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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
August 11, 2024
◘Marriage: Communication Skills – 4: Causes of Conflict
Selected Scriptures
Review
◘ A good marriage, and for that matter any good relationship, requires good communication skills. This is the fourth sermon in this series specifically examining that topic. Communication that is not clear and understandable creates confusion, misunderstanding and is the cause of a lot of unnecessary conflict in personal relationships, so put the necessary work into making sure what you are trying to communicate is understood by the other person and that you understand what the other person is trying to communicate to you. (See: Communication Skills – Effective Transmission).
Last week I introduced the topic of resolving conflict with the following diagram adapted from the workbook for “Before you say, ‘I Do.’” by Norm Wright. It graphically portrays the possible responses to conflict related to the value you place on the relationship compared to the importance of the particular issues over which you are in conflict. It is helpful in explaining why people may respond as they do, so I would like to review it quickly. (See: Communication Skills – Resolving Conflict)
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Moving from left to right indicates an increasing importance in the value of the relationship. Moving from low to high indicates an increasing importance in the value of the particular issue. Resolution occurs when a high value is placed on both the relationship and the issue. Withdrawal is the exact opposite of placing a low value on both the relationship and the issue. Yielding occurs when the relationship is much more important than the issue. Winning occurs when the issue in the conflict is much more important than the relationship. Most conflicts will be somewhere between these extremes in the area of compromise. Neither party to the conflict will be completely satisfied, but the compromise will be within the range of acceptability to both.
◘ How you respond to a conflict will be dependent upon what you value and your priorities. The better you know the Lord, His revealed will and your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, the better what you value and your priorities will match His. The greater your maturity in walking with the Lord, the more godly will be your manner and attitude in handling conflict.
Last week I also began to examine the causes of conflict and solutions to them starting with sin and pride. I will briefly review those and then over the next couple of weeks we will also look at other causes of conflict including knowledge issues such as naive, receiving poor counsel and pursuing foolishness; character issues such as being selfish, stubborn, self-righteous, critical, quarrelsome, temperamental and wicked; and behavioral issues that arise out of these including being demanding, contentious, nagging, harsh, hateful, neglectful, indifferent, manipulative, unfair, indiscrete, shameful and unfaithful
◘Sin, the Root of all Conflict
The foundational cause of all human conflict is sin and the foolishness it brings to life. The sinful response to conflict is to use any means at the moment that may be useful toward getting what you desire, but Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25 warn, “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” Sin is selfish and gives little or no consideration for what is best for others and ignores what God says about the issue.
◘ We inherit our sin nature from Adam and so it is natural for us to be tempted according to our own desires of flesh, eyes and pride. We follow Adam’s sinful pattern to foolishly think and act like we know more than God and disobey His commands though God’s way is always better for us. We also follow the pattern Adam & Eve set in responding to their sin.
◘ The natural man does not admit his own faults willingly. The guilt is there and is felt, but just like Adam and Eve, man tries to deal with it by his own means and methods to cover it up and will admit it only under duress and even then seek to blame someone else or the circumstances. The unregenerate deceive themselves in claiming they have no sin or may even claim they have not sinned proving that the truth is not in them for that is in essence calling God a liar. Romans 3 bluntly states, there is none righteous, good, understands or seeks after God, and “all have sinned” (Romans 3:10-18, 23). Spiritual things do not even make sense to the natural man for they are foolish to them (1 Corinthians 2:14).
◘ The solution for man’s sin problem is regeneration by the Holy Spirit so that the natural man who was dead in sin is made alive to God to repent, believe and receive the gift of salvation from sin and eternal life through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:1-10). Those who are in Christ Jesus are declared to be justified and adopted into God’s family and so are no longer under God’s condemnation (Romans 8). They are also made new creations in Him (2 Cor. 5:17) with the result that they will respond differently when they sin. Instead of trying to ignore or denying it, they are convicted by the Holy Spirit resulting in confession – agreeing with God about the sin – and receive His forgiveness and cleansing because He is faithful and righteous. God keeps all of His promises including forgiveness of sin and a changed life through faith in Jesus Christ.
