Willing To Confront - Peter And Paul

When Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.

Galatians 2:11

Former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula once talked to reporters about the importance of confronting his players’ mistakes in practice.

“What is a small flaw?” he asked. “I see that with my children. I’ve let a lot of things slide by because I was too tired. I didn’t want another confrontation. But uncorrected errors do multiply. You’ve got to face them some day. . . . If I could do it over again with my children, I’d face the errors on the spot. It’s easier on them and on you. That works in relationships with anyone.”

Few of us enjoy confrontation. We don’t like pointing out another person’s flaws, and we certainly don’t like having our own exposed, even when they need to be. Spiritual health sometimes calls for loving confrontation, which the apostle Paul demonstrated in an uncomfortable situation with the apostle Peter.

Peter had erred in refusing to dine with uncircumcised Gentile Christians after some Jewish Christians—who believed that salvation required circumcision—arrived in Antioch. Instead of standing for the true gospel of Christ that had ended the need for adherence to ceremonial law, Peter snubbed the Gentile believers.

Peter was clearly in the wrong, and Paul confronted him directly, man-to-man.

In so doing, Paul modeled the importance of loving confrontation with regard to crucial issues of faith. Paul knew that if he let this error slide, bigger errors would soon bury the young church. It had to stop right there.

Do you confront a person every time you believe he or she is wrong on some issue? Of course not. None of us is always right, and not all issues call for direct confrontation. But as a husband, father, friend, and brother in the faith, there will be times when God will ask you to confront and correct in love.

Confrontation is rarely easy, and it’s often not even appropriate. For serious issues that threaten the health or well-being of your family, church, or other significant group, you must find the courage to confront and correct someone in error regardless of the perceived risks.