“Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” (I Peter 1:15)
Several years ago, I was involved in settlement negotiations over some litigation that had been working its way through the courts for a lengthy period of time. I realized while sitting through an afternoon of discussions that the very principles – which originally prompted the lawsuit – had somehow gotten lost among all of those lawyers.
While they argued over legal fees, the real issues about which we were supposed to be fighting no longer seemed to getting the priority that they deserved. In frustration, I told the judge that the case should be settled on the basis of what was best for the clients and not the lawyers. Indeed, the whole thing had taken a life of its own.
I thought about my life as a Christian and wondered if the lesson that I had brought from this experience could have any application in my own Christian walk. After all, Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” In other words, I have a choice to substitute godly qualities for human qualities. As a Christian, I have an opportunity to show that my devotion to the real issues never comes second.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:15 that Christians should always seek to handle their disputes privately. “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone.” His charge to us is not an option. He commands us to “go”.
Can you think of an occasion in your own Christian experience when you failed to live up to that command? I can tell you that while the Christian will ultimately forgive it and sometimes forget it, the unbeliever never will. Just think, others may not come to know Christ because of our failure to show that as Christians we choose to resolve our differences through Christian love. “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (I Peter 2: 1)
Paul warns us that using the legal system to resolve disputes between believers can often take a life of its own. He encourages us to seek other remedies and urges us to re-think our Christian conduct when differences between Christians occur.
“When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare take it to court before the unrighteous” (I Corinthians 6:1). In other words, while our legal system will solve our disputes, the judge and jury may not be Christians and may not be sensitive to Christian values. “I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, but a believer goes to court against a believer – and before an unbeliever at that?” (I Corinthians 6:5-6)
There’s nothing Satan loves to see more than two Christians fighting with each other. It helps him to convince the unbeliever, who often watches Christians go at each other from the sidelines, to focus on the problems of the church rather than its purpose.
Do you remember when Peter turned his back on Jesus? He promised Christ one night that he would never deny Him. However, Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him not once but three times that very night.
Peter never lived up to his promise. However, he realized – like all of us – that putting Christian principles to work doesn’t come overnight. In fact, he later wrote about it. “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self control; and to self control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 1:5-8)
Like Peter, we need to learn that the power to change doesn’t come from within us. It comes from God.
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