Peace With others (Reprint)

This is the Third of 3 parts. There is a Bible Study which goes with each post. Be sure to send your questions to PastorMac!

As we have discussed in making peace with God and ourselves, the focal point of this part is the need to understand the role of faith in being at peace. We cannot reach any of these three stages without faith and a biblical understanding of how God wants us to live. Jesus taught that the second great commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22:39) This puts an emphasis on finding a way to be at peace with those around you. The Apostle Paul taught in his letter to the Romans that one of the goals of Christianity is to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). This lifestyle was made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. (Read Eph. 2:11-18 for details from Paul’s perspective) The goal of this process is actually unity between people. Peace is a component of that. Unity is not just the lack of conflict; it is actually harmony, understanding, and goodwill between people and groups.

In His great High priestly prayer (See John17) Jesus prayed “that all of them may be one Father, just as you and I are one”. Earlier in John’s Gospel Jesus told the Apostles that their public witness would be impacted by the way they treated one another. (See John 13:34-35) He promised that those who strive to be at peace and spread peace would be blessed in heaven (Matt. 5:9) and even temperamental Peter wrote about the importance of making peace so others can see God (1 Peter 2:12).

Jesus even goes so far to indicate that God will judge those who harbor anger against others, especially those of the faith. (See Matt. 5:21-22) Jesus even tells us in that passage that reconciliation and peace take precedence over worship! The Apostle John echoes that thought in 1John 4:19-21 when he tells the church that we cannot worship properly if we have not done everything we can to resolve a conflict.

I also want to counsel my readers: forgiving those who have harmed you and resolving conflict is totally about you, not those who we think of as being the “other side”. It is up to the ones you forgive to accept it, and for them to forgive themselves. You, honestly forgiving those who have hurt you or your loved ones, is the first step of bringing yourself back into peace with God and yourself. It is also the first and vital step in the process of allowing the wounds from that hurt to heal.

So as I conclude this month’s column, I ask- what strife or thoughts are holding you back from being at peace. Who do you need to make peace with? Is it God? Is it yourself? Is it those around you? Is it a problem from long ago that is still eating away at your insides? Get in your place of prayer, and talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you see it, deal with it, and make the steps that you need too. That way God can fill you with the peace that only He can give. And you can become a beacon of hope and light to others in this troubled time.