The Trouble with Peacemaking

I’ve arrived at this description of peace based on scriptures like Colossians 3:14-16.  It says,

“¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.   And be thankful.   ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

In this context, peace is not just stopping a war.  It’s replacing the war with the all-out pursuit of God and His righteousness.  The Greek word used for “peacemaker” is rare in the Bible. (To my knowledge, Matthew 5:9 is the only place where it is used.)  However, the concept behind the term was prevalent in the Jewish culture.

Still today, Jews will greet one another with the Hebrew word for peace, Shalom.  When they say “shalom,” they are not saying, “I hope there is no war today.”  They are saying instead: “May you have all the righteousness and goodness God can give you.”  Shalom points to lasting peace based on a shared knowledge and pursuit of God.

There is a big difference between a cease-fire and peace.  A cease-fire means that you don’t shoot for a while.  It calls for coexistence and tolerance without addressing the underlying issues.  Cease-fires don’t in themselves produce harmony, brotherhood, unity, and restored relationships.  A cease-fire might end the external fighting for a season while the war continues to smolder right under the surface. 

In reality, cease-fires often produce cold wars, not peace.  During our cold war with the USSR, troops were not mobilized to fight the enemy head on, but the absence of gunfire certainly didn’t mean that the US was at peace with the USSR.  During the cold war, tension boiled under the surface for years!

The foundation of peace is a shared belief in truth and values.  Without two countries agreeing on a standard of truth and morality, peace is nearly impossible to achieve and sustain.  We need fewer politicians and more evangelists when we negotiate for peace.

Consider the conflict our country has with ISIS.  The U.S. is currently a conglomeration of Judeo-Christian and secular values, while their culture is founded upon Islamic values.  We have competing standards of truth and morality.

Before there can be lasting peace between the U.S. and ISIS, both sides will need to bend their knee and submit to the authority of Christ.  The gospel provides a foundation of truth where real peace and brotherhood can begin instead of simply a cease-fire.

Jesus was, and is, the ultimate peacemaker, yet He never let “sleeping dogs lie.”  On the contrary, Jesus pointed out when people were living their lives on a foundation of lies.  He addressed uncomfortable issues.  He was a disruptor so that He could resolve conflicts on the basis of truth.  It is very important for us to understand that Jesus did not come to bring us an absence of conflict on earth, but He came to bring peace with God to those who are hostile towards God! 

The vast majority of people in our country today are friends of this world and therefore the Bible says they are enemies of God.  They are not at peace with God, but rather they oppose Him.  James (4:4) puts it this way, “…Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

The Bible does not say that God is the enemy of man.  It clearly says that God loves us.  400 times in the Bible He is called a “God of Peace.”  He’s perfect in righteousness.  He’s not in rebellion against truth.  We are the ones who embrace sin, reject righteousness, and rebel against God.  James says that the friends of the world are hostile towards God.

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