◘Pride
Pride is the original sin that brought Satan into conflict with God (Isaiah 14:12-15), and it is one of the three areas in which Satan uses our desires to tempt us (1 John 2:16) as he did Eve (Genesis 3:5). Pride is at the heart of all foolishness because the proud think they know enough already (Proverbs 12:15), they do not recognize their sinfulness (Proverbs 30:12), and Yahweh will punish them (Proverbs 16:5). ◘The proud respond to conflict by striving to win because they believe they know best and what is important to them is themselves. We have all experienced the damage in relationships caused by pride, both our own and that of others.
◘ The solution to pride and the conflicts it causes is found in the humility caused by fearing the Lord (Proverbs 3:7). Humility is born out of having a correct assessment of one’s own ability and importance, and since that assessment is contrasted with God and His commands, it will always come out low. Humility is essential to salvation from sin since God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6), and salvation is by God’s grace. ◘Humility is also essential to harmonious relationships because it enables us to recognize, validate and be grateful for what other people do. The humble don’t have to be superior to others and instead will regard others as more important than themselves while also looking out for their interests and not just their own concerns. That is what is commanded of us in Philippians 2:3-4 in following the example of Jesus who set aside the glories of heaven to become a man and be the atoning sacrifice for man’s sin (Philippians 2:5-8). Humility also enables us to overcome temptation just as Jesus did by submitting Himself and His desires to the Father. The humble properly fear the Lord so that they turn away from evil to search for His will and in doing so keep their way pure.
◘Knowledge Issues Causing Conflict
Much conflict has a foundation in knowledge issues such as being naive, receiving foolish counsel and pursuing foolishness. Lack of knowledge (ignorance and naivete) and knowledge that is false (foolishness) add to conflict because only truth can ultimately bring resolution. Even if every human agreed to the same falsehood, there would still be conflict with God because He knows the truth, is truth, holds man accountable to the truth and reveals truth. As soon as someone discovered the truth whether by revelation or figuring it out, there would be conflict with those still believing lies and that conflict would spread. Proverbs gives a lot of commendation of truth and a lot of admonitions against falsehoods. Truth tells what is right, is an aspect of wisdom, brings about good, and saves lives while lying and falsehood is the opposite in being deceitful, foolish, devises evil and is treacherous bringing death (Proverbs 12:17, 19; 14:22, 25; 21:28).
◘ Truth is an attribute of both Jesus and God’s word (John 14:6; 17:17). Jesus gives a promise in John 8:31-32 that those who demonstrate that they are truly His disciples by continuing in His word “will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They would be free from bondage of the lies and deceit of sin to walk with God in righteousness. Inherent in this happening is gaining knowledge of the truth of God’s word. That is why included in the prayers of Jesus, Paul and Peter are petitions that believers will gain and increase in their knowledge of God (John 17:3; Ephesians 1:17; Colossians 1:10; 2 Peter 3:18). ◘Truth will always be in conflict with what is false, but only truth can bring about life and peace with God (Romans 5:1), and only truth can overcome the conflict that always will arise with ignorance and lies. God warns in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Those are the ignorant. He then goes on to say, “because you have rejected knowledge.” Those are the foolish and God will reject them. Lets take a closer look at both.
◘Naive
The idea of being naive includes the concepts of being simple or ignorant but can also include being gullible. I will deal with the problems that arise from ignorance first and then look at the additional problems created when ignorance is joined to trust in the wrong source resulting in exploitation of the gullible by those that give foolish counsel.
◘ It must be first noted that not all ignorance is bad. Everyone would have been better off if Adam and Eve had remained ignorant of experiential sin. Paul advises in Romans 16:19, “. . . I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.” Simple here is also translated as “innocent,” “pure,” and “unmixed.” While it is good to know enough about evil theoretically or by non-participatory observation to recognize it and heed the many warnings to avoid it, it is bad to know evil experientially and suffer its consequences. To describe this somewhat graphically, you don’t have wallow in or even put your head into the trash can to know that it stinks. That is Paul’s point here. Know all that you can theoretically and experientially about wisdom, but be simple, pure, ignorant of knowing evil experientially. Don’t let evil be mixed into your life.
