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Biblical Conflict Resolution: Responding with Grace and Truth
By Dave Jenkins | Anchored in the WordConflict touches our marriages, families, friendships, churches, and workplaces. In this episode of Anchored in the Word, Dave Jenkins explains how Christians can respond with truth, humility, patience, and forgiveness. Drawing from Ephesians 4:31–32 and Matthew 18:15, he shows how God’s mercy in Christ shapes our response when relationships become difficult.Listen or Watch
Biblical Conflict Resolution Begins with the Gospel
Paul calls believers to put away bitterness, anger, slander, and malice, and to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. The foundation for this response is the mercy God has shown us in Jesus Christ. Remembering His grace helps us examine our own hearts and respond faithfully when others sin against us.Conflict can expose pride, resentment, and a desire for revenge. Rather than focusing only on another person’s wrongdoing, Christians should also consider how Christ calls them to speak, listen, repent, and forgive.Seeking Restoration with Truth and Humility
In Matthew 18:15, Jesus instructs believers to address a brother’s sin directly and privately. The aim is restoration. Gossip, recruiting allies, and turning private disagreements into public spectacles work against that aim.Dave also explains why forgiveness, reconciliation, and trust must be distinguished. Forgiveness does not minimize sin or automatically restore a relationship. Reconciliation ordinarily involves repentance and honesty, while rebuilding trust may require time, accountability, pastoral involvement, and appropriate boundaries.Six Practical Steps for Biblical Conflict Resolution
- Examine your own heart. Ask the Lord to expose pride, bitterness, anger, and sinful motives.
- Address the matter directly. Speak graciously and truthfully rather than gossiping or assuming motives.
- Listen carefully. Seek to understand instead of preparing your next argument.
- Repent sincerely. Name your sin, ask for forgiveness, and seek to make things right where appropriate.
- Be willing to forgive. Remember the mercy God has shown you in Christ.
- Pursue peace with wisdom. Remain faithful without compromising truth or trying to force another person’s repentance.
Scripture Discussed
- Ephesians 4:31–32
- Matthew 18:15
- James 1:19–20
- Romans 12:18
- Colossians 3:13
A Faithful Step This Week
Consider a conflict in your life. Do you need to have a conversation, listen more carefully, repent, or forgive? Perhaps you have taken the steps Scripture requires and need to entrust the outcome to the Lord. Ask God for humility and wisdom to honor Christ as you pursue truth and peace.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
