Based on the writings of Ellen G. White, conflicts within the church teach several important lessons about Christian conduct, church authority, and the spiritual dangers that believers face.
### 1. The Method for Resolving Conflicts
The primary teaching is that disputes between believers should be settled within the church, following the biblical model.
* **Christ's Method:** She emphasizes Christ's specific instructions for conflict resolution: “‘If thy brother shall trespass against thee,’ the Saviour had counseled, ‘go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican’” (
AA 304.1)
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* **Avoiding Secular Courts:** Taking disputes to civil authorities is strongly discouraged as it brings shame upon the church.
* "Lawsuits between brethren are a reproach to the cause of truth. Christians who go to law with one another expose the church to the ridicule of her enemies and cause the powers of darkness to triumph. They are wounding Christ afresh and putting Him to open shame" (
AA 306.1)
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* "Christians should not appeal to civil tribunals to settle differences that may arise among church members... Even though injustice may have been done, the follower of the meek and lowly Jesus will suffer himself 'to be defrauded' rather than open before the world the sins of his brethren in the church" (
AA 305.2)
.
### 2. The Dangers and Causes of Conflict
Conflict often arises from internal spiritual failings and external pressures.
* **Spiritual Weakness:** A lack of vigilance allows Satan to create division. "Whenever a Christian is off his guard, this powerful adversary makes a sudden and violent attack. Unless the members of the church are active and vigilant, they will be overcome by his devices" (
5T 394.1).
* **Internal Corruption:** Selfishness and sin can corrupt church institutions from within. Describing a crisis at the publishing house in Battle Creek, she wrote: "It has become a place where injustice and fraud have been carried on, where selfishness, malice, envy, and passion have borne sway" (
8T 67.3).
* **Compromise with the World:** Conflict and apostasy enter when the church partners with the world. "The church of Jesus now is, by its false partnerships with an unbelieving world, giving up the divine methods of its true life, and yielding itself to the pernicious, though often plausible, habits of a Christless society" (
GC 387.1)
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* **Subtle Introduction of Error:** One of the greatest dangers is when error is introduced under the guise of Christianity. "Under a cloak of pretended Christianity, Satan was insinuating himself into the church, to corrupt their faith, and turn their minds from the word of truth" (
4SP 43.1).
### 3. The Role of Church Authority
Properly handling conflict requires respecting the authority God has given to His church.
* **Submission to the Church:** Individual judgment should be submitted to the collective body of the church. "Their course of action shows that they exalt their own judgment above that of the united church, and they are not careful to guard themselves lest they encourage a spirit of opposition to its voice" (
4T 17.2).
* **Collective Wisdom:** Important decisions should not be left to one person but should be submitted to the church so there can be unity. "God's ministers, ordained by Him as guides of His people, after doing their part are to submit the whole matter to the church, that there may be unity in the decision made" (
7T 263.4).
In summary, conflict teaches the church the necessity of following biblical procedures for resolution, the danger of spiritual laxity and worldly compromise, and the importance of respecting the God-given authority of the collective body of believers.
Ellen Chat