Ephesians 4:2-3
"2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Unity in the Spirit can only happen when believers are more interested in learning the truth of God's Word than they are in their version of Christianity.
Ecclesiastes 7:8
"The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one."
We can only defer to Scripture when we are humble enough to admit we don't know everything and desire God's truth more than our own thinking or the thinking of the culture.
Colossians 1:11
"being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully"
Colossians 3:12
"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
Where there is pride there is a lack of humility and kindness. Those who possess arrogance do not defer to others, rather they attempt to dominate and control.
There is only unity in the Spirit when there is a desire to please God more than we care about being seen as right or superior.
Proverbs 18:2
"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."
Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 29:9
"If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet."
When we see that we cannot have a rational conversation with someone in honesty and authentic concern for one another then is time to walk away and avoid these people.
Proverbs 10:23
"Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding."
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