Strife: General Scriptures Concerning

So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are kinsmen.

Then Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way!”

But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself?

You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the schemes of men. You conceal them in Your shelter from accusing tongues.

O Lord, confuse and confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.

You make us contend with our neighbors; our enemies mock us.

By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew.

A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth, …

There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: …

Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.

Arrogance leads only to strife, but wisdom is with the well-advised.

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.

A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.

Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.

To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.

He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction.

A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.

An offended brother is harder to win than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bars of a castle.

A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.

It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel.

Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.

Drive out the mocker, and conflict will depart; even quarreling and insults will cease.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?

Those who linger over wine, who go to taste mixed drinks.

…do not bring hastily to court. Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame?

Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Like one who grabs a dog by the ears is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases.

Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike—

A greedy man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

Behold, all who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will be reduced to nothing and will perish.

You will seek them but will not find them. Those who wage war against you will come to nothing.

You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.

Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.

Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; …

Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. …

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. …

If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand.

If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand.

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall.

Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. …

Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison.

I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger.

If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on his opinions.

So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble.

Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction. …

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.

…for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?

For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another.

For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

If any of you has a grievance against another, how dare he go to law before the unrighteous instead of before the saints! …

If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God. …

For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.

But if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; …

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.

Do everything without complaining or arguing,

…so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world

The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith. …

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or dissension.

An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

…not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.

If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, …

O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,”

…which some have professed and thus swerved away from the faith. Grace be with you all.

Remind the believers of these things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin.

But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. …

Remind the believers to submit to rulers and authorities, to be obedient and ready for every good work, …

But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, arguments, and quarrels about the law, because these things are pointless and worthless.

But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. …

What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?

You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.