Peace

“27 Peace I leave with you; peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27 ESV)

In scripture, we can find two kinds of peace. The peace of God is an overwhelming peace that moves through our entire life. This peace occurs when we are reunited with God through our faith in Christ Jesus. We were all once counted as enemies of God for our sinful rebellion. It is by the blood of Christ that we are forgiven and our lives flooded with the love of God. We know this to be true as we were taught this by the words of Paul, “20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” ( Colossians 1:20). It is by our faith in Christ and our justification by blood that we can experience this sort of inner peace given to us by God.

Christ gave us many gifts salvation, hope, grace, and mercy, but one of the greatest gifts is His peace. Jesus gives us this peace as told by John in today’s passage.  This peace is not of this world for there is no peace in this world. We know that since the fall all humans are born in sin. Many people believe infants have no sin. Place two two-year-olds in a playpen and give one a toy. You will see greed, coveting, anger, and who knows what else. It is through Christ's death, and resurrection that we can be salvaged from sin. Once enemies, we are made children of God. An absolute miracle. When this happens, we cannot be robbed of this peace nor can it be stolen. God’s peace transforms us, something those outside of Christ cannot understand. This lack of piece is one of the greatest miseries for those without Him.

It is God’s peace, enabled through Christ’s blood and delivered by the Holy Spirit. It becomes our anchor in life. The Holy Spirit provides this fruit of our salvation and nurtures its growth through our edification. The peace of God also changes our relationship with others. The peace of God is not only an internal peace, but the peace of God radiates from us to others. Others can see our peace and happiness. This peace also extends to our enemies. (Matthew 5:43-45 ESV). Peace and love go together but never at the cost of the gospel.

A curiosity is that while all believers long for peace, it is not always attained. Why? One reason may be that peacemaking is dangerous. If you have ever tried to break up a fight, the odds are you were punched in the process. When we try to make peace, we become a magnet to hostility. Some people thrive on violence, disruption, protest, and hostility and will attack others who oppose these things. Paul reminded us, “If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18). Peace is the goal but looking around us in the world and on college campuses, we see it is notably absent. What are you willing to do? Many are unaware that they deny Christ by their actions alone. Some Christians will not spread the gospel, participate in ministries, and will not step up in the name of peace. They exist in a tiny Christian bubble, unable to grow and denying the Lord in the process. Where are you? Are you isolated in a bubble? Did you not realize you were denying the Lord by denying his commands?

I will end with Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

Test yourself and remember you do not stand alone, ever.

Grace and Peace!