Every sane person is interested in peace. The word itself evokes feelings of comfort and good cheer. Life is miserable when there is no peace. The opposite of peace is strife, feuding, insecurity, enmity, bickering, violence and even war. A peaceful society is a secure and productive society. The Bible says, “If it is possible, as much as lies within you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). We are told to pray for civil authorities that we might live “quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). The “peace” of these passages obviously describes peaceful relations between man and man. However, the Bible uses the word peace in other ways.
During the Christmas season, in cards and advertisements, we often see and hear the Bible phrase “peace on earth.” At the birth of Christ a multitude of angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). Of course, these words are not limited to some Christmas-time pageant or program, as they often are. They constitute Scripture. They are an affirmation of the deity of Christ. As such, they should be remembered every time we contemplate the divine nature of the Son of God.
Jesus did come to provide “peace on earth,” but what type of peace? Physical? Social? Political? The Bible reader knows that it must not be these types of peace, at least directly and necessarily, for these types of peace did not surround Jesus. He was surrounded by political and social unrest. Jesus actually said that He did “not come to give peace on earth, but a sword.” He went on to describe the conflict that would exist between believing family members and non-believing ones (Matthew 10:34-37). The “peace” of this passage is the peace of friendly family relations, and as Christians sometimes discover, this type of peace is not always possible with family members who reject and despise the truth of God’s word.
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Notice that the “peace” that Jesus gives is not what the world gives, rather, it is a peace in the “heart.” Paul described this as the “peace of God that surpasses all understanding that shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). This is the peace of tranquil satisfaction that one is right with God and in fellowship with God. It can be experienced even while the physical body is being tortured. In spite of all that He endured upon the cross, Jesus was able to say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” and “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:34, 46). Jesus was at spiritual peace even while being the subject of intense physical torture and abuse.
Ephesians 2:14-18 discusses two types of peace — peace between man and God, and peace between Jew and Gentile. By abolishing the Jewish national Law (Mosaical Law, vs. 14), the ethnic differences that had separated Jews from Gentiles were also abolished. And by His atoning death on the cross, Jesus made reconciliation between man and God possible.
In the beatitudes Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). While this passage is often used as a social reform passage, one does not become a “child of God” by serving as a diplomat. By believing and obeying God’s word, one finds peace with God and he puts himself in the position of helping others do the same — he becomes a “peacemaker.” Consequently, a society filled with such people will be a peaceful society.
—Tim Haile