Peace Seeker

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
—Matthew 5:9

Volkswagens, John Lennon, protesters with peace signs, long-haired hippies–these are some of the images invoked by the word “peace” for those of the Vietnam war era. Some might imagine peace as a serene moment alongside a still river, a gentle breeze lightly blowing, not a care in the world. The word “peace” can invoke a variety of images. Today, the word “peace” seems to be synonymous with the word “tolerance.” But is that true? Does peace mean tolerating everyone else? If not, then what is it? Are there different types of peace? And what type of peace are we to seek?

The Bible talks about two different kinds of peace: the peace of the world, and the peace of God. The peace of the world is commonly understood to mean the absence of conflict and the absolute pursuit of freedom, but that is relative to the person who is defining it, which means that there can never really be peace because each individual’s pursuit of peace will inevitably interfere with another’s pursuit. The world calls this peace “tolerance.” It is supposedly through our tolerance of others that we are enabled to have peace, and be at peace with others, but this is at odds with a true understanding of tolerance and it fails to acknowledge God’s declaration of what real peace is and how it can be achieved. The world’s idea of peace or tolerance is a selfish peace, because the person holding it will always define peace as whatever allows him to pursue his own highest pleasure and well-being. But that is to ignore God’s declaration that there is not, and never will be, peace for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22). The world’s peace is a pseudo-peace, a belief in a lie, the idea that the Emperor’s New Clothes are real. The world, just like the Emperor, believes a lie and lives in the midst of it. It’s an illusion, like a David Copperfield show, the trick of a New York street hustler, and a fairy tale like the Tooth Fairy. There is no true peace for the wicked. What the wicked think is peace is a medicated conscience, a seared soul, and an attempt to stifle conviction.

The peace of God is completely different, because it is found not in the absence of conflict in the world, but in the response to it. God responded to the greatest conflict in the world, sin, through the person of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus offered Himself to be the one who makes peace with God the Father by giving Himself as a sacrifice for sin on our behalf so that God’s wrath could be poured out on Him for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), thus paying the price that was due for sin and securing for us peace with God (Romans 5:1).

And once we have peace with God, we receive the peace from God, or as our Lord Jesus said,  

“Peace I leave with you; My 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. 

Jesus gives peace. How? And what type of peace is it? In the Old Testament, the word peace is shalom and means “wholeness,” “to be complete,” “perfect,” and “full.” This is the idea Jesus is communicating when He mentions the peace that only He gives. He gives us peace because He gives us Himself, and He is peace (Ephesians 2:14-16; cf. John 16:33). His peace rules in our hearts, even in the midst of conflict (Colossians 3:15). How? Because He has overcome the world:  

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world"—John 16:33. 

Through His overcoming, we overcome, and He shares the spoils of His victory by giving us Himself, which is the peace of God through Jesus Christ.

When our Lord was preaching the Sermon on the Mount, He was giving us the truth in which we who are believers should operate in response to others as we live in the pre-dawn light of His coming kingdom. We are to be “peacemakers,” which means that we are to seek and promote peace with others, both personally and communally. We seek peace by telling them of Jesus Christ and His payment for their sins on the cross. We promote peace by encouraging one another not necessarily to avoid conflict but to face truth and be reconciled to one another. We promote peace by sharing with others the truth of God’s Word so that they can discard their faulty worldly understandings of peace and instead come to embrace peace with God and peace from God. The reward for pursuing this peace is to be called a “son of God,” for one has then truly become a member of God’s family.

May the peace of God rule in our hearts as a sign of His rule in our lives, and may we seek the peace of God for others by proclaiming Christ so that they too may participate in the peace of God and experience the joy of knowing Him. Amen.