By Mark A. Horne
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
A lot of people can’t have peace because they find it hard to change, or hard to deal with changes that happen around them. They allow circumstances to control them. When something positive happens, these kinds of people are in despair because it messes with their routine or gets them out of their comfort zone. If something negative happens, they feel everything is against them and there is no hope for them, or no more purpose for their life.
Yet, our personal environment continues to change, often rapidly. Whether one wants circumstances to stay the same or not, inevitably change happens. Why does this upset us so? Because our basic nature is to act, and not be acted upon. Our desire is to be in control of our circumstances. Our fallen hearts believe that nothing should happen around us unless we allow it to happen.
A principle that one learns in the business world goes something like this, “the key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value.”[1] That is a pretty good statement for life. However, it still doesn’t solve the problem of having peace when one feels that his or her life has been knocked off the tracks. The reason is the focus still is on self. Notice in whom Covey puts the “changeless sense.” It is in man, in you, “…who you are…what you are about… what you value.”
However, Jesus doesn’t teach us this. In John 14:27 he encourages us with the promise that this particular gift of peace, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, grows from our abiding in Him. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” Jesus knows that our hearts, no matter how much self-effort we put forth, never remains changeless. Our hearts often become deceived (Deuteronomy 11:16; Romans 16:18). Our faith often gets “tossed by the wind” of worldly thinking that results in doubt (Ephesians 4:14; James 1:6). If we think that we can remain changeless when circumstances affect us, then we will not have the fruit of true peace in our lives. Rather, what we must do is receive the peace “that comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness.”[2]
It is crucial for us to understand this vital point that our peace comes from our abiding in Him and looking in His face. The word “peace” listed here as a fruit highlights this aspect of the christian’s life in Christ. The Greek word is eirene which root is from the verb eiro that means “to join or bind together that which has been separated.” It literally pictures the binding or joining together again of that which had been separated or divided and thus united. An interesting side note is that the Greek word eirene is the root of the English word “serene,” which conveys the idea of that which is clear and free of storms or unpleasant change, stressing an unclouded and lofty tranquility. The picture of eirene is reflected in our modern expression “having it all together.” Everything is in place and as it ought to be. When things are disjointed, there is lack of harmony and wellbeing. When they are joined together, there is both.
It follows that peace is the opposite of division or dissension. Peace as a state of concord and harmony is the opposite of war. Additionally, the early church used “peace” as a greeting or farewell corresponding to the Hebrew word shalom – “peace to you”. So, eirene can convey the sense of inner rest, wellbeing and harmony. The ultimate peace is the state of reconciliation with God, effected by placing one’s faith in Jesus Christ. A final note is that in eschatology – the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind – peace is prophesied to be an essential characteristic of the Messianic kingdom (Acts 10:36).
As believers we now have peace with God because of justification by faith. That means that when God saves us through our faith in Christ, we are not at war with Him anymore. We are not His enemies (Romans 5:10; 11:28). We are now new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17), His adopted children (Ephesians 1:5), citizens of Christ’s Kingdom (Philippians 3:20).
Although our justification gives us peace in having assurance of our salvation, this is not the peace Paul is referring to as the fruit of the Spirit. The peace of the fruit of the Spirit is the peace of God in our heart as we walk in the Spirit. Wuest says it is a “tranquility of mind based on the consciousness of a right relation to God.”[3] Chambers puts it this way, “reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him.”[4]
Therefore, the gift of peace that
is the fruit of the Spirit is a sanctifying peace. It is a peace where
our hearts and our minds are conformed into the image of Christ. This peace
that is a grace of God is a condition of freedom from disturbance, whether
outwardly, as of a nation from war or change in our circumstances; or inwardly,
as in the current context, within the soul. Peace implies health,
well-being, and prosperity even when things don’t look well or prosperous. When
the Spirit bears the fruit of peace in a believer, it brings an inner tranquility
of soul and spirit even in the midst of adversity. This peace which our Lord
gives transcends human understanding, as Paul explains in his exhortation to
the Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the
peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). The fruit of peace that
comes from the Holy Spirit contrasts with strife and denotes the absence or end
of anxiety. Peace is not the absence of danger but in the presence of God. To
put it another way, Paul is teaching us this peace is not the peace which
results from cessation of tribulations and distresses, but is the supernatural
calmness of heart which is independent of circumstances, in part because it
arises out of a belief that the sovereign God is with us and in control of the
circumstances. Dear one, may this gift of the fruit of the Spirit be manifested
in your life.
[1] Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon and Shuster, 1989, 108.
[2] Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest. Uhrichsville: Barbour Publishing Inc., 1963.
[3] Galatians Commentary – Verse by Verse
[4] Chambers, Ibid.
Andrews PCA 