Can followers of Jesus disagree? | Acts 15:36-41 (Part 1)

Can Followers of Jesus Disagree?

This week, we are reading Acts 15:36-41, and today we're answering the questions: why did Paul and Barnabas disagree, and is it okay for believers to disagree?

Just a few weeks ago, the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks wrapped up the NBA finals. If you're into basketball, you know what the finals do to people — everybody picks a side. Being from San Antonio, I was pulling hard for the Spurs. Meanwhile, Christian artist Forest Frank, who's very popular, was sitting what seems like basically courtside, cheering on the Knicks.

Same game, same stakes, same desire to see someone win, but completely opposite hopes for how it would end. As far as I can tell, Forest Frank and I are both followers of Jesus. We both believe the same gospel, worship the same Savior, and belong to the same family. Yet in that moment, we wanted opposite outcomes.

Not every disagreement is over something ultimate. Some things are secondary. Preference, perspective, conviction, and wisdom mean learning the difference between that which is essential and that which is secondary or tertiary.

A Sharp Disagreement Between Faithful Men

What makes Acts 15 so compelling is that here we find Paul and Barnabas, two men who loved Jesus deeply, were filled with the Spirit, and had suffered together for the sake of the gospel. They weren't casual ministry partners. Barnabas was the one who vouched for Paul when no one else would.

And yet here they come to a sharp disagreement so serious they separate — not over doctrine, not over the gospel, but over John Mark. Which raises the question: is it okay for believers to disagree? And if so, how do we know when a disagreement is about something central or something secondary?

Disagreement in the church can feel unsettling. When two mature, faithful followers of Jesus see something differently, our instinct can be to assume somebody must be compromised, less spiritual, unyielding to the Spirit, or in sin. If we don't know how to distinguish between a disagreement over the gospel and a disagreement over wisdom, preference, or timing, we can either divide over things that shouldn't divide us, or worse, minimize things that actually matter a lot.

Acts 15 teaches us how to live in the tension of Christian unity without demanding Christian uniformity. It reminds us that believers will disagree. This isn't an if, it's a when — not because the gospel is unclear, but because we're human, finite, and sometimes we see the same situation from different angles.

So the question is: how do we disagree in a way that protects both truth and love?

1. Wisdom Disagreements Are Not Truth Disagreements

Faithful believers can disagree over what would be a wise choice without disagreeing over the essentials of the faith.

Acts 15 comes right on the heels of the Jerusalem Council, where Paul and Barnabas had just fought side by side for the purity of the gospel. They were united on what was essential — that salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone. There was no division there.

But just a few verses later, they're in sharp conflict — not over theology, doctrine, or the mission itself, but over whether John Mark should come with them. That's a different category entirely.

Barnabas looked at Mark and saw potential. Paul looked at Mark and saw someone who'd previously walked away. Same person, same history, different conclusions. Barnabas leaned toward restoration. Paul leaned toward caution. Neither man was abandoning his faith — they were making judgment calls.

This story shows us that not every disagreement belongs in the same category:

• Some things are non-negotiable — who Jesus is, how someone is saved, the authority of God's Word. Those are truths worth contending for.
• Other issues — timing, leadership, strategy, or wisdom — are areas where mature believers may have different convictions and land in different places. Romans 14 speaks to this and gives us instruction on how to handle these convictional differences.

If we treat every disagreement as if it's about the gospel, we'll create division where none needs to exist. But if we treat everything like it's secondary, we'll lose our ability to stand firm when truth is actually on the line. Part of growing in maturity is learning the difference.

2. Conflict Exposes What We Value Most

Paul and Barnabas weren't just disagreeing about John Mark. They were operating from different priorities.

Paul remembered that Mark had left them on their first missionary journey. Acts 13:13 says:

"Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, and John left them and returned to Jerusalem."

That short sentence carries a lot of weight and leaves us with questions, since Luke doesn't explain why John left. Many scholars believe Paul viewed this as desertion. In Acts 15:38, Luke writes:

"But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them and had not gone with them to the work."

