Key word: Peace (7) Inner Peace

The God of peace gives us inner peace in a world of strife. The world is at war, be it in physical combat, or the battle over natural resources or the scramble for money. Despite the realities of war, past and present, and struggles and chaos we might be surrounded with, the God of the Bible is the God of peace who desires His creation to live in peace and wants His children to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). In a world of selfish ambitions and political opportunism, peace is so desperately needed. But where can true inner peace be found?

Divine Peace

Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace and Saviour of the world, gives us His divine peace. He gives us peace, a peace not of this world (John 14:27). The peace of Christ is unlike any other peace because it’s divine, heavenly peace. Its quality is not of this world and its satisfaction is eternal, meeting the deepest of human desires and needs. His words give us peace, coming from the One who overcame the world and all its sorrows and troubles (16:33).

Most people seek peace in external things: a peaceful, quiet environment; an idyllic scenery or beautiful landscapes; or solitude in forests or mountains or somewhere by the waters. But external peace is insufficient without inner peace; inner peace, however, is strong enough to keep us calm even when storms are raging around us. God seeks to bless us with peace (Psalm 29:11), grant us peace in all sorts of circumstances (2 Thessalonians 3:16) and wants us to pursue peace in a world so desperately in need of it (Hebrews 12:14; Romans 14:19). The peace we can spread is the peace we carry in our hearts.

Peace to Rule in our Hearts

Jesus Christ gives us inner peace through His Spirit and His presence in us. The Prince of peace would dwell in His people by His Spirit of peace (John 14:16–18). Part of the ‘fruit’ (result) of having God’s Spirit is having divine peace (Galatians 5:22–23). The Spirit brings Heaven into our hearts, minds and souls. Therefore, Paul could write that God’s peace would rule in us.

‘Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.’ Colossians 3:15

The peace of Christ can rule in our hearts not only as Christ dwells in us (John 14:16–18) and as we pray (Philippians 4:6–7), but also as we live God’s way in this world: a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, forgiveness and, above all, love (see Colossians 3:12–15). Note the reference to being ‘thankful,’ an encouragement towards gratitude. There is no peace without a grateful attitude. Paul refers to it again at the end of verse 17. The reference to ‘one body’ is a reference to the church, the community of believers who are to live in peace with one another according to the peace in their hearts. The church is to be the community of peace: each believer of the community of peace is to contribute to peace and to make efforts to ‘preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (Ephesians 4:3). Furthermore, God’s word is to richly dwell in us, and thus we are able to live God’s way for His glory (Colossians 3:16–17). His word is the word of peace. Living contrary to God’s word won’t bring peace. The importance of sound doctrine cannot be overemphasised in a world of confusion and deception (cf., 1 Timothy 1:8–19; 4:1–16; 6:3–5; 2 Timothy 3:14–17).

The context of Colossians 3 is important to note: after Paul introduced this section of his letter with being heavenly-minded and Christ-centred (vv 1–4), he goes on to contrasts the earthly, fleshly lifestyle (vv 5–9), with the heavenly, divine lifestyle (vv 10–17). Seeking the things above is a lifestyle that reflects the One above. It’s a lifestyle of kindness, humility, forgiveness and love. Its fruit is peace. To a Christian, being heavenly-minded is not some spooky out-of-body space travel, or New Age ‘astro-travel,’ or the Gnostic approach of pursuing some ‘secret knowledge nobody else knows,’ but rather seeking a lifestyle on earth that reflects the King of heaven. It’s walking as Christ walked by those who confess to know Him (1 John 2:6). He became flesh to represent the Father (John 1:14–18), and so are we to become like Him (Romans 8:29) so we can represent the Divine to the world (Matthew 5:48).

Often Christians are mocked for being ‘too heavenly-minded to be any earthly good,’ yet true heavenly-mindedness should translate into a good, exemplary life on earth. As the peace of Christ rules in us and guides us, we can be true peacemakers as sons of God in a world of confusion, strife and conflict. God empowers us by His Spirit of peace to be children of peace. Therefore, let His peace rule your heart and spread that peace you carry in your heart!

Life In the Spirit

The fruit of the Spirit is a result of life in the Spirit. By receiving God’s Spirit, we receive the seal of salvation (Ephesians 1:13–14) and become children of God (Galatians 4:4–7). We can then learn to walk in the Spirit (5:16) and be led by the Spirit (5:18) as sons of God (Romans 8:14). The context of Galatians 5 is similar to that of Colossians 3: a life in the Spirit is one of holiness in contrast to the sins of the flesh and its destructive powers (see Galatians 5:16–26). Often people emphasis the gifts of the Spirit at the expense of the fruit of the Spirit. But we say, both are important. Pursue not only spiritual charisma, pursue godly character.

