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Christianity and Quarreling Shouldn't Go Hand in Hand
Christianity and Quarreling Shouldn’t Go Hand in Hand
Have you ever noticed how many times the apostle Paul commanded Christians to quell the quarreling? Look up quarrel in the dictionary and you’ll find something like this:
– noun
an angry dispute or altercation; a disagreement marked by a temporary or permament break in friendly relations.
a cause of dispute, complaint, or hostile feeling: She has no quarrel with her present salary.
- verb
to disagree angrily; squabble; wrangle.
to end a friendship as a result of a disagreement.
to make a complaint; find fault.
If I am of Christ, I shouldn’t have the reputation of a quarreler.Says who? Here’s a sample of God-breathed instruction taken from just three books of the New Testament—Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus.
I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling. (1 Tim 2:8)
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. (1 Tim 3:1-7)
Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. (1 Tim 3:8-11)
Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (1 Tim 4:11-12)
Do not sharply rebukean older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers. (1 Tim 5:1, NASB)
Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. (1 Tim 5:9-13)
Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. (1 Tim 6:2-5)
Article by Jason Hardin to be continued next week the Lord wiling.
