RESOLVING DISPUTES IN THE CHURCH

Churches today are riven with disputes but this is nothing new. Acts 15 addresses the greatest dispute faced by the early church, providing not just historical information but also an example of how such conflicts should be managed and resolved, today as then. The dispute concerned the false teaching promoted by some Jewish Christians that Gentile converts must obey the Mosaic Law to achieve salvation. We learn why faith must take precedence over tradition and that reliance on Scripture and the Holy Spirit is necessary in resolving conflicts among God's people.