Subject: IS there any answers out there? |
Bible Note: Peace with Each Other ---------------------------------- "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." Romans 12:18 [NASB] The indication is, that it may not always be possible to be at peace with all men. "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." Mark 9:50 "So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another." Romans 14:19 "Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Cor. 13:11 "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3 "But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another." 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 We live in a world where everyone has been corrupted by a sinful nature. Once, we were in conflict with God, ourselves, and with all people. Now, we are called to love, serve and comfort one another, even in difficult times. Personality conflicts? We can have personality conflicts without having war between each other; without shutting each other out. Do we have (theological) conflicts in the way we believe? We must not tear each other down or gossip against each other, bringing down condemnation on us in front of those who do not believe. The Lord will be our judge, and many of our deep, theological disagreements will only be settled by the Lord in His glory (Micah 3:1). There is no sin in admitting that we are wrong. If all Christians have to believe exactly the same thing about every single passage of Scripture, then woe be to the church! For instance, we can argue all day long on the sequence of the events of the Second Coming of Christ. We find ourselves arguing over selfish reasons, and forget: "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21 We allow our pride and selfishness to have dominance over us. But we have the power and the capacity to live in peace with most people, most of the time. "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." Romans 12:18 We can have theological differences in opinion. That is certainly allowed! But we must decide and make the choice: Are we going to live in peace? Or are we not going to live in peace? That is the challenge for us. Is it God's desire for us to live in peace? Yes. (John 13:34-35) Does he expect that we can live in peace? No. (John 2:25) "If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18 How do we deal with disagreements between us and still be at peace? Are our relationships between us valuable enough to us that we are willing to live at peace with one another? We must say, "Yes, our relationships are valuable enough to us to save our relationships between each other, if we can." We must keep the communication flowing between us- both talking and listening to each other- regarding disagreements. When we discontinue communicating, then its over, and we board up our walls of defense, killing the relationship. We must be willing to listen, talk, willing to be honest, open and transparent to each other. We also must get to the "root cause", what is the "bottom line"? Just WHAT is it that keeps us from having peace? Once we get to that "root cause", then we can identify specifically where we went wrong. We must be willing to say, "I am willing to work at this." [continued...] |