Wise Up!

It is a sad thing when differences between Christians end up in the civil courts for resolution. Matters of property ownership and financial mismanagement can end up in the courts. For Paul, that is defeat (7). The church is to be a place of reconciliation, a model to the world of resolving conflict without recourse to the standards of wisdom and judgment represented by the world’s courts (2:6). The church will always be a place of conflict because it is made up entirely of sinners, but it should never be a place of gritted teeth, dug-in heels and a refusal to budge; it should never resort to legal redress to settle disputes.

Going to law undermines the witness of the church and its distinctive approach to conflict resolution. The people of God are imbued with the wisdom of God (2:12-16) and will be called upon to use that wisdom to exercise judgment on the final day (2,3). It seems an esoteric argument, but it reinforces the shame of believers with such future responsibilities when they are unable to resolve disputes here and now.

The development of the win-win concept in negotiation has many positives, not least in the way it favors compromise. However, win-win is not always the Christian approach. If the church is to be a place of reconciliation, that will sometimes mean losing (7), allowing the other party to get away with it! If Paul sees going to law as “defeat,” then there is another kind of acceptable “defeat” in which I choose not to claim my right of reply, not to seek redress when I am cheated, not to ensure I am paid back every last penny I am owed. It is that kind of Christ-like spirit that singles out those in the Kingdom of God.

Pray for the church, so compromised and indistinctive. Give thanks for the church as a place of reconciliation and hope. What is your part in both of these areas?