Jumpstarter 6 of 10

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Question 6

On “as much as it lies with you, live peaceably with all men,” the lesson says we must never be “the cause of discord” or “the barrier to reconciliation”; in a real conflict you’re in (family, church, workplace), what would it look like to remove yourself as a barrier—even if the other person stays hostile?

Another way to ask: In a conflict you’re in right now, what would it look like for you to stop being part of the problem and make reconciliation easier? What could you do even if the other person stays hostile?

Direct Answer Based on the transcript, removing yourself as a barrier means taking responsibility for your side of the relationship: refusing to fuel discord, actively pursuing peace, and even aiding an enemy in ways that could dissolve enmity. You may not be able to create full peace, but you must not block reconciliation.

Support from Transcript:

Romans 12:18 is quoted: “If it is possible, as much as it lies with you, live peaceably with all men.”
Paul “recognizes that it takes both parties… to bring about complete peace,” so the other person “may still harbor ill feelings.”
Therefore, “as much as it lies with you, we should never be the party who is the cause of discord, or who is the barrier to reconciliation.”
Clement of Alexandria: “An enemy must be aided so that he may not continue as an enemy… enmity is dissolved.”
The chapter’s larger commands reinforce the posture: “do not avenge,” “feed him,” “overcome evil with good.”

Discussion Follow-ups What are common ways we become “the barrier”—cold silence, gossip, refusing to meet, demanding apology first? What concrete act of help or peace-making could be done even while the other person remains resistant?

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Jumpstarter 6 of 10