War and Peace

by Romans of The 4 Gospels Christian Network

I originally had the idea to do a Discussion on War and Peace, as it is presented in the Bible. However, in my preparation, I took an unexpected speculative detour where a particular individual is concerned. The detour that I take is made up of of my own thoughts and speculations. But, given all the evidence I have at my disposal, which I will also present, I think my conclusions are plausible, and nothing more. They are simply an attempt to tie together two interesting loose ends. I present them with no assertion that they are to be accepted or believed.

I obtained the basic framework, scriptures and headings for tonight's Discussion from Thompson's Chain Reference Bible. I have added considerably to this framework.

Tonight we are going to Discuss “War and Peace.” But our focus will be on the The War and Peace that every Christian wages every day... namely, warfare on a spiritual level, and the Peace that only God can give.

War as An Inward Battle: Romans 7:18: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

Spiritual Weapons: 2 Corinthians 10:3: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”

Matthew Henry wrote, “We should be aware of our own infirmities, and think humbly of ourselves, even when men reproach us. The work of the ministry is a spiritual warfare with spiritual enemies, and for spiritual purposes. Outward force is not the method of the gospel, but strong persuasions, by the power of truth and the meekness of wisdom. Conscience is accountable to God only; and people must be persuaded to God and their duty, not driven by force. Thus the weapons of our warfare are very powerful; the evidence of truth is convincing. What opposition is made against the gospel, by the powers of sin and Satan in the hearts of men! But observe the conquest the word of God gains. The appointed means, however feeble they appear to some, will be mighty through God. And the preaching of the cross, by men of faith and prayer, has always been fatal to idolatry, impiety, and wickedness."

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:3 that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God...”

When a soldier goes into battle, ideally he goes into that battle well-trained, armed with offensive weapons and protected with body armor and various defense components. But that is when we fight a carnal or physical war. But we are told that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. We are fighting a spiritual war... every waking moment of every day... everywhere we go and everywhere we stop. But what are these weapons?

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

Many times, this list of weapons that we can use in our spiritual warfare ends with the sword of the Spirit. But there is yet another available weapon for our spiritual warfare that Paul names in the very next verse. Let's read it from the verse I stopped at so you can get a better feel for the flow and the connection as Paul wrote it: Ephesians 6:17: “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Prayer. Is prayer not a powerful weapon in the hands of a believer of God? Now, let me be the first to agree, as was pointed out during the Discussion, that assigning the word “weapon” to prayer seems unusual... maybe even inappropriate. But keep these two things in mind: First, I am not advocating that prayer be used as a weapon against people. Remember, as previously quoted, that "we do not war after the flesh." As Christians we are combatants in a war in which "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal," but against spiritual wickedness in high places, and the rulers of darkness. Second, prayer is included among the defensive and offensive components of the Whole Armor of God. So, with these two things in mind, referring to prayer as a weapon is applicable.

Before His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus said in Luke 22:31: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Jesus had identified an assault from the enemy, and He responded with a defensive and an offensive prayer. Notice again the two focuses of prayer that Jesus prayed: He said “... I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:” (offensive); “and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (defensive).

We read in James 5:16: “... The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

There was a Gentile we read about beginning in Acts 10:1: “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.” What were the first two words that described the spiritual weapon of prayer in Verse 18: “Praying always.”And here Cornelius is described with the words... “... and prayed to God alway.”

He was an Army Officer who commanded one-hundred soldiers, but he wielded a weapon more powerful than any sword, more than any spear or siege engine that the Romans Army had at their disposal: prayer.

Peter met with Cornelius in Acts 10. Let's pick up the account of the meeting in verse 28. Peter is speaking: “Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me? And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner...”

God not only heard Cornelius' prayer, but He dispatched an angel to tell him that it would be answered! A meeting was arranged between Cornelius and the leader of the Church. What does it appear that the prayer must have been? Was it merely to meet with Peter, or did it also include the expansion of the Gospel going to the Gentiles? It is apparent, at least to me, given his meeting with Peter, and the fact that his meeting resulted in the incredible inclusion of the Gentiles as also being offering Salvation. But let me also make this very important point: When we pray, we are to pray according to God's will. Jesus instructed us to add to our prayers the words, “Thy will be done...”

