Iron Sharpens Iron

“Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” –Proverbs 27:17
   

We often hear or have this belief that we are to always be happy and joyful. That we are to never have a complaint or conflict among brethren, and some believe we should never argue with those who oppose us.            

But, that is really not the truth, nor is it reality. “In this world you will have tribulation.” We will have trouble, we will have conflict, but ultimately we are to realize that Jesus has overcome the world, and we overcome through Him. He works in us and through us. That does not mean everything is always daisies, as some try to maintain. We remind ourselves that He has overcome, and it works to help us, but it does not always remove the tribulation.            

Believers often have disagreements about things in God’s Word. These disagreements can get very heated and even hateful. It’s claimed that this stuff drives people away from Christ. But let me ask you; does it drive people away from football when folks disagree or hate on different teams? Humans argue about politics, we argue about philosophy, we argue about academics, we argue about money, we argue about everything. It’s part of communication and learning. Does it drive us away? People are driven away from Christ, because they have listened to the demons whispering in their ear. Satan will show you all kinds of things that offend you, if it will keep you from getting saved, knowing Christ, growing in faith and serving God.            

Remember, that iron sharpens iron. When this happens, heat is created as friction occurs. Bits of iron fly off, but both pieces become sharper. There will be conflict as God works to teach and improve us. There will be heat. There will be things removed. If not, then are we being changed? How can we grow stronger if we do not have more weight added to the bar we lift?            

As we grow and learn in our spiritual walk, we will encounter challenges. When we express our view from God’s Word, we might encounter resistance. As we speak what God is teaching us, we might face others who disagree. There are people who have seen or gotten different views or who dwell in different stages of growth. They won’t totally agree always.            

As we continue in discussing or arguing these points, we learn. We will get sharper and improve our arguments, or we will finally see that we were flawed in our reasoning, and let God change our minds. How you respond to this, is what matters. Understand that God is working on us, and that we should try to show love and forgiveness to those we disagree with. It’s hard to do this, to be sure, but even that is part of our training.             Now some people will quit, when they face resistance. When they quit, they cease to grow and learn in that area. You have to have your beliefs and views challenged, or else how do you know if you believe false things?            

Some people act like it’s a sin to argue or debate. It’s not; Jesus and Paul both discussed and debated. Be angry but sin not. The sin comes in how we treat others. It also comes by arguing for the sake of arguing, or never coming to a conclusion. I have debated or discussed things with people and it has been a joy. But, other times it has led to conflict.

Having your views challenged, sharpens your arguments. This is how you learn to organize your thoughts, and to become a more capable soldier for Christ. We learn among our brethren, how to discuss the truth, and share our values and beliefs. Then, when we face opposition, we can give a proper answer for why we believe. We can lead people to Christ, and not sound like a buffoon. We gain confidence in hearing the Spirit speaking into our hearts, as we serve Him.  We learn from the Spirit as we encounter resistance.          

We need more debate and discussion of God’s Word in our churches, so we can grow and learn how to engage the world around us for Christ. It’s not something to fear. Its part of our growth and it is good. We should train believers on how to deal with conflict and disagreement while we serve. We must learn how to deal with failure, when we discover we are wrong on a subject. It is difficult to deal with growth, and to keep a proper mind about these things. But, we must grow, and it’s better to do it among brethren. That’s what the body of Christ is for.

We are called to build the Kingdom. We are saints, soldiers and servants for Christ. We need to be ready to give an account of why we believe. Iron sharpens iron, to make it a useful tool, not to destroy it.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.

Cover photo by pexels/Kampus Production, Edited by Author

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