How Should Christians Resolve Conflicts?

 

HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS RESOLVE CONFLICTS? 

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Conflict resolution is a critical issue of concern for the body of Christ. Conflicts vary from leadership related to congregational or interpersonal conflicts. The Bible provides a number of exhortations and guidelines on conflict resolution. Matthew 18 outlines steps for the resolution of interpersonal offences within the Christian community. 

In Acts 15, a major conflict between the Jewish and Gentile churches was resolved under the historical Jerusalem Council. The two church communions came together to discuss and address issues that stood between the Jewish church and the Gentile church. 

Elsewhere in Scripture, we learn that Paul and Barnabas sharply disagreed over John Mark accompanying them in a missionary journey in view of his conduct in a previous missionary assignment and this saw the two temporarily splitting up (Acts 15:36-41). It appears that the two ministers subsequently reconciled because Barnabas and John Mark are later mentioned as being in the company of Paul (Galatians 2:9, 13; 4:10). We are not privy to how this conflict was resolved. 

1 Corinthians 5 reveals that moral conflicts involving believers should be mediated by the congregational leaders. The Corinthians were apparently unable to resolve this conflict and Paul was compelled to pronounce himself on the matter. The responsibility of church leadership in resolving congregational conflicts is also implied in 1 Timothy 5:19 that relates to accusations of sinful conduct touching on a Christian elder. The Bible provides a higher threshold of two or three witnesses in this context. This is perhaps intended to avoid malicious accusations against elders given the sensitivity of their roles. 

A conflict of opinion appears to be contemplated in the case involving two women leaders in the church of Philippi (Philippians 4:2-3). The issues behind the conflict are not disclosed in this context but Paul asks the unnamed Philippi elder or overseer to reconcile the two women. We can only conclude that the matter was brought to Paul's attention perhaps because of its gravity and the fact that it may have been overlooked by the leadership. 

The Corinthian church conflict was partly precipitated by divided loyalties in the congregation. Sections of the congregation were reportedly allied to Paul, Peter, and Apollos, respectively. Those allied to Peter perhaps consisted of radical Jews that questioned Paul's apostolic authority (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:5-33). Paul defended his apostolic authority on a number of occasions. He was commissioned by Jesus as an apostle to the Gentiles while Peter, John and James were in charge of the Jerusalem church. 

Apollos was a visiting evangelist who was instructed in the way of Christ by a faithful Jewish couple, Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus (Acts 18:24-28). He later left Corinth in circumstances that appear to be linked to the Corinthian conflict. The fact that he was reluctant to return to Corinth despite Paul imploring him to do so is perhaps instructive of this (1 Corinthians 16:12). 

It took Paul's apostolic intervention to contain the Corinthian conflict. He wrote two New Testament Letters to the Corinthians. Paul reminded the Corinthians about the preeminence of Christ in the church and the fact that church ministers were merely stewards of God's grace (1 Corinthians 3:1-17; 4:1-2). This exhortation is amplified by Peter when addressing Christian elders (1 Peter 5:2-4).

Paul's second Letter to the Corinthians reveals that the conflict had yet to fully dissipate even though it had been considerably buttressed. Some emotional wounds were yet to heal. Paul was conciliatory in his tone and this could be evidence that his first Letter was fairly harsh (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:2-12). 

As regards doctrinal conflicts, Scripture reveals that they are to be resolved within the authority of Biblical doctrine. Christian doctrine should be exclusively developed from the revelation and authority of Scripture. No matter how finely they may be written, non Biblical writings cannot inform Christian doctrine. Similarly, no Christian leader can speak the mind of God outside the authority of Scripture.

Elsewhere in Scripture, we learn that Paul excommunicated two heretics in Ephesus in the hope that they would cease to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20). Other passages of Scripture reveal that heresy and apostasy would be a defining feature in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-9; 4:1-5; Jude 1:1-19). Christian communities should therefore guard their doctrine and should refute false teaching at the earliest opportunity (Jude 1:3).

