Gospel of Peace

We have a bunch of “nerds” on staff at The River Church. You know, the type of people who could talk about “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings,” and comic books for hours. While I do not enjoy talking about these things, I do enjoy teasing them for it. What most of them do not know about me is that I had my own nerdy obsession at one point in my life - Beanie Babies. Have you ever been both proud and yet ashamed of something at the same time? Because that is how I feel about my years as a Beanie-obsessed connoisseur. I like to tell myself that it was okay because I was a kid, but in reality, this phase of my life did not end until I was well into high school. Now, for the record, I did not play with these cute little stuffed animals I had carefully collected, but I did spend hours of my days doing research, buying them on eBay, and waiting in line for hours outside the hardware store on early weekend mornings. I had a giant book of every Beanie ever made with all of their information, and at one point in my life, I could name them all with 100% accuracy and probably tell you their birthdates. I was an avid collector, clearly. Out of the several hundred that I owned, all of which I cherished, I had one clear favorite. His name was Peace, and he was a tie-dyed bear with a peace sign on his chest. As a kid growing up in the 90s, peace signs were everywhere. I wore them on my clothes, doodled them on my journals, and threw my two fingers up in the air anytime a disposable camera came my way. Those were the good old days. 

Fast forward to our current reality. We are certainly not at peace. As I write, we are in an election year, which automatically equals chaos. A former president and current nominee was just recently shot and almost assassinated. The Middle East is at war, per usual. In response, Americans who hate America are burning flags and destroying public monuments, all while bowing down to terrorists overseas. Every time you turn on the news, you hear of another deadly mass shooting. It has even trickled down to my own community. The very county that I live in is still trying to recover from the horrific school shooting that left four students dead just a couple of years ago. Just a few weeks ago, another mentally disturbed gunman opened fire at a nearby park, specifically targeting children before turning the gun on himself. I would be lying if I said that I was not often discouraged by the state of our world. Everywhere we look, people are hurting. Mental illness runs rampant, anxiety is at an all-time high, and suicide rates just keep going up. Where is the peace that the Bible promises? What does God actually say about peace? 

I think this is an important topic to study and ponder, and going to God’s Word is the most important place to start. The word for peace appears 429 times in the Bible, both in the Old and the New Testaments. Some instances refer to the feeling of peacefulness or being at peace with others. There is plenty of talk of counterfeit peace, both in the past and in the future. As many may know, Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace.”  

Right before Jesus was taken to be crucified, He told His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). He goes further on the subject in John 16:33: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” I find these passages so sweet and encouraging because Jesus Himself acknowledges that true peace is more than just a feeling. It is only in and through Christ and His work on the cross that we can have the most important kind of peace - peace with God. 

In order to have peace with God, we must understand that in our natural and unsaved state, we are enemies of God. For many, this can be hard to recognize because they see their good works and feel that their “goodness” can earn their salvation. However, in reality, we are all born wretched sinners. Every good deed we could ever do is nothing but a filthy rag compared to the holiness of God. Because of our sin, we are at odds with our perfect Creator. We can never create peace with God despite how hard we try. But God! God loved us so much that in order to create a path to peace, He sent His only son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and die on the cross for the sins of those who would put their faith in Him. He rose from the dead three days later, guaranteeing our justification. It is just as if I had never sinned because now when God looks at me, He sees the shed blood of Jesus that covers me. It is only through this Gospel of peace that we can be saved. Romans 5:1 tells us, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

The most incredible thing about this kind of peace is that it is available and attainable at any time, to anyone, at any place. It is not contingent on our circumstances, and regardless of what is going on in our lives, nothing could ever take away the peace with God once it has been established. The world will continue to rage on in its wars and chaos until the day that Jesus comes back to establish true and lasting peace, but until then, God will give peace to those who trust in Him. The question now is, are you at peace with God?