to conflict just like all other people who claim no relationship with God, whatsoever. Now ponder that a moment friends, do you see why Paul is so concerned? What about your city, your society and mine? Are the same things true of us?
Paul continues: “The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters in Christ!” (1 Cor. 6:7,8) We understand that don’t we, my friends? When we feel we’ve been cheated, we’ve been wronged, something rises up inside us which demands justice. Something else also rises up which calls for retribution, for getting even, for hurting the other person even more than they hurt me, right?
What is that friends? Oh, that is NOT the Holy Spirit of God, rather that is the work of the dark kingdom tempting us to turn away from God and the truths which Jesus taught, and instead embrace the demonic world influence on our attitudes, choices, words and behavior as we strike back seeking to wound the person who did us wrong.
But Paul is reminding these Corinthian Christians of what he had taught them about Jesus. Even though mocked, abandoned by His friends, denied and publicly ridiculed, beaten and eventually crucified, Jesus had prayed “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:43) and Jesus had NOT retaliated. Jesus had instructed Peter to put his knife away and actually picked up the severed ear and healed one of the men who had come to arrest Jesus in the garden! (Luke 22:51)
Do you notice Paul then challenges his friends in Corinth to consider that BEHAVIOR flows out of the SOUL! Paul writes “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?” And then Paul gives a long list of obvious wickedness which is seen in every generation, in every part of the world. Paul reminds these Corinthian Christians that the list is behavior which they were all involved in BEFORE they trusted in Jesus Christ to save them. They knew that of course, as we all do! Then Paul challenges them and us with this: “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God!” (1 Cor. 6:11)
“You were washed” of course means the atonement blood of Jesus Christ was applied by God to their sinful past, and God erased those sins from their record!
“You were sanctified” means the Holy Spirit of God cleansed them from the stain of their wicked sins and birthed in them a new, holy spiritual nature and even took up residence within them.
And “you were justified” means Almighty God took the holiness of Jesus and the Holy Spirit and placed that holiness on these people, while removing from them their wickedness. God did all this in response to their repentance from their sin and by the power of the Holy Spirit of God! They were united with Jesus Christ, adopted into God’s family, and declared to be God’s holy people.
BUT… Paul is challenging them to recognize that their words, the slander, their malicious talk, their anger, their lawsuits, their dragging fellow Christians into public court are all words and actions which DENY their claim to be born again, redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s a strong challenge for them and for us isn’t it my friends? You see Paul wants us to understand that if our salvation is genuine, then God will transform us into ‘new creations in Christ’ and we leave behind the old ways of thinking, the old desires of our wicked hearts, and everything is made new as our primary desire and objective in life is to honor holy God at all times. Practically that means we do not retaliate but rather we discuss and seek resolution among fellow Christ followers. We seek fellow Christians to arbitrate in our unresolvable disagreements, and we do not file lawsuits against fellow Christians. We seek to resolve our differences quietly, in private with other Christ followers, not out in public where so easily it will dishonor Jesus.
So let’s get really honest with ourselves and with Paul about this. How do we respond to unfairness, injustice, anger, slander, malice, and other words or actions which hurt us? What happens in our minds and hearts, deep in our souls, as we reflect on the wrong that has been said or done to us? Do we seek revenge or do we seek God’s glory and reconciliation with those who have wronged us? Do we seek the arbitrating help of a Christian friend if we can’t seem to bring God honoring resolution to the conflict? Do we pray for the one who has hurt us? Do we invite them to join us in seeking God’s healing power and unity in drawing us together as brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we showing the world who watches us that Jesus Christ is the “Prince of Peace”, and He does lead His people to peaceful living with each other?
In closing today, here’s a powerful summary statement Paul wrote to his friends in Rome: “Live in harmony with each other…Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right… If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.“ (Romans 12:16-18) Oh friends, let’s spend some time talking with Jesus about this really important issue of living in peace, with each other, for God’s glory. And here’s an old song you might recognize friends, that calls us to live in the peace that only God can give us!
Today’s Scripture is 1 Corinthians 6:4-11.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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