Do you have peace?This time of year, there are many greetings, Christmas cards & ornaments adorned with the word “peace”, but why is this? Is this peaceful well-wishing just an attempt to overcome the otherwise busy scurrying around to buy gifts, prepare meals, travel to visit family, hosting holiday parties or ironically putting up all the “peace” decorations? Is this just a time of year that we collectively take a break from life & work to chill out for a few days? Or perhaps there is a deeper meaning that surpasses… well, everything?
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Misconceptions of this peace greeting arise because it is often missing its appropriate context. But occasionally you still see this message of peace associated with a Nativity scene that symbolizes the birth of the Christ of Christmas. And it is here where we find the origin of this peaceful proclamation. For when Jesus Christ was born, it was a multitude of angels from heaven who appeared to declare “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” (Luke 2.14).
But it was not that the earth was perceptibly chaotic at that moment – history records no natural disasters, no plagues, no wars in the region. It takes other Scriptures to unearth a deeper, darker source of hostility. They explain that while humanity was initiated by God in grand beauty with intense worth, it didn’t take long before our first parents rebelled & sinfulness was forever sown in the human heart. Tragically, each one of us is born with an innate predisposition to rebel against God. Sometimes this is overt rejection of Almighty God & His prescribed moral code for humanity. Usually, it is apathetic disregard of Holy God with a misdirected focus of worship on self or something significantly less than God. Always it is a heart that is unwittingly hostile to an all-knowing & infinitely worthy God. This enmity of soul will ultimately manifest itself in sinful thoughts & deeds that violate God’s glorious character & intent – of this we are all guilty.
But it was not that the earth was perceptibly chaotic at that moment – history records no natural disasters, no plagues, no wars in the region. It takes other Scriptures to unearth a deeper, darker source of hostility. They explain that while humanity was initiated by God in grand beauty with intense worth, it didn’t take long before our first parents rebelled & sinfulness was forever sown in the human heart. Tragically, each one of us is born with an innate predisposition to rebel against God. Sometimes this is overt rejection of Almighty God & His prescribed moral code for humanity. Usually, it is apathetic disregard of Holy God with a misdirected focus of worship on self or something significantly less than God. Always it is a heart that is unwittingly hostile to an all-knowing & infinitely worthy God. This enmity of soul will ultimately manifest itself in sinful thoughts & deeds that violate God’s glorious character & intent – of this we are all guilty.
“Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” – Eccl 7.20
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Rom 3.23
“For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.” – Rom 8.7
The other grim reality revealed in Scripture is that God is thoroughly just & must punish sin. There is a death sentence hanging over our heads that leads to eternal punishment & separation from God in hell. Our fortunate & glorious blessing alluded to by the multitude of angels is that God in His rich kindness & mercy made a way for us to be spared of our just punishment – an offer for peace.
The ancient Scriptures long foretold that a Prince of Peace would be sent who would suffer & be punished for our sins (Isa 9.6, 53.3-6). And that He would be born in Bethlehem to a virgin (Mic 5.2, Isa 7.14). This is precisely what unfolded that night of the angelic proclamation of peace. That prince is Jesus Christ & He was sacrificed through Roman execution by crucifixion in order to satisfy our death sentence.
The ancient Scriptures long foretold that a Prince of Peace would be sent who would suffer & be punished for our sins (Isa 9.6, 53.3-6). And that He would be born in Bethlehem to a virgin (Mic 5.2, Isa 7.14). This is precisely what unfolded that night of the angelic proclamation of peace. That prince is Jesus Christ & He was sacrificed through Roman execution by crucifixion in order to satisfy our death sentence.
“For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him” – Col 1.19-22
After His sacrifice, Jesus then triumphed over sin & death by His resurrection 3 days later to validate His offer. And what is His offer? For us to admit our hostile sinful state, to accept that His sacrifice satisfied our death sentence & to trust His holy risen life will give us life with Him now & forevermore. While this is not automatically applied to everyone, God did graciously make it available to everyone, but we must each personally accept His only terms of peace to end our hostility. God loves us & provided the only way possible for us to be reconciled with Him.
Jesus Christ is God’s ultimate gift to us and through Him we have the most important kind of peace there can possibly be – peace with God. If you don’t have peace with God, I implore you to accept His terms of peace today!
Jesus Christ is God’s ultimate gift to us and through Him we have the most important kind of peace there can possibly be – peace with God. If you don’t have peace with God, I implore you to accept His terms of peace today!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” – Jn 3.16-21