Articles
Be At Peace With One Another
Be At Peace With All
In Isaiah 9, Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace”. As His followers, we are called to be
peacemakers ourselves (Matthew 5:9). But how do we do that? Does that mean we must
always be passive, always holding our tongue and never disagreeing with anyone, for fear that it
may disturb the peace? The scriptures do not appear to support this. Paul “disturbed the peace”
many times, his teachings creating uproars and riots in many of the cities he visited. Jesus
himself said that he did not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). So
how do we reconcile these examples with the command to “be a peacemaker”.
Romans 12:14-21 helps us with this. Paul says to “bless those who persecute you”, and to
“never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God”. In verse 18, he tells the readers: “If
possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all”. Paul’s testimony often led to
disagreement, anger and even violence from those who would not receive his words, but this
was never what Paul sought after. Similarly, we should always seek after peace. If that peace is
going to be broken, let it not be from our doing. That means when we are proclaiming our faith,
we should always take a peaceful approach, with an attitude of love and kindness. Our prayer
should be that the love and kindness we extend out to others will be received in kind. Just like
Paul experienced, this approach will not always lead to a peaceful result however, and when
that happens, we must follow the examples of Jesus and the apostles, and remain a people of
peace, even amid conflict. As Paul says in Romans 12, we should bless those who persecute
us, never repay evil for evil, never seek to avenge ourselves, feed our enemies, never be
overcome by evil, so that we may, as he says in verse 21, overcome evil with good.
Be At Peace With One Another
If we are called to be at peace with all, how much more should we be at peace with one
another? The Corinthians struggled with this. In 1 st Corinthians 6, the brethren were taking each
other to the courts of unbelievers. They had moved so far away from being at peace with one
another, they were looking to people outside the church to settle their disputes. Paul says, first
of all, they should be able to settle their own disputes, but more importantly, why were they
having these disputes in the first place? “Why not rather suffer wrong” he says in verse 7.
So how do we avoid this? Do we just need to make sure that we all think exactly the same?
Then we would all agree and always be at peace, right? Not only is this impossible, but it would
not be good for us even if it were possible. We are all different people, with different
backgrounds, experiences, skills and perspectives, and this leads to different ways of thinking.
And that’s not a bad thing, our differences can help us grow as a group, but they can also
destroy the peace we have with each other, it all depends on how we treat one another, and if
we embrace things that destroy peace, or things that foster peace.
Things that destroy peace are bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, selfishness, pride,
gossip, being argumentative, or desiring power. If we embrace these things, those differences
will pull us apart, as each one of us seeks what is best for ourselves.
Conversely, things that make for peace are humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance,
kindness, compassion and forgiveness. If we embrace these things, even though we have our
differences, we will always be seeking what is best for others, and peace will grow.
So what can we do to work towards peace with one another? First, we must all seek to be
peacemakers. Don’t just be a “peace-wanter”. It’s not enough to just talk about or desire peace,
we have to actively pursue it. In an ideal world, we would all do this perfectly, and it would be
easy, but reality is not so simple. Sometimes we will have to seek peace first, even when others
aren’t, and hopefully your example will lead others to do likewise.
Second, we must all have the same focus and the same goal. The body has many parts, and
each part is different, but all those parts work together with one goal, and looks to the head for
direction. If our focus is on Jesus, and our goal is to please God and serve him faithfully, then
we can use our differences to our advantage, to help each other grow, to venture closer to the
truth. Paul tells the Galatians “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Did he mean
that Jesus had erased all nationality, social standing and gender, and those differences no
longer existed? Of course not, I believe Paul’s point is that all those differences that used to
define them are now secondary to the more important role that they had all assumed, the role of
Christians, as Christ’s followers and God’s children. This is now what defined them, and in this,
they were all one. Those differences did not cease to exist, but those things that used to cause
division and contention could now be used to unify and strengthen, because they were all one in
Christ.
Third, we must keep an open mind. We can often fall into the trap of thinking that all our
opinions are right. All our interpretations of the scripture are correct. Brethren, we must not be
so naïve. It’s very unlikely any of us will have interpreted every scripture perfectly and have no
room for improvement or better understanding. We should always have an open mind when a
perspective different from ours is brought forward. We should listen to other’s thoughts,
contemplate them, and compare them to what we thought on the subject. If we do this, one of
two things will happen:
- We might determine that we have the better interpretation, and it will strengthen our conviction about the topic, giving us more confidence we are on the right track. We can also share our views with the other party and help them grow stronger as well.
- It could be that the other party has a better understanding on the topic than we do. We could realize that we have not been quite right in our thinking before, and it may be time for some re-evaluation and we may need to make a change in ourselves.
Either outcome is good! Either way, we are helping each other grow. Your perspectives can help me where I lack, and my perspectives may be able to help someone else where they lack, and together we can continue to build on one another and continue to grow, and peace will abound.
Differences and disagreements will always exist, but if we seek to make peace wherever we go,
collectively keep our eyes on Jesus, and are willing to listen to and consider each other’s points
of view, then those differences will lead not to tension and strife, but to harmony and peace. We
will grow closer to one another, closer to God, and become more like Jesus.
Some verses to keep in mind:
Mark 9:50, Matthew 5:9, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Romans 12:14-21, Ephesians 4:1-3, Romans
14:13 – 15:2, Proverbs 16:7
May grace and peace from God our Father be with you all,
Garrett Douthitt
