Peace. From God or With God?
Who gives the Christian peace? This is a simple question that even a child can answer. God alone gives true peace to the inhabitants of our world. Rain from heaven sustains our physical lives and God’s peace is sprinkled from on high to nourish our soul. Peace could be more aptly defined as soul-rest. Man can pamper and soothe the physical body, but only God can take away the guilt and shame from the hearts of fallen man. Consider the case of Saul, the first king of Israel. Possessing every luxury in abundance, he was afflicted by a demon who would not let him enjoy his physical prosperity. The Holy Spirit left him because of his disobedience, and without God’s presence, the entire nation of Isreal was unable to placate his tormented soul.
True peace is the exclusive domain of God’s elect. However, true Christians can and do struggle with doubts and despair. Why is this? Living in a fallen world and fighting with remaining sin are two of the biggest factors that disturb Christians on their journey to the Celestial City. However, I believe that one of the major factors is that we must differentiate between the two types of peace that God gives to his children. The peace of justification and peace of sanctification work differently in the lives of believers. One assures us of our salvation, the other keeps us from backsliding or becoming slack in our holy conflict. God does not desire us to lose our faith in his promise of salvation, but the peace of sanctification depends on the closeness of our walk with Him.
Through faith, the justified soul has eternal peace with God. The Apostle Paul records the following in his letter to the Romans:
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1
Notice the tense of the verbs in this sentence. We have been “justified” (past tense), and thus we currently “have” (present tense) with God. There is no more condemnation for those that are now in Christ Jesus. What a wonderful promise for the saints! We no longer fear God’s justice because Christ took the punishment that we deserved on the cross. If you lack assurance of salvation, then pray that God would give you the peace of justification. God wills for every true believer to rest in the finished work of his son.
In the epistle the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul again references peace:
Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Why does he ask God to always give them peace in every way? The phrase “in every way” leads me to believe that a different peace is in view here. Turn back to the gospels and consider the Devil’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Quoting Psalm 90, the devil leaves out four words namely “in all your ways” and replaced them with the phrase “lest at any time”. Why did he do that? Lucifer was trying to turn a promise of God into license to tempt God the Father’s sovereignty. When you modify your car or electronics in certain ways you void the manufacturer’s warranty. God’s promises of protection are limited to those who love God and are carrying out his will. Nonbelievers will lose their physical and spiritual lives, and believers can lose their physical lives and spiritual comfort if they presume on God’s decreed will.
Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians was to have this peace at all time and in every way. He understood that Christians who live unholy lives will not have this peace. After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, he wrote the following verse in Psalm 51.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalm 51:11-12
God would not permanently remove the Holy Spirit from David, but David felt a lack of peace as his grievous sins had obstructed his communion with God. David was as certainly saved before the sin as he was afterwards, but God removed the joy of sanctification from his life. Only true believers have this joy and only true believers will long for it when it has been removed. If we have unconfessed sin, then we should plead with God to forgive us and restore the joy of our salvation.
It is a mercy that God doesn’t allow his saints to become comfortable in their sin. How can we be comfortable with words and deeds for which our Savior suffered on the cross? The Lord of peace will give us lasting peace if we take those times and ways captive to the throne of Christ. Those that spend their idle time chasing idols will receive the devil’s wages of despair and doubt. Let us resolve to cling to Christ more closely with every passing day so that we can truly realize the completeness of the peace of our sanctification.
Soli Deo Gloria