Peace
February 6, 2009 peace No Comments The Greek word for peace is eirene. This word appears 92 times in the New Testament. It refers to a state of spiritual tranquility of the soul that finds its refuge in Jesus Christ. Peace results from salvation from sin. James states that war is the result of man’s lusts, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? (James 4:1). Peace results only when the old man of sin is crucified.
“According to the Canadian Army Journal, a former president of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences, aided by historians from England, Egypt, Germany, and India, came up with some startling facts and figures. Since 3600 B.C., the world has known only 292 years of peace. During that period, there have been 14,531 wars, large and small, in which 3,640,000,000 peple have been killed. The monetary value of the destruction would pay for a golden belt around the world 97.2 miles in width and about thirty-three feet thick. Why can’t man ever achieve peace outside of Christ? Because there isn’t any peace outside of Christ!” (J. D. Watson, A Word A Day, 11).
We will never have world peace until we make inner peace with God by reconciling to Him through Jesus Christ. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace” (Eph. 2:13-15). By obeying the terms and conditions of the new covenant (New Testament), we can be reconciled to God and be at peace. If all accountable persons in the world would do this, we could enjoy peace within and without. We must first bring peace to the soul before we can bring peace to the world!