Matthew 5:9, Biblical ADR
By Zadi Ávila Contreras and Delilah van Tol
As earlier blog posts have discussed the relationship between the ancient Greeks and ADR and religion, this blog post will mainly focus on a more specific topic: Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Bible. Religions and cultures are often an important basis for certain systems. But in what way does the Bible make a reference to ADR? Moreover, is there any connection between the process of ADR within the Bible and ADR used in the common day settings? And how does this combo work in a religious setting?
The Bible is full of wisdom about how believers should handle conflicts. Biblical ADR has its roots in the belief that any dispute between Christians should be dealt with at Church. This is because conflicts are not solved by determining who was wrong and who was right but rather to determine God’s will in each and every specific case.
Examples of ADR in the Bible.
Providing an example of conflict resolution in the Bible is fairly easy. The Bible is filled with conflicts and conflict resolutions. The Bible also includes situations that cover the causes of conflict, how to deal with anger and the best and most effective way to end a disagreement with one another. In the Old Testament, once the Israelites left Egypt, they received the ten commandments as found in the book of Exodus. Now that they were outside of the Egyptian system and or way of life, God gave them a set of instructions that would serve as guidance to be at peace with God and their neighbors.
It should be noted that according to the book of Numbers, the people of Israel had its first census, which accounted for 603.550 without counting women and children. Taking the nation’s size into consideration, it was a matter of time until one or multiple disputes would arise. These conflicts related to cases of stealing, murder, issues with property, unfaithfulness in a marriage, etc. The ones in charge of mediating between individuals and between individuals and God were the high priests (for example, Eleazar) or even kings (for example, Solomon). Something particular about these times is that the Jews did not go to ordinary public law courts as civilians do in the majority of countries today. This was done so because, justice was meant to be dealt with in a family environment rather than legal and therefore went to elders in the village or Synagogue.
On the other hand, in the New Testament, Jesus Christ’s fundamental message is one of mercy and forgiveness, but of course, Christ calls those who are willing to follow Him, to take a step further than forgiving those who did wrong to oneself. Christ’s response to the question‘what is the greatest commandment was “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”[1] Moreover, the term neighbor here meant everybody, even enemies such as the Samaritans, and not just their immediate Jewish neighbor. Christ also stated in Matthew 6:38-40: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” Furthermore, in that same chapter, verses 43-44 read as follows: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Finally, verses 46-47 read as follows:“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
In addition to the verses above, Matthew 18:15–18 and 1 Corinthians 6:1–8 are key verses in the New Testament to ADR. In the first one, disciple Matthew writes the words of Christ regarding how believers are to deal with disputes between each other. The second verse is the Apostle Paul’s calling out the Christians living in Corinth for bringing one another before pagan tribunals. Both verses ultimately command Christians to take their unresolved conflicts to the Church for a resolution; however, those were never interpreted as a total prohibition of resorting to courts to resolve disputes.[2] [3]
Religion examples that implement the bible’s ADR.
Located in Denver, a firm that focuses on Christian Mediation.[4] This means that the mediators share their perspective on how the Bible informs and instructs believers in relational conflict. The founders of this firm say they believe that God provides people with conflict to refine one's character.[5] Furthermore, conflict resolution is often used to resolve problems within marriage.[6] Counseling is often offered within church and thus a perfect example of how ADR is an old technique that is still used to this day and will be used in the future.
[1] Ronald J. Columbo, The Past, Present, and Future of Christian ADR, 22 CARDOZO J. CONFLICT Resol. 45 (2020) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/faculty_scholarship/1330 > Accessed 07-08-2021 pp 49
[2] Judith M. Keegan ‘Peacemakers: Biblical Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation as a Model Alternative to Litigation’ [VOL1987] Journal of Dispute Resolution. 12.
[3]Ronald J. Columbo, The Past, Present, and Future of Christian ADR, 22 CARDOZO J. CONFLICT Resol. 45 (2020) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/faculty_scholarship/1330 > Accessed 07-08-2021
[4] Laura Bernero ‘Biblical Conflict Resolution’ (Denver Institute, 28 August 2017) https://denverinstitute.org/the-process-of-biblical-conflict-resolution/ > Accessed 22-07-2021
[5] Ibid.
[6] Joseph Warren Kniskern ‘Jesus on Marriage and Divorce’ (B&H Publishing Group, August 6 2021) > Accessed 07-08-2021