What causes conflict?

Proverbs 13:10Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.

Proverbs 28:25Greed causes fighting; trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.

Proverbs 30:33As the beating of cream yields butter and striking the nose causes bleeding, so stirring up anger causes quarrels.

James 4:1What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?

There are many reasons for how a conflict starts, but pride, greed, and anger are among the root causes more often than not. Our sinful human nature sows the seeds of most conflict.

2 Samuel 15:6, 12Absalom . . . stole the hearts of all the people of Israel. . . . and the conspiracy gained momentum.

James 4:2You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.

Conflict often begins when you aren’t getting what you want so you confront someone to try to get it. You want someone’s behavior to be different, you want your way on some issue, you want to win, you want some possession, you want someone’s loyalty. The list can go on and on. When the other person isn’t willing to give you what you want, you find yourself in conflict, which on a national or international scale can sometimes lead to open warfare.

Acts 15:37-39Barnabas . . . wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly. . . . Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated.

Conflict begins when two opposing viewpoints are not willing to find common ground.

Esther 3:5-6When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.

Conflict begins when your pride is hurt and you begin to plot your revenge.

Romans 7:18-19I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

Conflict begins when good confronts evil. The two cannot peacefully co-exist, so a battle begins.

Romans 7:22-23I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

Those who follow Christ experience conflict within themselves between the old sinful nature and the new spiritual nature.

Matthew 23:23-24“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!”

There are times when you must not ignore certain situations and must actually initiate conflict in order to speak for truth and justice. Jesus confronted the Pharisees not only for their hypocritical behavior, but also because of their destructive influence as teachers and leaders.