Peace, as far as Ephesians 2 is concerned, has been accomplished and is available vertically with God our maker, and with fellow believers horizontally through the person of Jesus Christ. In the midst of a fallen broken world that offers an ongoing treadmill of disruption, disorder, and distortion, Christ Jesus is peace. To chase peace apart from Christ will only lead to a hollow, temporary distraction. To truly pursue peace means to pursue Jesus who is himself peace.
Peace is a word frequently accompanying Christian traditions. For those who celebrate the church calendar, peace is one of the four themes of Advent. Christians worship the messiah as the “prince of peace”. Peace is a watchword for guarding Christian conduct. In the pursuit of truth and in the midst of disputes, peace is to be a priority. Blessings that are pronounced between individuals and large groups of Christians often involve the “peace of God”. Even beyond the Christian tradition of peace, there is a broader desire for peace. An absence of peace in home environments is the reason for all sorts of non-profit programs and government budgetary expenses. A lack of peace abounds where wars and violence rage. Peace is seemingly cross-cultural. Peace is a desire of humanity.
Yet, peace seems elusive in our present world. Families are torn apart by both internal and external reasons. Individuals suffer from a lack of peace regarding the past, present, and future. We have specialized words in English to describe the many multifaceted ways in which humans can experience a disruption or lack of peace.
Do you have a lack of peace regarding your future? That’s anxiety.
Is peace quickly fleeting from you? That is a disruptive disorder.
Have you lost any hope of gaining peace? That is depression.
Is your group willing to destroy peace with another group? That is a war. Is someone failing to provide sufficiently for the peace of those in their care? That is negligence. Are you deprived of peace when you seek sleep? That is insomnia.
Peace is something easily observed when present, earnestly desired when absent, and blissfully enjoyed when possessed.
The human desire for peace is perhaps the only thing that can rival the desire for happiness. One could even argue that the two desires are intertwined. Surely peace is one of the primary vehicles on the road to happiness. Peace is more than a state of mind or the absence of a disorder. Peace is something that can be experienced, tangibly shared, relationally received, corporately enjoyed, and continually delighted in.
Source of Peace
Beyond the concept of peace within various expressions of Christian tradition is the source of peace. For the inspired writers of the New Testament, peace is not a state of mind, a moral to be kept, or even an outcome to be pursued. Peace is a person and a status. Jesus is peace in human flesh. Jesus has secured peace for all are united to him through faith in him.
The peace which Christ has secured has ended the hostility between God and the redeemed of Christ.
