A Life of Grace - (5) Confrontation

It may seem strange to talk of the grace of confrontation. Confrontation doesn't seem gracious. Often it isn't gracious. Perhaps you've been confronted wrongly or so regularly that the idea of confrontation strikes you as rude. How dare that person try to correct me? Who do they think they are? Why can't everyone just mind their own business?

But Scripture says that rebuking sin, reconciling offenses, and even resolving misunderstanding is the business of God's children. Christ commands the church to correct "those who, though called Christians, profess unchristian teachings or live unchristian lives." And if a brother has something against us—even if we disagree with their conclusion—we must address their grievance, even if it means leaving in the middle of a worship service! (Matt. 5:23–26).

And confrontation can be done properly. Jesus expected his command in the Sermon on the Mount to result in disagreeing brothers "com[ing] to terms quickly" (25). In fact, "Loving confrontation is often the key to repentance, which can remove the root causes of conflict and open the way for genuine peace." God doesn't leave us caught in our sins; he enlightens our minds, and changes our hearts through various means. And he allows us to be those means in the lives of others. Done well confrontation is a gracious thing.