In Christ we who were “dead in our transgressions and sins” were made alive in Christ Jesus who died in our place and was raised from the dead. He “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions” all because of His great love (Eph. 2:1-5). While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8) so we could be reconciled to Himself. He didn’t make us conform to His ways first in order to be accepted. He took the initiative and paved the way to making peace with Him possible. Imagine the difference it would make in church conflict if we had this same kind of motivation to reconcile with one another.
Motivation to Rise Above Conflict Due to the Character of the One Who Made Us Alive with Christ
Because of the richness of God’s mercy, we don’t receive the condemnation we deserve. Because of the incomparable riches of His grace, we receive the forgiveness and reconciliation we don’t deserve. Salvation is a gift, not something we must earn (Eph. 2:8-9). God’s great love motivated Him to express His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
The implication? — “… since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 Jn. 4:7-11).
We’re to walk in the love demonstrated to us in Christ Jesus (Eph. 5:2).
Evidence We’re Motivated by the Same Love
Since we are raised with Christ and no longer chained to our old sin nature, we are able to walk in our new nature which is evidenced by His character in us. We therefore clothe ourselves “with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col. 3:12). We find ourselves living out the next verse which says, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” All of these virtues are evident, bound “together in perfect unity”, when we “put on love” (Col. 3:14).
Let’s ask ourselves some questions:
- Are we willing to take the initiative toward reconciliation like God did with us?
- Do we extend forgiveness even though undeserved as the Lord forgave us?
We can love this way because the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us (Eph. 1:18-20) — the topic of the next post.
For More on These Topics:
All Posts about Conflict Management:
- Reason Conflict Management is an Important Skill for Leaders
- Not All Conflict is Bad
- A Litmus Test for Church Conflict
- Body Life Can Prevent Conflict
- Body Life Can Resolve Conflict
- Body Life Takes Responsibility in Conflict
- Conflict Hinders Fulfillment of the Great Commission
- The Right Mindset in Conflict
- The Right Reactions in Conflict
- Power of God Needed to Rise Above in Conflict
- To Rise Above Conflict, Go Back to the Gospel
- To Rise Above Conflict, Pray with the Right Motives
- To Rise Above Conflict, Rely on God’s Grace
- To Rise Above Conflict, Pull on People’s Spiritual Gifts
- To Rise Above Conflict, Follow God’s Word
- To Rise Above Conflict, Remember Who’s the Real Enemy
- Motivation to Rise Above Conflict
- Perspective and Power to Rise Above Conflict
- To Rise Above Conflict, Call on the Name of the Lord
- To Rise Above Conflict, Walk in the Spirit
- How Leadership Roles Affect Conflict Management