Life in sin and darkness is not where peace is to be found. When we sin, God withdraws His presence (Isaiah 59:1–2), but not His love (Romans 5:6–8). But we should not sin on purpose (Romans 6:1–2). We are, however, at peace with God by repentance and the forgiveness of sin (Romans 5:1–2), because only righteousness will give us peace, quietness and assurance, making us to dwell in safety (Isaiah 32:17–18). Life and peace are found only in Christ and the life He has prepared for us. He gives us ‘newness of life’ (Romans 6:4). Christ did not only save us by His death on the cross the forgiveness of sins, He also gave us His Spirit that would empower us to live above the law of sin and death by living according to the law of the Spirit and life (see Romans 8:1–4).

The newness of life in Christ is expressed by a life lived by the Spirit of God for the glory of God. The Spirit empowers us, although we are weak in the flesh, to live by a different law. As a way of analogy, take the laws of gravity and aerodynamics as an illustration. The law of sin and death weighs us down or keeps us down in sin, like gravity keeps us on the earth; but the law of the Spirit and life let’s as overcome the ‘gravity of sin’ and live in the ‘newness of life’ according to the Spirit of life. The Law, good as it is (Romans 7:12, 14, 16), is in itself unable to empower us. We need the Word and the Spirit to live pleasing to God: the Word instructs us, the Spirit empower us! It’s not just what you know, it’s how you live, that matters to God.

When it comes to living by the Spirit, the mind plays a crucial role. Consider this:

‘For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.’ Romans 8:6

The way we ‘set our minds’ will determine whether we live in ‘death’ or in ‘life and peace.’ It’s a choice. What goes on in your thought-world determines your life to a great extent. You cannot control everything that goes on around you, but can learn to control what goes on inside of you. The flesh gravitates to sin, even if we know what is wrong and right. Paul described this awful dilemma in Romans 7. He called himself a ‘wretched man’ and was desperate for salvation! It’s not just salvation from sin he was after, but from a sinful lifestyle, the root of sin in us. By the Spirit he would be empowered to live above sin and please God. Living in the flesh is not only death, but also a life not pleasing to God; it’s even hostility towards God (Romans 8:7–8). It’s the former manner of life (Ephesians 4:17ff), the sinful life from which people are saved by grace through faith to live for God’s purpose (2:1–10). Christ brings about a total transformation of life: ‘newness of life’ by the renewing of the mind (Romans 6:4; 12:2). By it, we are being transformed into the likeness of God’s Son (8:29).

There is a freedom by His Spirit in God’s presence that renews and transforms us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:17–18). We are called to freedom, freedom from sin and a life of responsibility for God’s glory (Galatians 5:1, 13). It is vital that we set our mind on the things of God (cf., Colossians 3). Paul warned that the principle of ‘reaping and sowing’ applies to how we ‘sow’ (give our thoughts and strength to) either the fleshly, sinful things—and ‘reap’ (receive as a consequence) corruption and death; or we give ourselves to the things of God, purity and His Spirit—and ‘reap eternal life’ (see Galatians 6:7–8). Therefore, we are to be active in doing good, for it is worth it (vv 9–10)! Be unmovable and determined in doing what is pleasing to God (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Peace and Strength

This type of lifestyle empowered by God’s Spirit and guided by inner peace is aligned to God’s Word and will. It’s a way of life in God’s kingdom, expressed in righteousness, peace and joy by His Spirit (Romans 14:17). We pursue peace and seek to edify others (v 19). The sons of God led by His Spirit are the peacemakers the world is waiting for to manifest. His peace empowers us in all sorts of circumstances (2 Thessalonians 3:16) to be at peace within ourselves and act wisely within God’s will. He strengthens us in all sorts of situations (Philippians 4:10–13), guarded by His joy, peace and power (vv 4–9), so we can be more than overcomers (Romans 8:37) and do the right thing, no matter what goes on around us. Finding peace and contentment in all circumstances is true freedom and happiness.

Sometimes it is our environment that forces us towards sin: ‘bad company corrupts good habits,’ remember? (see 1 Corinthians 15:33) But we should be stronger than our environment. We should influence a negative environment in a positive way. However, the psalmist realised that at one stage of his life, he had been living ‘too long’ with those who hate peace; he was for peace, but they sought war (Psalm 120:6–7). It was a time for him to move out and move on. Don’t allow the wrong people or bad circumstances to rob your inner peace. Guard it; it is precious. Keep your focus on the God of peace who will give you peace. Whatever you might be facing, seek peace wherever you are and pursue peace as much as it depends on you (Romans 18:12), but be wise to protect your inner peace, else you might go down with the warmongers or ‘sinmongers.’ Seek peace instead.

If you have God’s peace and strength, you will win—trust Him from a place and condition of inner peace, knowing that He fights for you (Exodus 14:13–14) and that He is God (Psalm 46:10). Even if at times you walk ‘in the midst of trouble,’ God can strengthen you and work out His purpose for you—His lovingkindness won’t fail you (Psalm 138:7–8). Trust the God of peace who provides strength.

Be a peacemaker through the inner peace and strength God gives you. Live by the peace that comes from within. By it, pursue and spread God’s peace.