Every Christmas we hear repeatedly about “peace on earth” as we incorrectly quote the angels as saying Jesus came to bring peace to earth.
What they actually said was Jesus came to bring peace between God and those with whom He is pleased — that is, those men and women who accept the gift of His Son.
How does this peace we receive at salvation apply in a practical way between Christmas celebrations?
• It doesn’t mean we try to feel peaceful by mindlessly repeating Bible verses containing the world “peace.”
• Buying guns or putting more locks on our doors may be common sense but won’t produce God’s kind of peace and security.
• Breaking windows, looting stores, setting fires or interfering with administrative services through mass intimidation may temporarily bring about the will of the crowd, but will never produce satisfaction or peace.
God’s kind of peace is fruit. It’s the joyful state of existence produced by the presence of Holy Spirit dwelling within God’s children. We cannot produce this fruit of peace through our own efforts.
God produces it in His children through His indwelling Presence. As this fruit of peace is produced in us by God’s own life, we “bear” or exhibit it outwardly through attitudes and behavior.
This is the Spirit-filled Christ-life; the exchangedlife that believers are commanded to live each day, no matter what our external circumstances may hold.
Romans 8:9: “You are not of the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” This is talking about lost people vs. saved people. If we have received the gift of salvation by faith, then the Spirit of God literally abides in us. At the moment of the new birth, He re-creates our human nature into the very likeness of Jesus. Second Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
The result of not having peace is fear. Fear — lacking God’s peace — drives marches, escalating sales of anxiety, depression and pain medication, hoarding of belongings and over-eating, just to name a few.
Unless God is the very foundational Source of our peace, whatever sense of “peace” we may achieve through our own efforts is temporary at best. God’s peace is not found in the complete absence of threat or conflict.
Rather, God’s peace is the confident assurance of Christ’s care and protection in the middle of the turmoil of a sin-broken world.
• The Bible declares that demanding — and getting — our own way will never lead to peace and satisfaction. It teaches that living life God’s way produces peace and satisfaction with life as it is (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
• The Bible doesn’t teach that some-day-by-and-by-in-the-sky-when-we-die our own physical death will give us peace. It teaches that the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and His sending the Holy Spirit is God’s provision for peace here and now in a sin-broken world.
Because of the completed work of Jesus, we can be free in this life from the control of fear of death, lack and life’s daily stresses (Hebrews 1:14-15; Romans 8:32-39). Becoming free from fear’s control doesn’t mean we’ll never feel disturbed or afraid. It means that when circumstances stir up fearful emotions, we are well able to respond differently than the angry, agitated, selfish, demanding world around us.
Trusting God to meet our needs, we can refuse to use force or belligerence to get needs met our own way. Trusting God is the only path to true peace.
Send your questions and comments to drdixie@drdixie.org.