CONCLUSION 

Scripture requires that Christian conflicts should be resolved for the sake of the unity of the body of Christ. We are to forgive one another and to mind one another's welfare. God reconciled us in Christ Jesus. He took the initiative in providing the atonement for our sin such that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). 

We too should seek to be reconciled to our brethren whenever we offend them and forgive those that offend us. In all circumstances, the authority of Scripture remains paramount in Christian conflict resolution.

Colossians 3:12-13 says "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do (NKJV). 

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

Four Dimensions of the Gilgal Experience

FOUR DIMENSIONS OF THE GILGAL EXPERIENCE 

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Gilgal is geographically located in the Jordan Valley not far from Bethel. It is a location that bears great historical significance to God's covenant people. This article seeks to outline a biblical reflection on four dimensions of Gilgal that can be distilled from the study of the relevant passages of Scripture. 

First, Gilgal is the place where the passover was first celebrated after God's people crossed the Jordan River into the promised land (Joshua 4). This celebration marked a significant historical phase since the redemption of Israel from Egyptian slavery. It brought to a resounding close their 40 year wilderness journey. The children of Israel were therefore ushered into a new dispensation of their covenant relationship with God in the promised land. 

Secondly, Gilgal is the location where the covenant renewal for Israel was done through ritual circumcision. This was done immediately God's people crossed the Jordan River (Joshua 5:2-9). The new generation of God's people was initiated through physical circumcision as a reminder of their covenant relationship with God that was first made with Abraham (Genesis 15, 17).

This physical rite symbolizes the admission of God's people into their Abrahamic covenant. It was punctuated by a powerful divine system. God proclaimed that He had rolled away the reproach of Egypt from His people (Joshua 5:9). The pain and shamed of sinful bondage is rolled away when we turn to Christ and abide in a covenant relationship with Him. 

On the flip side, this rite symbolizes our unmerited access to the bountufulnes of the covenant life in Christ Jesus through our admission to God's household (1 John 1:12; Ephesians 2). It is a reflection of our covenant maturity, where the believer matures to spiritual adulthood. It is equally symbolic of how the Gentile people who had been separated from God were crafted into God's covenant community through the atonement in Christ. It mirrors the transformative power of the gospel in the heart of a repentant sinner that turns to Christ upon conviction of sin (Romans 2:29; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 2:11). 

Thirdly, Gilgal is where God's supply of manna ceased and the people began to eat of the fruit of the promised land (Exodus 16:35; Joshua 5:10-12). Manna was provided to Israel to sustain them through the wilderness journey. It was a temporary provision whose divine purposes were served during the wilderness experience. 

The cessation of manna symbolizes our maturity in Christ, the point at which we wax strong in the faith and defy the cunningness of Satan (Ephesians 4:12-16). It marks our transition from the investiture of basic or elementary truths to the assimilation of core Christian doctrines; from milk to meat (1 Corinthians 3:3-4). 

Finally, Gilgal metaphorically represents the point in our Christian journey where we are compelled to look back to the milestones that we have achieved and where we glorify God for His covenant faithfulness. This is significant step for a covenant community before moving forward into the new dispensation. It is a commemorative moment that is informed by the alertness and prudence in our knowledge of Christ. 

Gilgal therefore reminds us of the greatness of God in the past even as we face the future with confidence and hope. We should never ever forget where God brought us from even during the most trying afflictions of life. 

Whenever we are reminded of the greatness of God, we are strengthened in our resolve to face every obstacle that stands in our way. His immeasurable grace abides with us. We should therefore never forget His great hand through the struggles and afflictions of life. 

Samuel placed a commemenrative stone between Shen and Mizpah in order to remind the generations of God's people about God's covenant faithfulness to Israel when the Philistines were resoundingly defeated (1 Samuel 7:12). Samuel's exhortation was informed by the Gilgal experience. He led Israel to the restoration and renewal of their covenant relationship with God (cf. 1 Samuel 7:12-14).

