A college professor once asked, “Can you have the peace of God without having peace with God?” Christmas seems a poignant time to pose this question again. Amidst busy lives – work, food, family, gifts – a spirit of angst, turmoil, and frustration can fill the air. Add to this the loss of sunlight throughout the day; it feels natural for people to feel out of sorts. Many long for a calm that seems to escape them.
I will talk about the greatest peace we can have, but I believe it is important to establish that Jesus does care about us holistically, which includes our emotional state. Jesus left his peace with his disciples (John 14:27), promised rest for the weary (Matthew 11:28-30), and consistently instructed those around him not to be afraid (ex. Matthew 10, Matthew 28, Luke 12, Acts 18, Acts 27). It is fair to conclude that the “peace of God” should be present and evident in the life of a follower of Christ.
Whether a follower of Christ or not, humanity often longs for something that will settle lives and circumstances. At the time of this writing, Russia is at war with Ukraine, and Israel is at war with Hamas. Americans recognize that the following eleven months will be filled with political ads telling us all the reasons to hate those who don’t agree with us. Inflation soars. Our footsteps feel like shifting sands next to the shore. The water erases where we’ve been, and the ground breaks with each step we take.
Humanity longs for peace that will settle our lives and circumstances. If explained well, many would jump at the opportunity to have this overwhelming peace. But can you have the peace of God without peace with God?
Put another way, the priority of Jesus was to make a way to have peace with God.
Jesus created a dividing line in his earthly ministry. For all the positives we see in the passages above, we can’t escape the reality that Jesus said he did not come to bring peace but division (Luke 12:51). But why? Jesus made it clear that he is the only way to the Father (John 14:6, John 5:23). Put another way, the priority of Jesus was to make a way to have peace with God.
It is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that creates peace with God. Because we have peace with God, we can also experience the peace of God as we abide in Christ.
In Romans 5, Paul explains, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:1). At the right time, Jesus died for the ungodly (5:6). This was the greatest demonstration of love as we were sinners and enemies of God (5:8). Jesus meets the righteous requirement of the law, and this means we can have justification and life before God (5:18). It is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that creates peace with God. Because we have peace with God, we can also experience the peace of God as we abide in Christ. So, as we continue this Christmas season, let us cast our eyes back on the beautiful reality of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf. May he receive all the praise!
Jarrod Stillings