Overview
Strife—quarreling, contention, and conflict—is repeatedly condemned in Scripture as destructive to both personal relationships and the church. God desires His people to live in harmony, recognizing that strife often stems from pride, foolishness, and failure to walk by the Spirit. Overcoming strife requires intentional pursuit of peace and submission to God's wisdom.
Key Scriptures
"An angry man stirs up strife, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression" (Proverbs 15:18, NASB). "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions" (Galatians 5:19-20, ESV). "The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil" (2 Timothy 2:24, ESV).
Application
When conflict arises, respond with humility and a commitment to preserve unity in the Spirit rather than winning an argument or asserting your position.
✦ Scripture References 40 references
✦ Topical Scripture Breakdown 147 verses
A contentious disposition
A work of the flesh
An evidence of a carnal spirit
Appeased by slowness to anger
Avoid
Avoid questions that lead to
Blasphemy
Christ, an example of avoiding
Confusion and every evil work
Corinthians
Curious questions
Danger of joining in-Illustrated
Difficulty of stopping, a reason for avoiding it
Disciples
Do all things without
Drunkenness
Evidences a love of transgression
Excludes from heaven
Existed in the church
Fools engage in
Forbidden
Frowardness
General references
Hatred
Herdmen of Abram and of Lot
Herdmen of Gerar and of Isaac
Hypocrites make religion a pretence for
Injustice
Israelites
It is honourable to cease from
Judah and Israel
Judaising Teachers
Laban and Jacob
Lusts
Mutual destruction
Not act from
Not preach through
Not walk in
Paul and Barnabas
Pharisees and Sadducees
Praise God for protection from
Pride
Promoters of, should be expelled
Punishment for
Reprove
Saints kept from tongues of
Scorning
Seek God's protection from
Shameful in saints
Strength and violence of-Illustrated
Submit to wrong rather than engage in
Tale-bearing
Temporal blessing embittered by
Two Hebrews
Violence
Warn against
Wrath