His Peace

Mercy and peace, grace and peace, love and peace, justice and peace. The fruit of the Spirit and peace. There can be no doubt that our God is a God of peace

(Rom 15:33, Heb 13:20, 1 Thess 5:23). In these times, when the trumpets announcing wars are beginning to sound, it is difficult to speak of God’s peace. I wonder what the church of the living God, as a divine institution, is doing in the face of this situation. Some say we should do nothing because getting involved in such matters is not the role of the body of Christ. Others argue that the proper thing is to pray for God to act and for his will to be done. Most seem to join the torpor and insensitivity of those who hide behind religious reasoning to cling to indifference. But there is a God in heaven and a Prince of Peace at his right hand. Neither is pleased by wars driven by interests disguised as apparent humanitarian concern. This is not about politics but theology. The apostle Paul tells us that Christ is our peace (Eph 2:14).

Human prosperity depends on peace, and God revealed to us the way to enjoy it in his Son Jesus Christ. Since Christ is our peace, there is no justification for lurches toward war or the contentious games we play with our conscience. As children of God, we must love peace and, above all, work for it and promote it. Jesus himself tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” And he emphasizes, “I do not give it to you as the world gives” (John 14:27). Christians must love peace.

The Jews of Christ’s time expected a warrior Messiah who would restore the nation of Israel by the sword and drive out the Roman invaders with horses and armies. But he preferred peace. His mission was higher. His compassion knew no bounds; he came to seek sinners, to announce a new era, to bestow grace on a graceless world, to bring us his peace.

I am sure that many feel God’s peace in their hearts. That peace is like a seed that sprouts each morning in the affection between spouses, in embracing your children, in the smiles of the elders in your life, and in the miracle of grandchildren, whose tender gazes give you wings again and fill your heart with gratitude to God. Christ’s peace is synonymous with fullness. Without it there is no joy or hope, no life.

Jesus holds humanity in high esteem. God and humankind are his priorities. His kingdom announces a new order in the human heart, a true change in the way people think and act. Jesus comes to proclaim peace, to renew, to sweep away the old, to establish a reign of peace in humanity’s inner and outer life.

That is why it hurts to hear the drums of war, because we cannot conceive of a world where peace is a privilege for the few and the specter of death hangs over so many innocent people who would inevitably die. God is not embodied in misery, or in tanks, or in the landscapes left by human battles, but in sound judgment, in timely reflection, in his unquestionably necessary peace. Deceit dwells in those who plot evil, but there is joy for those who promote peace (Prov 12:20).

Paul told the Romans: “Therefore, let us make every effort to promote everything that leads to peace and mutual edification” (Rom 14:19). It is a verse that seems taken from some contemporary diplomatic resolution, but it is Christ’s diplomacy, the kind we need today more than ever, so that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, may guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).

God bless you!