Peace

I decided to spend this week studying peace as part of the fruit of God’s spirit. This month in my local church’s lady’s scripture writing group, I shared the topic of “Sing Praise.” When I went to upload it here on my website so all of you could download it if you want, I realized that I never finished my Fruit of the Spirit scripture writing series. I still have “peace,” “faith,” and “gentleness” left to finish.

The Greek word for “peace” is eirene (G1515), a tranquil, blessed state with security and no strife. The Hebrew equivalent is shalom (H7965), wholeness; nothing missing, nothing broken. As I read through the 294 verses containing one of these words, I realized a lot of them aren’t about peace as something we do, or even necessarily as a character attribute that we develop. Most of them (208) are in the Old Testament, and a lot of those verses talk about people asking each other if they have peaceful intentions, or lamenting a lack of peace that’s associated with rebellion against God, or God assuring His people that He can provide them with peace.

I suppose I think of the fruit of the spirit as something we do. When the spirit is in us, then we practice “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23, WEB). But the verses about joy and peace at least make it seem more like something you have inside you because of who you are when transformed by the spirit. I suppose rather than thinking about this fruit as something we do, we should think of them as descriptions of who we become as people transformed by God, which will of course influence our actions.

Peace In Relationship With God

Over and over, scriptures on peace link it to our relationship with God. He either promises to “give peace” to those who follow Him, or people following Him speak of the peace that they experience when they love Him and His law.

Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, “This is how you shall bless the children of Israel. You shall tell them, ‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you. Yahweh make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. Yahweh lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’ So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.” 

Numbers 6:23-27, WEB

Those who love your law have great peace. Nothing causes them to stumble. 

Psalm 119:165 , WEB

Peace is something intimately associated with God. We’ve talked about it before on this blog, so you might remember that in Hebrew, names are intimately associated with a person’s character and reputation. In one Messianic prophecy, Jesus Christ is called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). In the book of Judges, Gideon “built an altar … and called it “Yahweh is Peace'” (Jud. 6:24, WEB). Those are the only two places in the Old Testament that “peace” is listed as a name for Yahweh or the Messiah, but peace is consistently described as something He provides.

Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says: “I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go. Oh that you had listened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”

Isaiah 48:17 , WEB

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.  For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,  having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;  and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. 

Ephesians 2:13-17, WEB

There’s a lot more to godly peace than simply feeling peaceful or being a peacemaker. Thinking about those Greek and Hebrew words I mentioned in the intro, peace involves tranquility, blessedness, security, and wholeness. There’s peace in God leading us in His way of life, in the redemptive work of the Messiah, and in our covenant relationship with the Father and Son.

Peace as Something We Do

In the Old Testament, peace is mostly described as something God gives us or which naturally occurs in our lives when we keep covenant with Him and obey His commandments. A few times, though, peace is something we’re commanded to do.

Depart from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it. 

Psalm 34:14 , WEB

These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates, and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate,” says Yahweh.  

Zechariah 8:16 , WEB

These sorts of instructions become more common in the New Testament. Peace is still something God gives us (John 14:27; Rom. 5:1-2; 2 Thes. 3:16), but it’s also more often described as something that we choose to participate in.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.

Romans 12:17-18, NET

Peace between ourselves and other people is a topic that comes up frequently (Mark 9:50; Rom. 14:19; 2 Cor. 13:11; Eph. 4:1-3). This is especially important to God in our relationships with other people in His church. Unity, peace, and interactions that build each other up are something He repeatedly commands (in contrast to condemning disunity, strife, and tearing each other down).

Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing that they generate strife. The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle towards all, able to teach, patient.

2 Timothy 2:22-24 , WEB

Peace As Part of Our Lives

As part of the fruit of the spirit, peace is something we choose and something we’re gifted from God. His spirit inside us, which is part of our New Covenant relationship with Him, enables us to have peace inside us and to cultivate peace around us no matter what else is going on.

Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:6-9, NET

When the God of peace is with us and filling us with His spirit, peace should be a natural fruit of our lives. We’re still human, though, and we need to work on living in the spirit rather than the flesh, including choosing to live lives of peace. That involves cultivating peace inside us and making peace with those around us as much as we possibly can.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. 

James 3:17-18 , WEB

As people whose lives are being transformed by God, “peace” should be one of the key characteristics that His spirit produces in us (Gal. 5:22-23). If we lack peace, we can ask God to cultivate it inside us. If we struggle behaving peacefully with other people, and can repent of any associated sins and ask for God’s help to choose peace and make peace. He is the God of peace–Yahweh Shalom–and He is perfectly capable of putting His peace into the lives of people living in relationship with Him.

Click here to download a free 30-Day Scripture Writing Plan on the topic of “Peace.”

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