◘ Everyone starts life as naive because we simply do not know anything and we are dependent upon those who care for us and teach us. In innocence we trust them simply because that is all we know. We will accept as normal what we have been taught if that is what those around us believe and do. Conflict will arise as our knowledge increases and we begin to be able to make conclusions from our own observations and as we interact with those who have been taught something different from us about what to believe and how to behave. ◘Conflict will remain between competing ideas and behaviors but will shift within the individual as he yields to a combination of authority (fear), influence (persuasion) and desire (what you want).
◘ This spills over into relationships because the tension of conflict is reduced by surrounding yourself with those of like belief and practice and either avoiding or suppressing those who disagree. In the conflict response diagram you yield, compromise or find resolution with those who are like you in belief and practice while withdrawing or striving for a win with those who are not. The tendency is to follow the pattern of friends and family with whom you are close because it is or becomes what you think is normal and with whom you are comfortable. If the husband and wife agree about what is supposedly normal, they could live together with minimal conflict, yet have a marriage that is not what it could or should be and may be very far from anything godly. This includes Christian couples since most understand marriage from the examples of family, friends and society instead of God’s design in the Scriptures.
◘ The Scriptures refer to those whose beliefs and practices are not in conformity to the revelation of God’s will as either naive, scoffers or fools. The naive are ignorant and easily lead astray. Scoffers are both ignorant and proud. They believe they know more than they actually do and are not shy about proclaiming their ignorance to others. As one person observed, “the people who know the least always argue the most.” Fools also have a mix of ignorance and pride. Fools are dull and obstinate in their proclivity to make wrong choices. It is not that they hate all knowledge, just that which is against what they want to do. Proverbs 18:2 describes the joining of a fool and a scoffer, “A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind.” ◘Pride prods the naive to become scoffers and then fools.
I think it is easy to see that ignorance gives the potential for all sorts of conflicts to easily arise and that it is made much worse when mixed with pride. Proverbs gives some strong warnings to the naive. Proverbs 1:32, “For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.” Proverbs 7:7, 22, “7And I saw among the naive, And discerned among the youths A young man lacking a sense . . . 22 He suddenly follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter.” Proverbs 9:13, “The woman of foolishness is boisterous, A woman of naivety, and does not know anything.” Proverbs 22:3, “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.”
◘ Ignorance of God’s word easily leads to the other aspect of being naive which is being gullible. To be gullible is to be open minded in the sense of lacking discernment which allows nearly anything to come in. The naive easily receive and then follow foolish counsel because they do not know any better and wrongly assume the other person knows more and is leading them to a good place. Proverbs 14:15 explains, “The naive believes everything, But the prudent man considers his steps.” ◘Gullibility makes you susceptible to worldly influences and exploitation by the wicked. Proverbs 27:12 warns, “A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty.”
Women are generally more susceptible to gullibility because they tend to be more trusting of others and ◘the emotional component tends to clog the mind and blind them to deceptions that would otherwise be quite obvious. The following example is of such emotional confusion obscuring the obvious truth.
A lady meets a man and starts seeing him on a regular basis. He seems nice because he is courteous, pays attention to her and is generous. He calls her on a regular basis, remembers things important to her and even sends her flowers. Finally, he says he loves her. She becomes emotionally attached. Then one fateful day she finds out something she was not supposed to know. He is also doing the same thing with another girl. He has been two timing her. She gathers her sister, her mother and her girl friends and she pours out her grief stricken heart. Sorrow and confusion now reign, for in the midst of tears the phrase is repeated by all, “but he said he loved you.” In walks the dad and he is told the sad story. His response is, “the man is a liar,” followed by anger and vows to do something unpleasant to him.
◘ Men you have the responsibility to lead your wife into godliness and protect the other women in your life – sisters, daughters, family friends, etc. Older women have a similar responsibility to younger women in encouraging them in how to love their husbands and children and fulfill their role in the family (Titus 2:3-5). But neither of these can be done if you do not know how to lead or where you are going. You cannot protect or counsel others if you have not first learned to protect yourself from your own ignorance and sinful weaknesses and are walking in godliness yourself.
◘ The solution for being naive, ignorant, simple is to heed the call of wisdom to understand prudence by hearing what is noble, true and righteous (Proverbs 8). That same solution applies to being gullible. Wisdom’s primary voice is the Scriptures themselves, so you need to become a student of the Bible who can handle accurately the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Wisdom’s voice also comes from godly counsel that can both point you to God’s word and help you understand and apply it in your life and the situations you face. A godly friend can help keep you from falling into the traps set by the wicked for the gullible. That brings us to the danger of foolish counsel.
