Light of Peace

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”. (Luke 2:14, KVJ)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives”. (John 14:27)

Then there are these verses from the writings of the Apostle Paul:

“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. (Rom 5:1)

“For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”. (Rom 14:17)

“Do not worry about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. (Phil 4:6-7).

Of course then there's the classic statement of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt 5:9)

In biblical perspective, therefore, the absence of conflict is only the bare beginning of peace. True peace includes personal wholeness, corporate righteousness, political justice, and prosperity for all creation. That's exactly the way God intended things to be when he created his garden, his paradise. (Our word "paradise" comes from a Greek word that described the elegant parks of ancient Persian kings.) Perhaps no term better describes God's perfect paradise than "peaceful," a world full of wholeness, righteousness, justice, and prosperity.

In the Old Testament God promised to mend that which had been lost in the Fall by re-instituting peace on earth. Through Ezekiel, the Lord looked forward to such restoration for his people:

“And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and multiply them, and I will put my Temple among them forever. I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Ezek 37:26-27).

Peace will come by God's effort. The result will be material blessing and, most importantly, a mended relationship between people and God. The prophet Isaiah brought a message similar to that of Ezekiel:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns" (Isa 52:7).

Notice how God's peace is integrally related to his salvation, to the restoration of his reign on earth. When God saves, he will restore his kingdom so that those who live under his rightful rule will experience the fullness of his peace.

Isaiah's vision of God's future peacemaking effort takes an unexpected turn in the next chapter. There the prophet describes God's Suffering Servant, "a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief" (Isa 53:3). This Servant suffers, not because of his own sins, but so that we might be forgiven for our sins.

"But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!" (Isa 53:5). God would restore peace on earth, but only through one who took upon himself the penalty for human sin.