Cornelius' prayer, if it included the preaching of the Gospel, and the offer of Salvation going to the Gentiles, was answered because he prayed according to God's Will. The acceptance of the Gentiles into the household of faith was a startling turnaround, even for Jesus' Apostles. The Church had been born some ten years previous to this meeting between Peter and Cornelius. And when it took place, we see Peter saying, “Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation...” But the grafting in of the Gentiles was the Will of God long before Cornelius petitioned the Lord for such an answer. Notice this often overlooked declaration when Jesus was just days old: We read, beginning in Luke 2:21: “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)... And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.”

Through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, Simeon recognized that Jesus was to be the salvation of all people and “a light to lighten the Gentiles.” And now, so many decades after Simeon's declaration, Cornelius seems to have prayed for that light to be revealed, and that he and his fellow Gentiles might be grafted into the household of faith, and his prayer was answered.

But I would also like to digress for a bit about Cornelius, himself. This is the detoured speculation that I mentioned in the introduction. We know that Cornelius was a Centurion. And we know he was described as “A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway” from Acts 10:2. But there is also a Centurion mentioned in the Gospels. Luke, who wrote of the devout Centurion who met with Peter, also gave a more detailed description in his Gospel Account, than Matthew, when a particular Centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. Let's read the account beginning in Luke 7:1: “Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he (Jesus) entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.”

I have to wonder, myself, if these two Centurions could have been one and the same man. The first was called “worthy” to have his petition heard by Jesus. He is also described as loving the nation of Israel, even building the people a synagogue. The Centurion that Peter met with was called “ a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.” Now I just have to wonder: What are the odds that there were two, individual devout Roman Centurions who loved Israel to the point of building a synagogue, gave alms to the people, fasted and prayed always. Maybe I am wrong, but I think that the odds against there being two separate Roman Centurions that fit this description are fantastic.

Since Luke wrote his Gospel, and the Book of Acts, and the same Centurion appeared in both writings, you may ask, "Why didn't Luke name Cornelius his Gospel account?" Good question! Well, remember, that the Centurion never showed himself when he asked that Jesus heal his servant. First, a group of Jews approached Jesus, and appealed to Jesus to work a miracle for this "worthy" Roman Officer. (How often did that happen?) And then, when Jesus neared the house where the servant lied dying, the Centurion sent out other friends to intercept him, saying: "Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed." So, he was never seen by Jesus or the disciples, or named by those who spoke on his behalf.

Let's tie this all together, now, and reintroduce Simeon's reaction to seeing Jesus. This recognition and description on Simeon's part, of the child be presented in the Temple as “a light to lighten the Gentiles,”, was actually what Isaiah had prophesied of the Messiah: We read in Isaiah 42:6: “I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;”

If the Centurion in Luke's Gospel Account and Book of Acts were one and the same man, separated only by events decades apart, I wonder if he had attended the synagogue he built for the people of the nation he loved. I wonder if he did attend, if he heard and was intrigued by a sermon on the prophesied things that the Messiah would do when He arrived. Or, perhaps the Centurion read the Hebrew Scriptures, himself. In either case, I wonder if he learned that the prophesied Messiah, to Whom he sent others to ask Him to heal the servant who was dear to him, if he knew that He was also prophesied to be a light to the Gentiles, and that that was the basis of his prayer that was answered through his meeting with Peter. But, admittedly, this is all speculation on my part, and I'll likely never come to a definitive answer about it, at least not in this life. But it is just one of the things makes Bible Study interesting for me, and I hope for you also.

There is reason to believe that, just as Simeon was given this insight regarding Jesus by the Holy Spirit, Cornelius the Centurion may also have been similarly helped: Notice what we read about an aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit where our prayer life is concerned: We read beginning in Romans 8:26: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

James told us that praying amiss for personal gain and selfish interest result in our prayers not being answered. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew 6:31: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

But we read in James 4:3 about prayers that are not answered: “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” What do we pray for? A promotion and a raise on the job? With what motive? To buy that condo in Florida? Or how about another flat screen TV... or maybe we can get the latest 3D LED screen this time. In stark contrast, what does Paul say regarding Christians working, and use of the money we earn? We read in Ephesians 4:28: “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” If a prayer were prayed for a promotion and a raise with that goal in mind, and I would not be at all surprised to hear how quickly it was answered!