Psalm 20:7 proclaims that some trust in chariots, others in horses but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 

Have you tested the Gilgal experience? 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

A Biblical Reflection on Esther 2

 

A BIBLICAL REFLECTION ON ESTHER 2.

By Ezekiel Kimosop

Esther 1 captures the events leading to the dethronement of Queen Vashti following her defiance against the king’s command that she appears before his royal guests. The circumstances leading to the removal of Vashti appear to have been largely informed by the king’s drunken stupor during the royal banquet hosted in celebration of his vast royal achievements. 

In Esther 2, the reader of Scripture is introduced to a new scene. A long period of time appears to have elapsed since the occurrence of the incidents described in Esther 1. There is evidence from Esther 2:16 that a four-year span separates the events describe in Esther 1 and Esther 2. This is a pretty long period for a heathen royal to live without a royal consort. Bible scholars say that king Ahasuerus had by this time made an unsuccessful attempt to capture Greece and had returned to Persia humiliated and perhaps sought to cheer his heart through sensual diversions.[1] The king had perhaps realized that he had been carried away by the haste of irrational judgment during is banishment of Vashti.  

Vashti was gone and with her departure came a dark void in the king’s life. The king began to remember Vashti not in the context of the royal vacuum that she left but perhaps for the companionship that he now missed. The king’s attendants noticed his predisposition and quickly crafted a solution. They proposed to the king that a replacement for Vashti should be sought among beautiful virgins. The proposal received the king’s nod (vv. 2-4). Josephus, an ancient Jewish historian supposes that about 400 women were chosen in the pageant and kept in the king’s harem. 

The writer of Scripture pens a brief description of Esther and her heritage in vv. 5-8. It is instructive that Mordecai is first introduced because his pivotal role will stand out through the succeeding events. He was a Benjamite from the family of Kish, a clan that is reputed for raising Saul, the first king of Israel. Mordecai’s father carried the clan’s name. The fact that his father, Kish was carried away from Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, along with King Jeconiah suggests that he was possibly part of the senior royal officials that served in the royal courts of Judah before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. It was common for Middle Eastern societies to use members of the Jewish royal captives in the administration of their royal courts. Daniel and his three friends were recruited into the imperial courts of Babylon on the same score (Daniel 1:3-7).  

Esther is described as an orphan, the daughter of Mordecai’s uncle. Mordecai adopted her following her father’s death. She had also lost the mother. The circumstances of their demise are not disclosed. Scholars say that Esther and Mordecai were part of the remnant Jewish community who chose to stay on after the Ezra group returned to Judah (Ezra 1). Mordecai was perhaps a senior court official in Persia and his strategic position may have been instrumental and timely. He was able to introduce Esther into the beauty pageant and linked her to senior court officials in charge of the king’s harem. Esther’s Jewish name is revealed as Hadassah which means “myrtle”, a tree that would replace the briars and thorns of the desert. Some consider this name to bear some prophetic significance given Esther’s subsequent influence in the royal courts of Persia.

Esther gains the favour of Hegai, the custodian of the women (vv. 8-9). It is tempting for the reader to be carried away by the mere beauty of this Jewish lady. Her success was however informed more by God’s divine favour than her physical complexion. God opened the corridors of power for Esther to ascend to the second highest office in Persia. 

Notice that Hegai is earlier described as a eunuch (v.2). He was perhaps a close acquaintance of Mordecai within the royal courts. Joyce Balwin observes that Hegai is mentioned by Greek historian Herodotus as being an officer of king Ahasuerus.[2] This perhaps lends credence to the view that Hegai held a highly influential position and the historical validity of the royal events described in the Book of Esther.

