Why Is Strife Evil?
Digging Deeper!

Why is Strife Evil? Digging Deeper!

Things Aren’t Always As They First Appear…

Proverbs 4:7 is one of my very favourite Scriptures in the whole Bible! It says in the NKJV:

Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

As a young, immature believer who often lacked understanding, I was at times drawn into arguments, particularly around God’s will to heal. I had to learn to shut these arguments down, when I realized that they were not fruitful and instead, leading to division and distress. Since the area of God’s healing is especially important for my life (as someone currently dealing with total physical blindness), I had to begin learning, painfully, that I must make every effort to grow in the knowledge of the truth in every area of God’s Word, and that strife in areas like healing,  can reveal something deeper in us, particularly pride.

Biblically speaking, strife can involve quarrelling, hostility, rivalry, and ongoing unhealthy conflict. There is a difference between healthy disagreement and discussion while wanting to seek and understand the truth, and prideful and arrogant back and forth arguing which produces no good fruit and instead causes disorder in the body of Christ. It’s God’s will that His children grow up and mature, taking responsibility for our words and actions!

Living With The Fear Of God

Proverbs 9:10 says: 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
(NKJV)

I believe that if we choose to live in the fear of God, we will have humility. We will have a strong dependence on God, understanding that we still have lots of growing and learning to do. This understanding will be reflected in our everyday attitudes, tone of voice, words, and actions. With the fear of God, we will understand that we are continually growing in the knowledge of God and realizing our blind spots. Personally, I value receiving constructive feedback from those who genuinely care for me, to help me grow, mature, and correct myself. I think back to how many times Jesus corrected and rebuked His disciples, including the time when the disciples were “unable” to heal the boy, but Jesus healed him! I believe it’s healthy for us to welcome God’s instructions, and even correction, if we want to grow up into  Christ more and more in all things(Ephesians 4:15)

Through Pride Comes Strife

The Bible says that through pride comes strife!

Proverbs 13:10 says:

 By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised is wisdom.

(NKJV)

Pride can sometimes be hard to recognize, and not always so obvious! I believe in the importance of constantly asking the Holy Spirit to help us identify any root of pride in our own heart, as well as pride at work in our environment, so we do not learn to imitate patterns that seem normal and acceptable, but beneath the surface, are harmful and problematic. For example: when questions are asked in an arrogant, accusatory way, I believe we must examine why they are being asked. Is one’s purpose to prove that he or she is right, or is the purpose to grow together in the knowledge of the truth and increase in our understanding so we may better represent Christ.

I will give a specific example of a question that gets asked more times than I want to hear it. “If it’s really God’s will to heal, why didn't X person get healed?” I believe we are asking the wrong question, as we often do. Not all things are for us to know, but God’s Word is definitely for us to do! Also, our experiences should not be used to interpret what God’s Word is teaching us.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NKJV) says:

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

The New Testament emphasizes, time and time again, the importance of putting our faith into practice and being doers of the Word.

James 1:22 (NKJV) says:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

1 John 3:18 (NKJV) says:

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

I believe there are many other questions we should be asking which are much more fitting than asking: “If it’s God’s will to heal, why didn’t X person get healed,” and then arguing about it!

Examples of more fitting questions:

Where is there a knowledge gap in my life of God’s Word? In what areas of God’s Word should I be searching diligently so that I may increase in God’s wisdom?

Since we know that faith works through love, how am I demonstrating God’s love today to those in my circle who are dealing with sickness?

How can I help and encourage my fellow believers, instead of tearing someone down today?

Why is Strife Evil?

God wants unity in the body of Christ. It’s His will that we love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and love our neighbour as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). These are the 2 most important commandments that Jesus taught. Everything that we do should be done by faith motivated by love (Galatians 5:6).

Strife causes division in the body of Christ. It’s not of the kingdom of God, but of the kingdom of darkness. 

James 3 contrasts earthly, sensual and demonic wisdom, with wisdom from above. The first category of wisdom (earthly, sensual and demonic)involves bitter envy and strife. James points out that the wisdom from above is “pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits”, and so forth.

James 3:16 (KJV) says the following:

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Personally, I’ve invested much time and effort to seek out the truth from God’s Word to remove all confusion from my life! I also want to follow God’s instructions so that I do not live in a way that opens the door for “every evil work!” 

James 4:6-7 (NKJV) says:

6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

As I often say in a number of situations: “In my own strength, I’m really not smart enough to figure this out!” This is why we need God’s empowering grace so that we can conduct our lives in a way that is consistent with the will of God, and in a way that allows us to accomplish God’s will. By grace through faith, we can also receive God’s salvation every day, as He gives us wisdom about how to deal with each problem, including those of sickness. I believe that seeking wisdom to know how to help and strengthen someone is a much better use of time than engaging in arrogant and contentious discussions to prove a point.

In Galatians 5, strife is listed as a work of the flesh, contrasted with the fruit of the spirit which is: “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” We are told to live and walk in the spirit, and we will not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:15)

A Broader Application

If, in the body of Christ, we were truly operating in faith that works through love, I believe a lot of our attitudes, words and actions would change. We would be seeking the interests of others much more, focused on how we can help, encourage, edify (or build up), and provide practical support to one another. When we disagree, conversations can be had with self-control and the fear of God, understanding that we will be judged for every idle word spoken (Matthew 12:36-37). Our words do reveal the condition of our heart.

Although I have focused on the area of healing specifically, these principles can be applied to other areas. Are we truly operating out of faith motivated by love, or are we operating in the flesh and seeking to be right? After we have lovingly explained what  we believe the Word of God says and someone wants to keep arguing, it’s often best to allow the Holy Spirit to do His work instead of continuing the discussion.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV) says:

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8. Love never fails…