Cornelius' prayer, which God answered, was not for person gain or self-interest. He was a humble, godly and selfless man who was seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. I believe he was routinely fasting and praying this “Thy Will Be Done” prayer that the promised enlightenment would come to Gentiles. In response, God not only answered Cornelius' prayer, but He even took it a step further by selecting Cornelius to be the first of many, many Gentiles, including most if not all of us in this room, tonight, to be grafted into the nation whom he loved, and welcomed into the household of faith. I searched the Internet to see if anyone else theorized that both Centuries may have been the same individual. While I did not find anyone that did, there were several mentions that, according to tradition, Cornelius was the first Bishop of Caesarea, the city where he and Peter met.

We can all learn from Cornelius' example. If we pray selflessly... if we pray without ceasing... if we pray according to God's Will... if we pray prayers that can be ended with the words, “Thy Will be done...” we can expect every such prayer to be answered. To pray according to the Will of God is to wield an invincible weapon in our spiritual battles. And we can say, along with the Apostle Paul as he wrote in Romans 8:37: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us...”

Here is one last point to ponder that I added in these posted Notes, and did not include in the live discussion. If the Centurion who asked that his servant be healed by Jesus, was not Cornelius whom Peter met decades later, then who was the Centurion who witnessed Jesus' crucifixion, whose reaction was so unlike that of the Roman soldiers who mocked Jesus during His trial? We read in Matthew 27:54: "Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God."

Let's move on and focus on another element of our prayer life: We are to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When we wield this weapon, we are not to make a single thrust, and then retreat if we don't see an immediate answer. We read in Acts 12:5: “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” But what were the circumstances of this imprisonment? Lets go back to verse 1 of Acts 12 to see: Acts 12:1: “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also... And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him...” The NIV explains that four quaternions was “four squads of four soldiers each.”

Now, James had already been executed. He was the brother of the Apostle John who authored five Books in the New Testament including the Book of Revelation. And, because that execution pleased the Jews, Peter was in line to be executed next. He was in chains, and under a strong and capable Roman Guard of sixteen soldiers. What could the Church have done to rescue Peter from his fate? Storm the prison? If they had done that... on their own, without God's direction ... they would surely have been massacred.

Remember that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Remember also that Jesus told Pilate in John 18:36: “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” But that is not to say that Jesus' servants are not at war. Rather than storm the prison to rescue Peter, the Church, instead, employed the weapon that this quaternion of soldiers of the mighty Rome Empire could not surmount: Prayer. “Prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him (Peter)” Acts 12:5. Let's see how this weapon worked in battle: I love this account! I wish someone would do a movie showing how God responded to the fervent prayer of His Church: Let's pick up the story beginning in Acts 12:6: “And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.” And then we read in Acts 12:18: “Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.” No small stir, indeed! I like some of the modern translations of this Account: From the International Standard Version: “When it was morning, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.” And from God's Word Translation: “When it was morning there was a great uproar over what happened to Peter.”

Let us not overlook prayer as a weapon included in the Whole Armor of God to aid us in our spiritual warfare. When we review that list of components, don't stop with the sword of the Spirit. Include prayer... effective, fervent and unceasing prayer, prayed according to God's Will as being a necessary, powerful and an indispensable weapon to include in our arsenal.

