But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. Human self-righteousness is, before God, as filthy rags. And certainly none but One of the God Family—the divine Kingdom of God—would be King of Righteousness. When speaking of one of the points of that law, Jesus placed Himself superior to it. How glorious it would be to be free of the burdens of living in this dangerous, unstable, violent world, but as sons of God such is not our lot in life. In particular, it is about men, claiming to speak for God, who tell the people—whose lives deny God—that, "The LORD has said, 'You shall have peace.'" Just bringing God into the picture unleashes forces that will not only help us to overcome, but will also protect us from the pitfalls that litter our path (Psalm 91:12). The New Testament's writers, however, also familiar with the Hebrew shalom, used eirene as its synonym. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.". Those people, by implication, will not see God. Peace is vital. . "When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Proverbs 16:7). How do we achieve not just peace, but "great peace"? The same individual is mentioned in Psalm 110:4. Jesus Christ Himself will ultimately bring peace to all mankind (Isaiah 9:6-7). I John 2:10: He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. This does not mean that we should make peace at any cost by denying truth. Since it is true that "blessed are the peacemakers," it logically follows that God curses peace-breakers, a fact all who desire to be peacemakers must keep in mind. If everybody would submit to God's way, war would stop overnight—that would be the end! To acknowledge God and to pray always are to be in alignment with one of Christ's most basic principles, a principle found in Matthew 6:33—to "seek first the kingdom of God" in all things. Their presence heightens the importance of the announcement. God expects us to reflect His love in everything we do. ", Because of God's calling, because He granted us repentance and gave us His Spirit, we have already been enabled by His Spirit to use these things to make peace, to be of one accord, to be of one mind. Light contrasts to the darkness, blindness, and ignorance of verse 11, which result in stumbling. We have violated our obligation of being obedient to God, and this exposes us to the penalty that results from that violation. If indeed we are His children and therefore united in the spiritual body of Christ, we will show the same peaceable disposition of the One who is the Head. The life He lived as a man cannot be separated from what He became. All have sinned, so none of us has a way to discharge our debt on our own (Romans 3:23). Thus, like eirene, it also implies that which makes for man's highest good. Parable of the Two Debtors, His use of "heart" reveals that the peace in which He is involved while we are in this world is a state of mind. David F. Maas These attitudes do not make peace. The angels' song is a declaration to us that God is with us, just as He was with Mary when He overshadowed her (Luke 1:35). Peace {Torrey's}. They have not learned the path to peace. The apostle entreats us to lay aside the causes of contention so we can live in harmony. Unto us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9:6). - World English Bible for he is ruling over all beyond the river, from Tiphsah and unto Gaza, over all the kings beyond the river, and he hath peace from all his servants round about. Through us, His characteristics are being manifested to the church and to the world. All of these exhortations show a clear need for us to be part of an organization of God's people. They needed God's mercy as they began to repent. If we fail to do this, we may never see solutions to our relationship problems. The Israel peace treaty could signify the beginning of the End Times and quite possibly the "birth pains" that Jesus mentioned would precede the great tribulation. Consider the other person better than you, and serve him by looking out for his interest. Only through the birth of God's Son in Bethlehem could the process of bringing true peace to the earth begin. He personified the Word of God, while the scribes and Pharisees could only quibble about the bits and pieces they had studied. If there is no peace, those things become much harder to do. By itself, it corroborates Jesus' statement that He is willing and able to give a peace unlike the world's, a state of being not native to man. and Othniel the son of Kenaz died: Quit fighting with each other to gain the upper hand. Peace leads to more peace, washing away strife and fear as a river sweeps away debris. For the seed which one day produces the reward which righteousness brings can only be sown when personal relationships are right and by those whose conduct produces such relationships. In addition, these neighbors and curiosity seekers had already seen His mighty works, and He does not want God's gift to be considered mere entertainment. Thus He has no shame in calling us brethren. The work of God on earth is to produce holiness in His children. This provides great encouragement and assurance regarding security with God, meaning that we will not be turned aside by the difficulties along the way. There can be no dispute, however, that the vocation of every Christian is to make peace primarily through what he himself is. The spiritual war we fight is caused by temptation from Satan, our human nature, and the world. Emphasizing the positive is an incomplete, but nonetheless fairly accurate, description of what can be done. This is exactly the course Jesus follows when taunted and vilified by those whose ire He had aroused. We can remain faithful to truth without going to war, though it might appear costly at the moment. The word did not begin that way. We should not be misled by the word "if" in verse 1. Is that honoring a parent, or is it in some way contemptuous? What causes a human to stumble? Notice verse 10: "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. It was Adam and Eve's conduct that shattered the peace between man and God. As to the actual mechanisms that we can use to make peace, room for some differences of opinion certainly exists. Thus Melchizedek was then High Priest, in Paul's day, and even now, and He will rule forever! By clearing the room of an excessively noisy, grieving crowd, He brings privacy, peace, quiet, and stillness to the situation. He says that it is her faith that brought forgiveness—not her tears, kisses, or ointment. Instead of fear of exposure and a guilty conscience, we will be assured because God's Word says so, as I John 3:18-19 confirms: "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. The third is the very familiar greeting, shalom.Though