◘Foolish Counsel
The naive are very susceptible to being deceived and in receiving counsel that is foolish even if well intentioned. That is why Proverbs gives lots of warnings about who you allow to influence you. Proverbs 12:5-6 warns “the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood.” ◘Psalm 1 traces the progression of those who do walk in the counsel of the ungodly to standing in the way of sinners and then sitting in the seat of the scoffers. Proverbs 13:20 commends and warns, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Will you be wise or a fool? Who you spend your time with and take counsel from will play a large part in determining the answer to that question.
How does this relate to conflict, relationships, marriage and the home? Consider the sources that influence your ideas of what life should be like in all of these areas. That influence begins with those who raised you. ◘The home you grew up in is the initial training ground for life. Did your home give you a model that was beneficial or detrimental to what God would like your life to be like? Can you discern the difference? Every home will be a mixture of good and bad to one degree or another, but can you discern the difference according to God’s word? What was modeled in the home in which you grew up that God would want repeated in your own home, and what would He want you to make sure that you don’t repeat? And don’t be concerned about conflict with your parents for not following everything in their example. Godly parents are humble and want their children to stand on their shoulders and go beyond them in walking with God. That is why they will often not only encourage you in doing what is right before God, but will also give you warnings related to areas in which they were less than successful or failed. And if your parents are ungodly, you do not want to follow their example or counsel so do not expect resolution with them and do not yield to them. Though we are to be loving and gracious in speaking truth, we cannot compromise it.
◘ Peers and social relationships are also major influences on you, so are those influences positive or negative? Can you discern the difference? Obviously those desiring to walk with God do not want to follow the example of the ungodly, but it still takes discernment even when considering the influence of those who are generally godly for they will also have their weakness. In what ways should you try to emulate them and in what areas should you strive to do better? The godly want you to imitate them as they imitate Christ just as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, but the godly do not want you to imitate them in any area where they are not yet conformed to the image of Christ.
◘ There are also many other influences on you that are not so personal. What about the writers and commentators you read or listen to? What books, magazines, articles and advice columns do you read? What about radio, television and social media? The secular world offers lots of advice from people who are supposed to be experts because they have some advanced academic degree or have become popular. Yet their own lives are ungodly, their homes are in turmoil and their children are a mess. God calls them fools.
◘ What about your entertainment choices? Do they present a positive model for your life and home? Do you really think Hollywood has a clue about what God wants for your home life? Do you really want to be like the men and women they present? Do you want a husband or wife or relationships like those on television or in the movies? Quite often the characters that are portrayed fit well within the list of foolish characteristics that destroy homes. The actual lives of the mainstream actors and actresses are usually even worse.
◘ Do not be deceived into thinking that your entertainment choices do not influence you, for they do much more than you realize. I am amazed how often it comes up in counseling that people have done things that turned out to be very stupid in the real world because they saw it done that way in something they watched for entertainment and it worked out in the story. Even worse is to feed on the foolish advice of the ungodly whether it comes to you personally or through some mass communication medium whether in some written form, audio presentation or multimedia program.
◘ The solution is to develop close and intimate friendships with godly people so that you become like them while letting your friendships with ungodly people move to lower levels. While you want to still be able to influence them, you must prevent them from being an influence on you. As you learn God’s word you become more discerning about whom you should have as friends. If both husband and wife understand the Bible well, they will be the first source for wise counsel to each other, though there will always be a need for the counsel of other godly people too. Plans succeed and victory is won through the counsel of many (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22).
◘Pursuing Foolishness
The naive are ignorant and susceptible to being gullible. The solution to that is getting to know God and His word so that you will know and follow truth instead of foolish ignorance or fall for the deceitfulness of others. Learning to be discerning enables you to make wise choices about the people and things that will influence you so that you will be encouraged toward godliness and avoid ungodliness. ◘You also have to learn to recognize when foolishness is being pursued and repent of it in your own life and also reject it in the lives of others or things that might otherwise influence you. In the conflict diagram, there can be no resolution nor can there be any yielding or compromise in the conflicts that arise from foolishness. Truth must win and you may have to withdraw from those that reject truth.
