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How beautiful are
the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings
of good things!
-Romans 10:15, KJV
Peace
seems far away these days. Recent events have reminded us once again
that we live in a very unstable, unreliable, and chaotic world. We long
for certainty and surety from our government, our economy, our religious
institutions and leaders, our schools, our family, and our friends. Yet,
all to some degree have failed to show themselves worthy of our complete
trust. In fact, all of us have even found ourselves unworthy of the
trust of others. Consequently, the disappointments we have endured
through people and things letting us down has been disturbing,
unsettling, and at times, disillusioning.
There is hope for us,
however, in our search for peace of mind. It is clearly not found in the
things of this world, nor is it attained through anything we can do. It
is found in the gospel. It is only found in the gospel. Therein
is the testimony to the Person of Jesus Christ, His love for all
mankind, and His provision for the salvation of all.
In the message of the gospel, we find the One who is always reliable,
always trustworthy, always faithful, and therefore, our only true source
of peace. He alone dispels the fears that grip us in an uncertain world
and in the midst of our own faults and failures. And it is through faith
in Him and in the work that the gospel proclaims He has already done
that we can know peace.
The peace that the
gospel provides is not necessarily something you will feel. It may or
may not affect you in an emotional way. It is rather an understanding, a
knowing, accompanied by an unwavering confidence that you and your
Creator are reconciled and at peace with one another. That sort of
confidence can only spring from meditation on, and a steadfast reliance
upon, only the work that He has done. When you shift your
attention and your dependence upon you and what you do, your peace will
be lost and anxiety will overwhelm you once again.
Paul encountered this
problem with the Galatians in the first century and it is no less of a
struggle for many of us today. They had previously received the gospel
of peace from Paul with great joy. They knew from both hearing and
believing the message preached that they had been immeasurably blessed
(Gal. 4:15). Finally, in spite of all the struggles, hardships, and
disappointments that plagued each and every day of their lives, they now
knew peace! But no sooner had Paul left town that the Galatians were
under siege by “the false brethren who had sneaked in to spy out
(their) liberty which (they) had in Christ Jesus, in order to bring
(them) into bondage” (Gal. 2:4).
I
am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the
grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another;
only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the
gospel of Christ (Gal. 1:6-7).
The true gospel will
work in you to allay your fears and anxieties concerning your
relationship with God, not intensify them. A different gospel, a
distorted gospel, will serve to disturb you and your peace of mind.
Friend, there is a
peace that really does pass all understanding that you will know and
enjoy when you stand firm in what God has declared that He has done on
your behalf. This peace is something the things, systems, and people of
this world cannot give you. They were not designed to do so and that is
according to His will. God does not want you and me seeking solace,
rest, and contentment from anything other than Himself, and because of
His great love for you, He will make sure that there are no competitors.
All will fail and He alone will be found both worthy and capable of
providing the peace we so long for:
Rejoice
in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit
be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, 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
comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:4-7)
Unlike the peace
those throughout history have so courageously and valiantly fought and
died for, the peace that God offers is acquired through resting from the
fight to win it and then humbly receiving it from Him as a gift. The
problem occurs when we add something, anything, to the death, burial,
resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. We carelessly believe that,
by working hard to make sure we do this or that thing, we can then make
ourselves acceptable to God. What will surely upset you, however, is not
only the false belief that you must do certain things or avoid certain
others in order to “be right with God”, but then the inevitable
realization that you can’t. Such was the case with the Galatians and
such is case many times with us today:
You
were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This
persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens
the whole lump of dough. I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you
will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you shall
bear his own judgment, whoever he is. But I, brethren, if I still preach
circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? Then the stumbling block
of the cross has been abolished. Would that those who are troubling
you would even mutilate themselves (Galatians
5:7-12)
If the gospel
preached to you disturbs the peace and sense of blessing that you once
had then perhaps you are hearing another gospel, one that insinuates you
must add a work to what Christ has already done. The Galatians were
adding circumcision, just one morsel of performance-based righteousness,
and as a result forfeited the peace of mind they once knew. There is
nothing that will hinder you from enjoying the peace of mind that the
gospel brings to you than adding you and your works to the righteousness
you already have in Him. It was because of this deception they had
succumbed to that the Holy Spirit compelled the apostle Paul to offer
the following timeless rebuke:
See
with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. Those who
desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be
circumcised, simply that they may not be persecuted for the cross of
Christ. For those who are circumcised, do not even keep the Law
themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast
in your flesh. But may it never be that I should boast, except in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision
anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will
walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of
God (Gal. 6:11-16).
No work can add
anything to what Christ has already done to secure our righteousness. On
the contrary, striving to earn your justification with the Lord serves
rather to nullify the grace of God in your heart and in your mind. It
becomes of no effect because you have diluted it with your contribution
to the equation. The peace you once knew will be replaced with fear,
apprehension, and uncertainty. You will be troubled and anxious about
your acceptance before Him. Your joy will have diminished, and your
passion and confidence to share the hope that is within you will fade.
This is exactly what the enemy wants to see infest the body of Christ
today and therefore the reason that we so fervently stand in defense of
the gospel of peace.
Over and over again
Paul proclaims to his audiences the good news of the peace that they now
have in Christ because of the grace of God. Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:2).
Letter after letter, message after message, Paul insists on reminding
the saints of the peace that is theirs. Make note that it is God’s
grace that brings about the peace. No grace, no peace. Add a work of our
own to God’s amazing grace and, in our minds, our peace is gone. It
was true in Paul’s day and it’s true in ours. This is why we insist
on regularly reminding you of the gospel of peace, which is the gospel
of the grace of God.
Friend, it is only
through hearing and embracing this great good news that you and I have
any hope of knowing the peace that God has provided us through His Son
and longs for us to enjoy and share with others! When you believe it,
the gospel will work in you to assure you of the righteousness and
acceptance that you have in Him. And like the song says, this
confidence, this peace, is something the world cannot give you and the
world cannot take away.
Grace and peace to
you always!
John
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