The Greek word for "withdrawn" implies desertion. Perhaps Paul had seen firsthand what it cost to carry the gospel into challenging environments, and wasn't eager to bring along someone he wasn't sure he could count on. Paul's focus was mission, reliability, stewardship, urgency. Silas, by contrast, was an invaluable partner because of his standing with the Jerusalem church, his Roman citizenship, his role as a prophet, and his proficiency in Greek.

Barnabas, on the other hand — the same man who had vouched for Paul when no one else trusted him, whose very name means "son of encouragement" — looked at Mark and saw potential, growth, and possibility for restoration. Some scholars even point out that Mark may have been Barnabas's nephew, based on Colossians 4:10, which could explain why he wanted to give him another chance. Barnabas's focus was on the person he deeply loved — grace, patience, redemption.

What's striking is that both men's instincts reflect truth about the heart of God. God is both holy and merciful. He values truth and restoration, mission and people, justice and grace — sin has consequences, but so does love.

This conflict isn't as simple as one man being right and the other wrong. It's more revealing than that. Conflict has a way of bringing our priorities to the surface. Sometimes the question underneath a disagreement isn't just what do I think, but why do I care so deeply about this?

3. God Redeems Relational Fracture Without Calling Fracture Good

Paul and Barnabas separated. Luke presents us with the facts — he doesn't soften or justify it, which means he's not necessarily endorsing the separation, just informing us of what happened. This is a good reminder that Paul and Barnabas, though legends of the faith, were both broken people, and their disagreement was legitimate.

Even though they had traveled together, suffered together, and fought for the gospel together, they parted ways. When Luke tells us that, we should feel the weight of it.

And yet, despite this disagreement, God was still at work. Paul took Silas and headed through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening churches. What looked like one missionary team broken into two fractured parts actually became two missionary teams moving the gospel forward. The gospel continued to spread — not because conflict was good, but because God is able to work even through the messiness of human disagreements.

What This Means for Us

Some of us carry the grief of broken relationships, strained friendships, or unresolved conflict over secondary convictional or theological ideas. This passage reminds us that those fractures are never beyond God's ability to redeem.

But redemption shouldn't make us casual about division. God's grace is powerful enough to bring good from what's broken, but that doesn't mean we should stop pursuing peace, reconciliation, humility, and seeking to understand each other.

I love that Luke included the detail about their separation, because it wasn't the end of the story. Later, Paul speaks very well of Barnabas. And even more strikingly, he later asks for Mark by name, saying he's very useful to him in ministry. The relationship was wounded for a time, but it wasn't ruined forever.

Questions to Ask When Walking Through Disagreement

If you're walking through a disagreement with another believer on a non-essential issue, one of the best things you can do is slow down and invite God into it before pushing harder into your position or making an ultimate decision.

1. Is this a truth I need to contend for, or a preference I need to hold with open hands? Not every disagreement deserves the same level of energy. Some issues require conviction, others charity.
2. What is driving my reaction? Is it love for truth, fear of losing control, pride and insistence that my way is right, past hurt, a desire to be understood, or an unwillingness to accept restoration as a possibility? Conflict has a way of exposing what's underneath the surface, and prayer helps bring those motives into the light so we can walk in the Spirit.
3. Have I listened well amidst the disagreement? James says to be quick to hear and slow to speak. Before trying to win an argument, seek to understand the other person. Ask: could I clearly explain their perspective in a way that they would say is fair?
4. What would it look like to preserve unity on this issue even if we can't agree? Unity doesn't always mean agreement, but it does mean love, humility, and a commitment to honor Christ in how we engage with one another.

Sometimes faithfulness means standing firm and digging in our heels. Other times, faithfulness looks like letting go. Wisdom means knowing the difference between the two.

Thankfully, God says in James 1:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

May we be people who, in faith, ask God for wisdom as we navigate disagreement.