Let's go back, now, and review the Whole Armor of God as penned by Matthew Henry: “Spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare and suffering. Those who would prove themselves to have true grace, must aim at all grace; and put on the whole armour of God, which he prepares and bestows. The Christian armour is made to be worn; and there is no putting off our armour till we have done our warfare, and finished our course. The combat is not against human enemies, nor against our own corrupt nature only; we have to do with an enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls. The devils assault us in the things that belong to our souls, and labour to deface the heavenly image in our hearts. We must resolve by God's grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him, and he will flee. If we give way, he will get ground. If we distrust either our cause, or our Leader, or our armour, we give him advantage. The different parts of the armour of heavy-armed soldiers, who had to sustain the fiercest assaults of the enemy, are here described. There is none for the back; nothing to defend those who turn back in the Christian warfare. Truth, or sincerity, is the girdle. This girds on all the other pieces of our armour, and is first mentioned. There can be no religion without sincerity. The righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, is a breastplate against the arrows of Divine wrath. The righteousness of Christ implanted in us, fortifies the heart against the attacks of Satan. Resolution must be as greaves, or armour to our legs; and to stand their ground or to march forward in rugged paths, the feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Motives to obedience, amidst trials, must be drawn from a clear knowledge of the gospel. Faith is all in all in an hour of temptation. Faith, as relying on unseen objects, receiving Christ and the benefits of redemption, and so deriving grace from him, is like a shield, a defence every way. The devil is the wicked one. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on fire of hell, are darts Satan shoots at us. Also, hard thoughts of God, and as to ourselves. Faith applying the word of God and the grace of Christ, quenches the darts of temptation. Salvation must be our helmet. A good hope of salvation, a Scriptural expectation of victory, will purify the soul, and keep it from being defiled by Satan. To the Christian armed for defense in battle, the apostle recommends only one weapon of attack; but it is enough, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It subdues and mortifies evil desires and blasphemous thoughts as they rise within; and answers unbelief and error as they assault from without. A single text, well understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or an objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary. Prayer must fasten all the other parts of our Christian armour. There are other duties of religion, and of our stations in the world, but we must keep up times of prayer. Though set and solemn prayer may not be seasonable when other duties are to be done, yet short pious prayers darted out, always are so. We must use holy thoughts in our ordinary course. A vain heart will be vain in prayer. We must pray with all kinds of prayer, public, private, and secret; social and solitary; solemn and sudden: with all the parts of prayer; confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgiving for favours received. And we must do it by the grace of God the Holy Spirit, in dependence on, and according to, his teaching. We must preserve in particular requests, notwithstanding discouragements. We must pray, not for ourselves only, but for all saints. Our enemies are mighty, and we are without strength, but our Redeemer is almighty, and in the power of his mighty we may overcome... Let us think upon these things, and continue our prayers with patience.”

Our Spiritual warfare is also a Fight of Faith: We read in 1 Timothy 1:18: “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:”

So now, along with praying according to God's Will, we add the element of Faith. How will this lead to victory in our spiritual battles, and where do we get such faith? We read that Jesus is, according to Hebrews 12:2: “... the author and finisher of our faith.” He is our Source. If we need more than we already have, we need to ask for it as the apostles did. The account in Luke's Gospel of the power of faith, even as a grain of mustard seed reads as follows, beginning in Luke 17:3: “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

To be a Soldier in a Spiritual War Demands Entire Consecration:

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:3: “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

Being a Christian is not a cakewalk. Jesus said in Luke 9:23: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

We read in Hebrews 10:36: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

No... We are not of them which draw back... In this society, all too often when we stand up for Jesus, and for morality and for Truth, and for the Bible as the inspired word of God, we should expect to face opposition, resistance, ridicule and persecution. But... when we do, we must also remember Jesus' words beginning in John 15:18: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

Which leads me directly into the the second half of our Discussion, tonight: Peace.

Earlier, I said that to be a Christian is to be engaged in a daily spiritual warfare. The bullets are whizzing over our heads, and the shells are landing and detonating just outside our foxholes with a thundering explosion. But we, as combatants in this war, also can make a claim that, to the unsaved is utterly absurd. We can honestly report that, in the heat of this battle, we also experience Peace. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing...” (or as the NIV translates this phrase: “Do not be anxious about anything”) “...but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The Peace of God is a Peace that is incomprehensible by the world. We read in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Matthew Henry writes of this verse: “Would we know these things for our good, we must pray for, and depend on the teaching of the Holy Ghost; thus the words of Jesus will be brought to our remembrance, and many difficulties be cleared up which are not plain to others. To all the saints, the Spirit of grace is given to be a remembrancer, and to him, by faith and prayer, we should commit the keeping of what we hear and know. Peace is put for all good, and Christ has left us all that is really and truly good, all the promised good; peace of mind from our justification before God. This Christ calls his peace, for he is himself our Peace. The peace of God widely differs from that of Pharisees or hypocrites, as is shown by its humbling and holy effects.”

I began this Discussion with an deliberately incomplete quotation of the Apostle Paul. Let me complete his thought, now, as we close:

He wrote in Romans 7:23: “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

His complete thought answers that question: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

And then Paul begins chapter 8 with these words: Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

We read in 1 John 4:4: “... greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

And in 1 John 2:17: “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

We, as Christians, have been called into a ever deepening relationship with our Creator. We have not only been forgiven of all of our sins, and then had the righteousness of Christ imputed to us that we might see Eternal Life, but we have have had our eyes and our hearts and our minds opened to the liberating Truth of God. And it is that relationship with God, His forgiveness and imputed righteousness, and the knowledge of God's liberating Truth that has imparted to us the Peace of God that surpasses all understanding.