The Bible urges its believers to
do everything possible to be at peace with each other (Romans 14: 19). Christ
is peace and accentuates peace. Christ is the ‘Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9: 6). Christ
accentuates peace, “Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5: 9, NIV).
The Bible Recognizes Peacelessness
Isn’t it a fact that peace gains
its meaning only during chaos and conflict (peacelessness)?
Consider a world without conflict
or chaos. This world then is without evil, for evil causes conflict and chaos. If
evil and conflict are nonexistent in a world, then by sheer consequence, peace
ensues.
If peace fills that world, and if
that world is without a prospect of conflict, any teaching urging people to be
at peace would be meaningless. One need not promote peace when all is peaceful and when there is absolutely no threat to peace.
When the Bible urges its
believers to remain at peace, evil and its consequential deeds are not only
implicit but acknowledged as rampant.
Therefore, we need not be fascinated
to observe Christ’s teaching on persecution immediately following HIS teaching
on peace. “Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” was
Christ’s statement immediately after his teaching on peace (Matthew 5: 10,
NIV).
Do Not Expect Total
Peace
Peace, in a worldly sense, is
nonexistent during persecution. Persecution is all about conflict between good
and evil. When opposing forces of good and evil collide, there is always a
conflict. There cannot be absolute peace when evil is rampant.
God is sovereign. HE is Almighty.
HE can do anything without contradicting HIMSELF. If God permits evil to exist
for a certain period of time, it is reasonable to conclude that there will not
be absolute / total peace until evil is totally eradicated.
Jesus’ first coming was not to eliminate
evil, for HE did not come to eliminate Satan – the source of all evil and
conflict. Conflict will remain as long as Satan is in existence.
Satan and evil will be eliminated
once and for all when the Lord returns again. But we do not know the date or
time of that much awaited glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore,
until the Lord Jesus returns to eliminate evil, there will be a state of
peacelessness in this world.
If it’s God’s will that there cannot
be absolute peace in this world, then one cannot or should not expect absolute
peace in this world.
Evil and conflict is the context
of Matthew 10. Conflict is intrinsic in: driving out impure spirits / demons
(1, 8), judgment – an outcome of conflict (14-15, 32-33), the analogy of sheep
and wolves and snakes and doves (16), persecution (17-23), and fear (26-30).
It’s within the interesting
setting of conflict between good and evil that Christ uttered these stunning
words, “Do not suppose that I have come
to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I
have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law — a man’s enemies will be the members
of his own household’” (Matthew 10: 34-36, NIV).
Implicit in the words of Christ
in Matthew 10: 34-36 is the truth that all those who profess absolute or
supreme loyalty to Jesus and to the Bible will be persecuted by the evil one.
In fact, anyone who is loyal to
what he believes to be as truth will face persecution in one form or another.
When an individual aligns with truth, then by sheer consequence, he will
overtly or covertly oppose that which he presumes to be a lie.
Then those believing the lie to
be truth (even his own family and friends), will oppose this individual, even
to the extreme extent of inflicting physical harm upon this person.
Are We For God Or
Against God?
Can a radical Christian withdraw from
conflict? No! Please allow me to elaborate.
Before we go any further, let us
establish the framework for the term “conflict.” I personally prefer “The
Message” version of the Bible for this verse and for this context. “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.
The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom…” says Matthew 5:
10 (Emphasis mine).
Any mention of ‘conflict’ in this
essay refers to a conflict that tempts a Christian to reduce his commitment to
God. This conflict could be in any sphere of his private or public life – career,
friendship, hobby, marriage, ministry, parenting…
For instance, when a Christian’s
faith comes under attack, some Christians, even those with adequate faith and
knowledge, would prefer not to address the matter so to be politically correct and
/ or because of fear.
In other words, some would not
stand up for his faith so not to offend the person attacking his faith.
Alternatively, some would withdraw on account of fear; fear of physical harm or
fear of losing a certain benefit (job or reputation).
It is in this very context I believe
that many Christians who subscribe to universalism, relativism, postmodernism, and
selective agnosticism (especially regarding salvation) do so because of fear and
/ or to be politically correct or because of other compulsions.