The fact that Esther was instructed by Mordecai not to reveal her Jewish identity is perhaps instructive of the racial tensions in the Persian society. The Jews may have been victims of state sponsored racial discrimination in the Persian empire. The reader will come to discover in Esther 3 that there were powerful people in the Persian imperial corridors who were sworn enemies of the Jewish people who sought their decimation.

The lengthy preparations for the beauty contest are consistent with the culture of the Persians, given the climatic conditions of the region (vv.12-13). Matthew Poole notes that the oils and perfumes were necessary because “the bodies of men and women in those hot countries did of themselves yield very ill scents, if not corrected and qualified by art.”[3]

Esther demonstrates modesty and simplicity in her dealings with the eunuchs. The choice of Esther as queen was finally settled and the king sets the crown on her head and made her queen in the place of Vashti who had been deposed (vv.15-18). This is the divine moment for Esther and the Jewish people in Persian captivity.

The incident recorded in vv.19-23 is perhaps both an anticlimax and a divine opportunity rolled together. While it appears to soil the captivating narrative touching on Esther’s ascension to the coveted position of queen of Persia, it offered her cousin, Mordecai, an opportunity to have his name recorded in the royal archives. Mordecai foiled the assassination plot targeting the king and reported it to Esther who then informed the king with a credit to Mordecai. This royal record will be instrumental in Mordecai’s elevation to one of the highest offices in Persia in Esther 6-7. 

The threat of assassination was real. Historians say that Ahasuerus was later assassinated by one of his senior officials who facilitated the ascension of Artaxerxes 1 to the throne.  The two doorkeepers, Bigthan and Beresh are found guilty and executed on the gallows (vv. 23). Historians say that this method of execution was extremely cruel and was intended to result in a slow and painful death. It was reserved for the king’s enemies. The execution of the two doorkeepers closes the writer’s account of Esther 2. It heralds the beginning of a major conspiracy that will be encountered in Esther 3.

MORAL LESSONS FROM ESTHER 2

1.      God works in mysterious ways to fulfil His purposes for His covenant people no matter where they are found in life. He uses ordinary people and divine agents in the corridors of power to achieve His purposes. We should never shy away from opportunities when they come. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20)

2.      God is not a respecter of persons. He can lift the most disadvantaged or lowly people in society for His glory. He picked out Esther, an orphan and a member of a minority people in captivity for elevation to the highest position in Persia. He can reach out to anyone irrespective of their position or social class in society. He answered the prayer of Jabez, an insignificant person whose story is captured in only two verses (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

3.      Racial and ethnic tags may matter to men but they are irrelevant in the eyes of God. He breaks such barriers in raising people for His divine purposes.

4.      Young people should seek and heed the counsel of their parents, guardians and godly elders, as appropriate, in order to succeed in life. Proverbs 6:20 says “My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck” (Proverbs 6:20-21).

5.      God honors those who lift others in life. Mordecai was instrumental in not only adopting Esther but in seeking opportunities for elevating her in society. God later elevated Mordecai in the royal corridors of Persia (Esther 6-7).

6.      The quality of advisors in the corridors of power is significant for the stability of the nation or organization. A kingdom is established under wise counsel and destroyed by foolish advisors. Scripture proclaims that wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of a city (Eccl. 7:19; cf. 12:12, Prov. 1:7, 2:7).  

7.      Never despise people based on their present circumstances of life. You never know where you will meet them in future. Remember that Joseph was lifted from an Egyptian dungeon to the second highest office in the land (Genesis 41). 

 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

---

               [1] David Guzik, “Study Guide for Ether 2” in Blue Letter Bible Ministry, https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/esther/esther-2.cfm accessed on 31 October 2023 at 0800 GMT.

               [2] Joyce G. Baldwin, "Esther: An Introduction and Commentary" in Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Vol. 13 (Nottingham, England: InterVarsity Press, 1984)

                [3] Matthew Poole, A Commentary on the Holy Bible, Volume 1 (Genesis-Job) (London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1968)