5 Family Conflict Bible Verses

When it comes to navigating family conflict, you need to build your plan from biblical principles, so let’s explore 5 family conflict Bible verses. These scriptural principles can be the starting point to set the standards you want to hold to as a family. (If you want a deep dive into how to build your own conflict process, find our full guide here.)

Verses for Navigating Conflict

1. Proverbs 17:27 One who withholds his words has knowledge,
And one who has a cool spirit is a person of understanding. 

Many times, conflict would be avoidable if we chose not to respond and retaliate in the first place. This verse helps give a reminder for your family to pause, take a breath, and consider when it is necessary to engage or not. 

2. Romans 14:19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. 

The context of this verse is conflict within the Church where people had various standards and needed guidance. This same principle can apply to families as well that when there is conflict, you all will seek the path of peace. Too often, in family conflict, the goal is to determine a winner and we skip pursuing peace. 

Using this family conflict bible verse, can you define for your family what the things are that make for peace and building up?

3. James 3:16-18 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

This verse for family conflict helps give specific guidance to examine your family’s conduct and words against. If there is disorder, it’s a good hint that there are underlying issues to address. And on the opposite side of disorder, you look for wisdom defined by the traits in this verse. What other traits would your family add to define how they will operate?

4. Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding,
But in revealing his own mind. 

This verse can be a helpful principle to help your family check if they are prioritizing understanding or just making themselves heard. Use this to define what understanding looks like as a family.

5. Galatian 6:1-2 Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

As a final principle from these family conflict verses, this passage points us to the purpose of conflict: we are meant to lead to restoration, gently supporting one another. Let that be a guiding principle for your family that your conflict is oriented towards the goal not of winning but of restoration, growth, and serving each other.

Take Family Conflict Verses and Make Them Your Own

These are just a few of the verses that can inform how your family navigates conflict. What others would you add to this list? As a next step, take these verses or the others you come up with, and discuss them as a family to define your conflict principles. You could create a word or phrase that represents the principles in each of these verses to make it easy to remember.

For example:

Pause: Proverbs 17:27

Pursue Peace: Romans 14:19 

Engage Wisdom: James 3:16-18 

Understand: Proverbs 18:2

Restore: Galatian 6:1-2

There you have a simple 5 step map to navigate family conflict all from scripture! Read our Conflict Process Guide to go even deeper.