Pray For Inner Peace
From another vantage point, when
a Christian encounters conflict, he / she ought to primarily pray or desire for
inner peace. As long as God allows Satan to exist, he will bring disasters upon
God’s people.
God, for the sake of HIS loving,
just and pleasing purpose, will situationally allow this to happen in a
believer’s life. When disaster strikes a believer, inner peace is the first
casualty.
Instead of primarily praying for
deliverance from disaster, Christians should pray for the peace of Christ to
hold them in Christ and with sanity during these moments of disaster, however painful
it may be.
Christ came to save people – to
make the spiritually dead man to live eternally. Christ also came to equip HIS
people to live in peace and at peace with each other even in an environment of
conflict.
These are the Lord’s words, “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 14: 27, NIV).
A radical Christian lives in
peace even when he is deeply stressed and troubled, for he loves Jesus and
Jesus loves and lives in him.
Contrasting Christ’s Peace
And World’s Peace
When a Christian runs away from
truth, he gets only the peace of the world. He does not receive the peace of
the Lord.
Oh wait, do we have two
categories of peace? Yes!
Let us read Christ words again
but in a different translation of the Bible. “I leave behind with you—peace; I give you my own peace and my gift is nothing like the peace of this world. You must not be distressed and you must not be
daunted,” says John 14: 27 (PHILLIPS, Emphasis Mine).
There is a peace that is from
Christ and there is a peace that is of the world. The peace that is from Christ
is mentioned in the fruit of the Spirit.
But what is that which sets apart
the ‘peace of the world’ and the ‘peace from Christ?’
Very simply, the ‘peace of the
world’ is a temporary / vulnerable / superficial / incomplete / limited peace
that offers partial or superficial contentment in life’s situations. The material
benefits of this world offer this peace.
In utter contrast, the peace that
is from Christ is permanent and protects the Christian in every
situation of life – the good, the bad and the ugly.
For instance, if a Christian’s
home (the source of peace) is destroyed by fire, the Christian who is filled
with the peace of this world will be anxious, disturbed, agitated, frustrated,
angry, hopeless, depressed, and doubtful because it was his home that offered
him peace. When his home was taken away from him, this Christian loses his peace.
In stark contrast, the Christian
filled with the peace from Christ will be stable, totally faithful and dependant
on his God even during terrible disasters (cf. Job 2: 10). The Christian filled
with Christ’s peace will display negative emotions fractionally or will not
display the emotions displayed by a Christian filled with the peace of this
world.
In fact, people consoling the Christian
who is filled with the peace from Christ, would be re-energized in his / her
spirit. Such is his influence on others during apparently endless moments of
extreme disaster and persecution.
Receiving Peace From
Christ
How then do we receive this peace
from Christ? This verse says it all, “I
am the vine itself, you are the branches. It
is the man who shares my life and whose life I share who proves fruitful.
For the plain fact is that apart from me
you can do nothing at all” (John 15: 5, PHILLIPS, Emphasis Mine).
A radical Christian will not run
away from conflict, although his family members may be the channels of conflict.
During moments of conflicts and disasters, he will not fear;
his faith in Christ will not decrease. He will be at peace with himself, his
neighbors, and with God always.
Yes, Christ came to offer HIS
peace. HIS peace will keep us sane and in Christ always. Christ’s peace is ours
when we remain in Christ and Christ in us.
A Christian who thinks that he /
she is yet to be filled with the peace of Christ should ask Jesus in prayer. We
will not be perfect in this world. We are all growing in Christ. Ask HIM
without giving up (Luke 18: 1). This is living radical Christian life.
If you are not a Christian, and
if you are not at peace, then you need Jesus in your life. Give your life to
Jesus and HE will carry you through.
In conclusion, our world will not
experience total peace as long as God allows Satan’s existence in this world. When
a Christian lives for Christ, he will stand for the truth always. So a Christian
will live amidst peacelessness (conflict and chaos). But he need not remain in
a state of peacelessness. He can receive peace from Christ in an ever
increasing measure, all through his life, and even through moments of pain, and
thus live in peace.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4: 6-7, NIV). Amen.
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