Peace

Peace

5:1,2 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God.

John 20:19-222

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

 

Eirene 2:400,207
Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech
i-ray’-nay Noun Feminine
 Definition
1.                               a state of national tranquillitya.                                                       exemption from the rage and havoc of war2.                               peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord

3.                               security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous)

4.                               of the Messiah’s peace

a.                                                       the way that leads to peace (salvation)

5.                               of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is

6.                               the blessed state of devout and upright men after death

Transliteration: shalom
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-lome’)
Short Definition: peace
Definition
completeness, soundness, welfare, peace

Basically, peace means being AT ONE, with God, with others, with yourself.

There are 2 types of peace – objective, or static (unchanging) peace, and subjective, or dynamic peace.

Romans 5:1-2 shows us objective peace, meaning that it is a truth that cannot be changed by our feelings or anyone’s actions.  It means that, because Jesus paid the debt for our sins with his sinless, perfect blood, we are no longer separated from and hostile toward God.  We are at ONE with God spiritually, we have the Holy Spirit living within us, and when God the Father looks at us, instead of seeing our sin, He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself shining through His Holy Spirit within us.

5:1,2 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Ephesians 2:14-18

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Our old nature, that hated God has died, and we now want to please God.  We are at peace with Him.

A few other examples in scripture of faith securing peace with God are the woman with the issue of blood who believed if she could just touch Jesus’ coat, she could be healed. Only the coat didn’t heal her – her faith released the healing power within Jesus.

Mark 5:34

He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

The “woman who led a sinful life who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and poured expensive perfume on him at the Pharisee’s house was told by Jesus “your sins are forgiven” and

Luke 7:50

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

By the way, I love how the woman never said a word, but Jesus recognized her faith and repentance by her actions and forgave her.

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

But peace WITH God also results in the peace OF God – a life walked in harmony with God’s truths, commands and His love.  This is the subjective or dynamic peace, that changes according to our feelings and faith levels.

Peace WITH God

  • results FROM faith in Jesus Christ’s payment for your sins,
  • results IN the peace OF God in your life
    • a life walked in harmony with God’s truth and love,
    • by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you

Peace is not just an avoidance or absence of struggle.  It is an active pursuit of living in harmony with God, listening for His Spirit, being at ONE with God in body, soul and spirit, and then being at ONE with others and ourselves.

Romans 12:18

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 14:19

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

What steals the peace of God from us?  Sin – anything in our life that is not of faith.  Examples are worry and pain.

Why?

Worry means that we don’t trust God, and when we don’t trust He will take care of what and who is most important to us, we are not at ONE with God in soul and spirit. We are not walking by faith and surrendering to His Spirit in us. We are being driven by the fears and doubts in our souls, and the lusts and cravings of our bodies, instead of the truth that His Spirit speaks to us. God is going one way and we are going another – we are not at one, so we lose our peace.

Romans 8:6

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Pain steals our peace because our bodies start screaming louder than the Spirit, and it is extremely hard to have faith and peace when we are in pain. Yet, that is when we need our faith even more.  It’s good that we don’t have to manufacture that faith, though.  God can give us the gift of faith by His Spirit if we ask. Sometimes, when we can do nothing else, we have to simply cry out to God and ask for a refilling of His Spirit and His faith. As the Centurion said, I believe – but help my unbelief. That is a very honest and pleasing prayer to God.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What steals our peace with others?  Selfishness.  We want our own way, and don’t want to give it up to live in peace with others.

2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

What steals our peace from ourselves? Brokenness. Sometimes, we have no peace inside of ourselves, even when our circumstances are good. That means we are broken with missing or conflicted pieces, and not whole, or at one with ourselves.  We believe conflicting things – what God says, and what we believe or what others have said about us.  There is no internal peace until we are single-minded about ourselves.  We are at peace when we see and accept ourselves as God sees and accepts us.

Jesus said:

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:32,33

“You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Jesus’ peace that He was leaving with the disciples was within the person of the Holy Spirit that would come once Jesus was gone.

Gal 5:22,23 lists the fruit of the spirit –

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

His “peace” that He left us was the fruit of His Holy Spirit that now lives in us!  His Holy Spirit overcomes the world, just as Jesus did.

But Jesus’ death was not only so we could have peace with God, but so that everyone could have peace with God and with everyone else.  We are not only to receive peace, but BRING peace to others – through the Gospel of peace.

The evening of Jesus’ resurrection, He came to the disciples and His FIRST WORDS WERE, “Peace be with you.”  As a matter of fact, he said it THREE (3) TIMES to the disciples in just a few verses.

John 20:19,20

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

John 20:21,2

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

John 20:26

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  Jesus only did what the Father told Him to do. That means that the Father sent Jesus to the Disciples and told Him to tell them “Peace be with you!”.  He then told the disciples to go out and say “Peace be with you!” to everyone else.

But what does PEACE BE WITH YOU mean?  It means I want you to have peace WITH God and the peace OF God.

It means he is sending us to share the gospel of peace with everyone we meet by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 10:5

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’

If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.

As we come to Resurrection Sunday, I challenge you to ask yourself if you are living in the peace OF God, living at one with God.  I also challenge you to share God’s peace with others by sharing the Gospel of peace with those around you.