it is also generally translated as a single word like peace, rest, favor, safe, health, welfare and prosperity, it has, as the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states, "a basic meaning of totality or completeness including fulfillment, maturity, soundness, and wholeness.". Praying always is stepping out in faith, believing that if we seek God first, He will add all the things we need (Philippians 4:19), including the strength to overcome, to finish this journey, and to enter His Kingdom. Illumination is what enables a person to see in the dark. Obviously, God views our interaction with other Christians as vital to our training to become members of the God Family and qualifying for a position in His Kingdom. Many different commentaries state that of all the groups that Paul wrote to, Phillipi was probably the best of them all. The word "pleased" does not mean that God's mind was merely inclined in that direction. See what over 145,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. John W. Ritenbaugh The apostle defines what these "two" are in verse 11: "Therefore, remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh - who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands. Peace in the nation will trickle down to peace among citizens. What better way to win those little skirmishes than to have an invincible Champion, God, in the van of the battle? New Heart English Bible The way of peace, they have not known." Meekness—or its common perception—may seem too much like weakness, wimpiness, or timidity. As such, we are caught not only in general events and circumstances generated in the world, but also when we directly irritate and anger those close to us by determinedly following God's way. However, Paul was writing to these people with some measure of sadness because two ladies were feuding, and it was inexorably dividing the group into rival camps. It just means to have peace with one's brother. Why turn aside from a way that gives hope? Available for iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and more. It is His purpose to teach us how to get along with each other so we can teach others about these things in the Millennium. Remove temptation, and war stops. Nevertheless, these verses show that God destroys those who promote the idea that sin does not have consequences, who say God's justice is of little concern. It has the sense of "joining what had previously been separated or disturbed." As mentioned earlier, Paul commands us, "As much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:18), an arduous task at times, considering human personalities. (vol. No wonder the means of locomotion to get this message to distressed and anxiety-ridden people—by foot, as it was delivered in Isaiah's time—is described as beautiful! Notice Paul's own inspired interpretation of this fact: "Having neither beginning of days, nor end of life" (Hebrews 7:3). (I Peter 2:21-23). Thus, eirene also came to indicate inner satisfaction, the contentment and serenity that derive from living a full life. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him." It is the model of the kind of peacemaking Jesus intends in the Beatitude. That is the city of Jerusalem. Though human nature guarantees that peace-breaking "offenses must come," it is part of Christian duty to ensure that our conduct produces no just cause of complaint against us (Matthew 18:7). Peace: Peace of mind and peace with God (Philippians 4:6-7). . And there it is! This is a not-so-subtle intimation that this newborn child was not only the promised Messiah, but also the One known as "the Lord" in the Old Testament. Living Bible (TLB). The New Testament Greek word most often translated as "peace" is eirene. "Tribulations" brings thoughts of trouble, anxiety, fear, and doubt. Meekness, a tolerant, yielding spirit, represents having the right of way but not insisting on it. When He said this, He was not introducing a new idea. He is the Head of the church and our soon-coming King. This article will guide you through some of my favorite peace Bible verses and give you some areas of your life you can focus on to lead to peace. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it … The Daily Study Bible Commentary by William Barclay says it "means not just freedom from trouble but everything that makes for a man's highest good.". Psalm 119:165 promises another wonderful benefit: Nothing causes those who love God's law to stumble. Recall that the peace offering shows us that God is satisfied because man is in communion with Him. Immediately following a sin, the fear of exposure arises, and the sinner begins justifying, at least to himself, why he has done such a thing. John W. Ritenbaugh His last comment to her is "Go in peace" or "Go into peace." For the Perfecting of the Saints. Some people have stumbled on the statement that Melchizedek has no "end of life." It is the good news of reconciliation and the end of the conflicts, distresses, and woes of our warfare. It will continue until He has performed the intents of His heart. This does not mean that the Christian's peace is a sort of magic or that he ignores the seriousness of the situation. He promises us, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5), as well as, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:3). The word "peace" in the Bible, from the Greek word (eireinei), refers to a mental attitude of tranquillity based on a relationship with God in the Christian Way of Life.It is a word which describes the result of a person's correct response to God's Grace. This plainly states that the sinner is the enemy of God, and the state of a sinner's mind is far from peace. Some Christians are more competitive and contentious than others, and they need to beg God doubly for the spiritual strength to restrain their pride and anger and to calm them. To teach us the lesson of forgiveness, God bases how He forgives us by the forgiveness we extend to others! His whole reason for writing the epistle stems from the fact that they had begun to get lax, allowing false teachers and false teachings in. However, when that chastening is over, Israel and Judah will be restored to the land, and, more importantly, they will be reconciled to God and able to live in peace. God wants us to learn patience and forgiveness (Colossians 3:13), striving to be "kindly affectionate," humble, and self-effacing in our dealings with one another (Romans 12:10). A Concluding Thought for Peace Seekers. When applied to the tranquillity of a person's mind even in the midst of trouble, it suggests that the person is being blessed with fullness or that his character is maturing into the image of God, who is perfect.

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