The history of mankind is a record of struggles – within our own lives, within families, between neighbors, and between nations. The search for peace never ends. If you were asked to define peace, how would you answer? Most people define it as the absence of conflict, but peace is much more than that.
In the New Testament the Greek word for peace means “binding together that which has been separated.” Its counterpart in the Old Testament is shalom – which primarily means “wholeness.” Throughout the Bible “peace” is used in a variety of ways: as a form of greeting, as an indication of freedom from outside hardships and internal distresses, and as a description of concord between nations. It is also a term connoting peace within a nation, within a church, between people in general, and as a state of rest and contentment.
There is a significant difference between having peace with God and having the peace of God in our lives. Peace with God is the result of willfully accepting the atoning work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. The peace of God is for those who are already at peace with God.
Kenneth Wuest, New Testament scholar, notes certain differences between peace with God and the peace of God. For example: peace with God has to do with justification (being made right with God); the peace of God has to do with sanctification, which is a growth in Christlikeness. Peace with God is the result of our legal standing with God; the peace of God is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit within our lives. Peace with God is static; the peace of God changes from hour to hour. Every Christian has peace with God; the peace of God every Christian may have.
What these definitions tell us is that the peace of God is enhanced through a closer walk with Him. It is maintained and strengthened through a love relationship. A Christian’s love relationship with God will, through the peace He provides, guard our hearts against thoughts of anxiety, fear, and despair. This is not to say that such thoughts will no longer enter our lives. It does mean that their control over our lives will decrease as the peace of God replaces such thoughts by controlling the seat of our emotions: our heart.
The Apostle Paul emphasized this in writing to the Christians at Philippi: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
God never made a more profound promise to believers than this. It is His declaration to every believer that if we rest in Him, an outlet will be provided for our anxiety and discouragement through the ministry of the Holy Spirit: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
The prophet Isaiah, in looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, said, “His name shall be called. . . . The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Indeed, that is what and who He is! Matthew Henry, highly regarded Bible commentator of another generation says, “When Christ died He left a will in which He gave His soul to His Father, His body to Joseph of Arimathea, His clothes to the soldiers, and His mother to John. But to His disciples who had left all to follow Him, He left not silver or gold, but something far better – His PEACE.”
Do you have the peace that only Christ can give? If not, it is available – but you must accept it.
The Paper Pulpit 
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