<p>12:18 <i>If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all</i>- The &quot;all&quot; in view may refer to those within the church, and that may be the purview of :17 also. The majority of the pressures in Paul's life came from within the ecclesia. His life was based amongst the ecclesias; thus to him &quot;all men&quot; were the believers, not the world as a whole (Mk. 9:50 = Rom. 12:18).</p><p>Conflict in the ecclesia shouldn&rsquo;t actually surprise us. We should expect it. For it was the ecclesia of Christ&rsquo;s day who were the ones who rejected Him. &ldquo;As far as it depends on you&quot; surely suggests that Paul saw conflict with others as arising due to others&rsquo; attitudes over which we have no control. Paul's inspired wording tacitly accepts that we often cannot live in peace with others because it's not possible given their failures; but we can change <i>our</i> attitudes, and that is the point. Paul's own example was of not being at peace with the majority of the brotherhood- all in Asia turned against him. Division and interpersonal tensions are inevitable- but we must ensure they are never our fault, for they betray a serious failure in the principles of living in the body of Christ, and living under grace.</p>