God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper

Here's the next installment of the interview we did with Paul Tripp.

Is there such a thing as non-sinful conflict? If so, what does it look like?

Let's say that I'm with a brother and I understand that he believes something that's unbiblical. And that belief is shaping the way that he approaches something in his life. The fact that it's unbiblical, and the fact that there is fruit of it in his life makes me an adversary of what he believes and what he is doing. We're in conflict. I can't say to him, "I agree with that." I have to stand against him.

So that conflict is not motivated by my desire for control over my life, my desire for control over that man, or my desire for some surfacy unity in our lives—all those self-serving things. It's really motivated by a heart for the gospel and a desire for what is good in that man's life. But I'm actually an adversary of what he's doing.

Is there ever a conflict where there is no sin on either side?

It depends on what you call conflict.

My wife and I wake up in the morning on different sides of the universe. She is wired completely different than me. She will look at things in a polar opposite way of me.

We're not always in perspectival agreement. And I don't think that's necessary. I think that's legalism, where everybody must absolutely agree with my perspectives on everything. We're perspectivally often not in agreement.

But I don't think unity is the same as uniformity. Because God has clearly created his world with disuniformity. The Body of Christ is not uniform.

Unity is the result of what you do in the face of difference.

So if our conflict is the result of perspectival difference, then the question becomes what do I do in the face of that that promotes love and unity between us, even though our perspectives on this are different.

(Listen to the audio.)

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Other questions from this interview:

• What is the difference between ministry to adults and ministry to youth?
• How are guilt and threats different from how God motivates us to obey?
• Is there a valid way to use guilt and threats to motivate good behavior?

For more from Paul Tripp visit Paul Tripp Ministries and follow him on Twitter.