As already pointed in from Psalm 1, the naive are susceptible to “walk in the counsel of the ungodly” which degrades as those foolish beliefs are embraced into “standing in the path of sinners,” which then degrading further to “sit in the seat of scoffers” in becoming a teacher of foolishness. ◘They progress downward from being just naive into lower and lower levels of foolishness. They go from a general characteristic of being kesîl (kes-eel’) which is dull and somewhat obstinate in a bent to making wrong choices out of either passive or active ignorance to ‘eviyl (ev-eel’) which now includes an element of moral deficiency to nabal (naw-bawl’) which includes being ignoble and disgraceful due to a closed mind that is insensible to God and morality. These are those that pursue foolishness themselves and advocate it to others.
◘ In the downward decline described by Paul in Romans 1:18-32 these are those that become fools even while professing to be wise and unless there is repentance they will eventually be given over to depraved minds. They become so mentally and morally twisted that they become confused about what is good and what is evil often reversing them. That is a good description about a lot of the elite in this nation and the world in government, education and entertainment. All of us are aware of the conflict these people cause because they constantly generate news headlines of absurdities being defended by their pursuit of foolishness. Here are some current examples.
◘ The Olympic committee brazenly lying about the obvious mocking of Christianity in the debauched mimicking of DaVinci’s “Last Supper” in the opening ceremony. The cheering for men, those with XY chromosomes, as they pummel women in what was supposed to be women’s boxing. The Biden administration’s implementation this month of Title IX rule changes that force the acceptance of all sorts of sexual deviancy in our schools. The worst of which is males, those with XY chromosomes and corresponding anatomy, who self identify as female being able to join women’s sports, go in women’s bathrooms and lockers, be assigned to women’s dorms, etc., and woe to the woman that complains about it. Praise the Lord that court injunctions are currently protecting 26 states from these abominations, but that leaves the women in 24 states, including New York, vulnerable and oppressed. And by way, that same ideology and the related sexual perversions are now official policy to be taught in New York public schools this year. The Democrat party assisted by the major news media is using the “newspeak” of Orwell’s book, “1984,” as their campaign play-book so that the history of what they have done and advocated is changed or disappears. Meanwhile, they practice psychological projection by accusing the Republicans of being a threat to democracy.
◘ Now if you find those statements offensive or think they are political, it only shows how much you have fallen victim to those that pursue foolishness. Certainly there are serious problems with the Republicans and every political party because there are sinners within them and often in their leadership. However, these are issues of very basic morality and the Democrats have become brazen in their advocation of what is immoral before God on nearly every point. It is now the party of the depraved minds who are in conflict with even the basics of godliness. They are too far gone to find resolution or win, and you cannot yield or compromise with their ungodliness. The only godly response option left is to withdraw any affiliation with them. The godly do not want to have any identification with those whose pursuit of foolishness has given them depraved minds. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 applies. Don’t have partnership with lawlessness, fellowship with darkness or try to find harmony with Belial. If you can’t stomach the other political parties, then be an independent.
