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Very Good — That’s how God described His own creation. Even though He filled it with differences and diversity among all living things, it was very good. Harmony existed among the different plants, animals, fish, forests, and ecosystems. All that God had made was good and beautiful.

Sin — Man’s rebellious actions, and now our sinful flesh, take differences—something God created for good—and twist them into disunity. Differences become opportunities we humans seize for disagreement and rebellion. Whether we disagree with God, with other people, or whether we perceive that God disagrees with us, there is no shortage of conflict in this world.

Does God’s Word talk about disagreement? In Genesis alone, Scripture is full of examples showing sin’s ability to wreak havoc among people through disagreement and differences. On Sunday, Pastor walked us through several Scriptural accounts in Genesis, along with observations and applications we can glean from them.

  1. Our desires affect the way we see things and act.

In Genesis 3, Eve was enticed by her desires. When she looked at the forbidden fruit and saw that it was desirable, she was tempted to disagree with God’s declaration of what is good and right. How often do we justify our disagreement with God because of our desires?

God commands His children to be pure, yet our desires make excuses to behave as we wish. God commands me to love my wife and children as Christ loved the church. But my desire for sleep or my “need” to do the things I want can challenge this self-sacrificing command.

  1. When confronted with our sin, we often blame others instead of responding with humility.

This was exactly what Adam and Eve did when God called them out on their sin. When something goes wrong at work, it’s easy for me to point out something a coworker did wrong. Instead of seeking a solution or making things right, I may make matters worse by slandering a coworker or telling others, “It wasn’t my fault.”

  1. Our responses to conflict are often disproportionate to the problem.

In response to Jacob’s underhanded and deceitful behavior, Esau wanted to kill him. I may chuckle at my children’s over-the-top reactions when one takes a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy from the other. Yet my own hypocrisy is revealed when I get frustrated or angry with a fellow Walmart shopper who took my parking spot near the cart corral.

We may not threaten murder, but oversized reactions are not in short supply when we feel we have been wronged.

  1. We sometimes project false assumptions about God’s intentions.

Pastor put it this way: “We can at times, given our limited knowledge and wisdom, project on God His intent and actions what may not be true or fair. We may find that, as events turn out, our perspective wasn’t entirely accurate or what we thought best was even a possibility.”

Not only can we have a skewed perspective about the severity of a disagreement or situation, but we can also misunderstand God’s answers to our prayers.  When we pray for children, finances, health, provision, relationships, or deliverance from trials, it’s easy to disagree with or challenge God on His response. Yet these disagreements are often premature, because His wisdom and love far exceed our own.

  1. Disagreement can lead to long-standing anger and division.

Jacob and Esau’s rivalry resulted in years of separation and fear. How often, because of our desires, do we hold on to our preferences to the harm of our friends, spouses, or children? In clinging to what we want, we can wound those around us and create lasting conflict where there could have been peace.

Instances of disagreement are abundant in Scripture. As we continue in this “theology of disagreement,” may God give us humble hearts—ready to see where we have handled differences in a way that glorifies self. May we repent, and may we learn to walk in the Spirit, handling differences in the way God intended for His children.