Civil Wars — A LifeWords Devotion

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (NIV)

Following Jesus involves waging a certain sort of war against the evil one, and all who do his work. It takes energy, courage, and wisdom to carry on the fight. But that fight is made much harder if those who follow Jesus are at war with themselves. So much time and energy can be spent on disputing with other Christians. So much passion in determining whether those who disagree with us are really Christians in the first place.

Such civil wars within the Christian community don’t help our cause. They are often anything but civil. Our dirty linen is on display to the watching world as we debate the finer points of doctrine, and disagree on what words might mean.

This doesn’t mean there is no room for differences of opinion. Serious error needs to be confronted. None of us has all the truth, and we have much to learn… even from those in different camps. Our text suggests that the way we go about disagreeing is the key. Gentleness rather than harshness, humility rather than arrogance. And perhaps wisely choosing what battles to fight and what to leave aside.

We do have to guard the message of Jesus from distortion and avoid misleading others, and being misled ourselves. But we are left with two challenges. When can we wisely agree to disagree and when do we draw a line in the sand? And the second challenge is to draw such lines with firm yet gentle grace.