◘ Do not let those who pursue and advocate foolishness have any influence upon you. The solution for foolishness already present and to keep it far from you is to learn the fear of the Lord for is it the beginning of knowledge, understanding and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). The fear of the Lord is also to hate evil and it will keep you away from wickedness (Proverbs 8:13). Those are the things that will remove foolishness and put you on the path to life. If you have been naive, listening to poor counsel, proud or foolish, ◘then it is time to forsake the folly and heed wisdom’s call and turn into her banquet hall. Only there will you find life and peace for only there will you find salvation for your soul, peace with God and a purpose in life in Christ. ◘Only with wisdom will you be able to know truth and build a life and relationships with others of like mind with whom you can resolve conflicts to the glory of God. Only with wisdom can you build up your marriage and your home instead of tearing them down with your own hands. (See: Wisdom’s Call – Proverbs 8 )
Sermon Notes – August 11, 2024
Marriage: Communication Skills Part 4 – Causes of Conflict
Review
Any good relationship requires good ____________________ skills
How you respond to a conflict will be dependent upon what you __________ and your ______________
Sin, the Root of all Conflict
Sin responds to conflict using any useful _________ toward getting what you think is best for yourself
Our sin nature is _____________from Adam as well as our pattern of responding to sin
The natural man does not admit his own faults willingly, but the regenerate man ____________confesses
The solution for man’s sin problem is __________by the Holy Spirit to repent, believe and receive salvation
Pride
Pride is the original sin and it is one of the three areas in which Satan uses our ___________to tempt us
The proud respond to conflict by striving to _______because they believe they know best for themselves
The solution to pride and the conflicts it causes is found in the ____________caused by fearing the Lord
Humility is also essential to ___________relationships enabling recognition & gratefulness for other people
Knowledge Issues Causing Conflict
Differences in knowledge cause conflict and only __________can bring about ultimate resolution
Truth is an attribute of Jesus & God’s word and which brings ________from bondage to lies & deceit of sin
Truth will always be in conflict with what is _______, but only truth can bring about life & peace with God
Naive – includes concepts of ______________& simplicity, but can also include being gullible
Not all ignorance is bad – we are blessed to be ignorant of ________________sin & evil
Everyone starts life as naive and conflict will arise as we grow and our knowledge _________________
Conflict in an individual shifts as he __________to a combination of authority, influence and desire
Conflict in relationships is reduced by being with those of _________belief & practice, but that godliness
Those whose beliefs & practices ___________conform to God’s word are either naive, scoffers or fools
___________ prods the naive to become scoffers and then fools
Ignorance of God’s word easily leads to the naive being __________- open minded in lacking discernment
Gullibility makes you _____________to worldly influences and exploitation by the wicked – Proverbs 27:12
Emotions can ___________ the mind to what would otherwise be obvious
Men, lead your wife & __________ the other women in your life; Older women, mentor the younger ones
The solution to naivete & gullibility is to heed __________ call – Proverbs 8. Become a student of the Bible
Foolish Counsel – Counsel, even if well intentioned, that does not follow the ____________of God is foolish
Psalm 1. Walking in the counsel of the _________leads to standing with sinners & then sitting with scoffers
The home you grew up in was your initial _________ground – what was good & godly in it & what was not?
Peers & social relationships are major ___________. Can you discern between what is positive & negative?
The secular world offers lots of advice from people who are _________experts, but whose lives are ungodly
Entertainment _________influence you more than you think. Are your’s helpful or detrimental to godliness?
The solution to foolish counsel is to replace it with close friendships with ________people & godly counsel
Pursuing Foolishness
Recognize & ______of the pursuit of foolishness in your own life and withdraw from it in the lives of others
Naivete degrades into ________(kesîl), then foolishness (‘eviyl), then being a fool (nabal)
Romans 1:18-32 – Proclaiming to be wise, they become _____, then degrade further to have depraved minds
Defending the absurd & immoral demonstrates minds that are ______________
_____________who show their depravity by advocation of gross immorality are to be called out for it
The solution for foolishness is to learn the ________of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10)
___________ folly and heed wisdom’s call to turn into her banquet hall (Proverbs 8)
Only ___________ leads to truth, life, peace with God and relationships that handle conflict correctly
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times the word “conflict” is mentioned in the sermon. Talk with your parents about how you can gain wisdom in order to be able to respond to conflict in a godly manner.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. Why is clear communication critical to good relationships? What factors determine your response to conflict? What is sin and why is it the root of all conflict? What is the solution to the problem of sin? How does pride cause and contribute to conflict? What is the solution to pride? Why does conflict increase as people gain knowledge? How is truth both a factor in causing conflict and the solution to it? How can you gain truth? What does it mean to be naive? How does that contribute to conflict? Why are the naive susceptible to being gullible? How does pride prod the naive to become scoffers and then fools? What is the solution to being naive and gullible? How are you doing in your progress in applying that solution to your own life? What are some of the sources of foolish counsel in our society? In your own life? How can you protect yourself from such foolish counsel? How are you actively engaged in defending yourself against it? What is the difference in falling into folly, being foolish and being a fool? How does Psalm 1 describe this decline? How does Romans 1:18-32 describe this decline? What is the evidence that someone has been given over to a depraved mind? Give some examples you have seen. How should you respond when conflict arises with those who have depraved minds? Explain.
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