Radical Peace
The Yardstick by Which We Measure Everything
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. (Ephesians 2:13-15)
Generation on fire, I greet you in the name of Christ the bringer of peace. In this word, we explore the radical peace that Christ instituted with His sacrifice and brought Jews and Gentiles alike into one body of Christ. In Ephesians 1, Paul disclosed the great mystery of the gospel as bringing unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. This unity is what creates peace internally as well as externally in our relationships, it is what lifts the anxiety that we are so accustomed to as we go through life. There is a radical peace that comes from identifying with Christ and it is one of the gifts that Jesus came to give. This peace shows up when the body of Christ is functioning as it should – in cooperation with each other and with love and charity to all. It also shows up when the singular individual identifies deeply with the author of life and salvation.
“For He himself is our peace” is an incredible celebration of Christ’s role in our lives. He not only gives us peace but is Himself the person whom we find peace with God and each other. The ushering in of peace is the only reason Christ became man and went through His sufferings. Jesus says in Matthew 15:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” And when asked what the greatest commandments are in Matthew 22:36-40, He responds “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” In fulfilling the law, it is clear that Christ came first to reconcile man to God and to reconcile man to man. It is why upon Christ's death, the veil separating the Holy of Holies was torn and Jews and Gentiles were united under Christ. Christ came to restore God’s peace with man and man’s peace with himself.
Timothy Keller highlights peace as the summary of all the blessings resulting from being reconciled to God and each other in Christ. If grace is the origin of God’s plan to gather us into the blessing of His church in Christ, then peace is the result of it which demonstrates in the spiritual realms the triumphant wisdom of the gospel of Christ crucified. This has significant ramifications for us in today’s day and age. The peace of Christ must be the yardstick by which we measure our relationship with God, it must be the compass that guides us and the filter we pass our decisions through. Simply put, if there is no peace, there is no Christ. This isn’t to say that anxiety over real issues is forever banished but it means that a continuous and permanent restlessness and lack of peace internally and externally is a sign to revisit our relationship with God.
Paul famously said in Galatians 6:17 “From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” It was an admission that his relationship with Christ is what gave him peace not that he did not have worries. Christ Himself said “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.” Peace with God, peace with man and peace with self is the gift that Christ gave us. Whenever this gift is disturbed, we must vigorously seek the face of God, realign ourselves with Christ and take quick steps to reconcile our relationships with man.
Prayer
God of peace, give me peace at all times in every way. Let the peace of Christ rule in my life and in all of my decisions and interactions. Mighty One, I need your peace in my life, grant it to me and help me to press on in the race of life so that I may have the victory. Amen