TEXT: "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14).

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).

IDEA: The purpose of conflict in a growing marriage is not to deliver a knock-out punch, but to end up in a loving clinch, Ephesians 4:32.

PURPOSE: To help listeners understand how to deal with conflict.

We’re dealing with a most important ingredient in a healthy marriage–how we handle conflict. We have looked at three principles. What are they?

The first principle is that you must be willing to fight.

The second principle is to fight to the finish.

The third principle is to fight according to the rules.

The purpose of the fight is not to deliver a knock-out punch, but to end up in a loving clinch, Ephesians 4:32.

I. Christian couples committed to each other come to disagreements with the right attitude.

They do not come with “malice.” What is malice? It is the desire to hurt the other person.

They don’t come to “win” but to get the matter settled.

II. There is a willingness to forgive because of the grace shown in the relationship.

Someone has said that the three greatest words in the English language are “I love you.” The two greatest words are, “Forgive me.” The single greatest word is “Thanks.”