Tag Archives: Knowing God

The Knowledge of God: Grace and Peace in the Knowledge of God

January 17, 2024 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

Knowledge of God.

In his second letter to God’s elect scattered throughout what is now modern Turkey, the Apostle Peter expressed his concern about false teachers. The area in which these Christians lived was a hotbed for philosophies and teachings that challenged their belief in Jesus. Are these concerns still a threat in 2024?

Peter opens his letter with a special blessing, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:2, NKJV). He knew that knowledge of God was key to truth and protection against error—whether it be religious or secular. And it still is!

What is it?

To know or knowledge in Old Testament Hebrew has a wider meaning than in our English language. To know is not to be intellectually informed, but to experience it as part of one’s reality. Divine-human relationships are often expressed in this term. The Lord knew Moses “by name.” (Exod. 33:11, 12, 17)

In the New Testament, the thought continues that knowing God is not simply an intellectual exercise. The difference lies in the fact that knowing God is a response of faith and acceptance of Christ (John 14:7; 17:3)

There is more to be said about the difference between knowing God and having a knowledge of God.

Knowing or Knowledge: What’s the Difference?

The difference between knowing God and knowledge of God is a subtle but deeply important one, touching on the very nature of faith and belief.

- Knowledge of God refers to intellectual understanding and information about God. It can come from studying religious texts, attending sermons, learning about different doctrines and philosophies. You might possess a vast amount of information about God’s attributes, actions, and teachings.

- Knowing God goes beyond mere intellectual knowledge. It’s about a personal relationship and experiential understanding of God. It’s about encountering God in your life, feeling his presence, and having a sense of connection with him. This isn’t achieved solely through information but through practices like prayer, meditation, and living a life guided by faith.

Consider this analogy:

- Knowing about a tree: You might know its species, leaf shape, and how it photosynthesizes. You could even recite poems about trees.
- Knowing a tree: You’ve spent time under its shade, climbed its branches, felt the wind in its leaves. You have a personal connection and understanding beyond textbook knowledge.

Similarly, knowledge of God is like the textbook, while knowing God is like experiencing the tree itself.

Knowing or Knowledge: Which is better?

So, is knowing God better than having a knowledge of God? For me, both are part of the same coin. Each is important in developing a complete and personal reality of God in our life.

Our knowledge of God paves the way to knowing God.

Knowing God creates a deep desire to increase our knowledge of Him.

That being the case, we will continue our study to know more. I leave you with several insights from other notables of the faith who continue their pursuit of the knowledge of God.

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord” (2 Pet. 1:2, NLT)

The Christian is strong or weak depending upon how closely he has cultivated the knowledge of God. A.W. Tozer

Intimate knowledge of God is possible if we habitually search His Holy Scriptures and translate what we find into obedience. George Mueller

Too many Christians are fighting graduate school sins with grammar school knowledge of God. John Piper

How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this is simple but demanding. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into a matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer, and praise to God. J.I. Packer

The Knowledge of God: Begin with the Basics

January 10, 2024 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

Learning from our experiences

In last week’s teaching on “Lessons Learned in 2023”, I shared those things I will take with me as I moved forward into 2024. The “egg” I will carry includes spiritual growth, eternity, and finally, my knowledge of God. It is in this last area that I’d like to begin a new series, “The Knowledge of God”.

Knowledge of God has always been one of the foundational tenets that forms the framework for our teachings and programs that support our mission of “Transforming lives through teaching God’s Word.” The other tenets include knowing our identity in Christ (Gal. 2:20) and in remembering that our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). We are part of the Kingdom of God.

Why is knowledge of God important?

Our knowledge of God…

- Establishes the moral authority and inspiration in our life. We look to God to provide us with truth needed to guide us in this fallen world. God gives us peace, joy, and hope needed during troubling and uncertain times. He is our strength and deliverance (Ps. 18:1-3).

- Results in purposeful living. We are God’s workmanship, created to do good works which He identified at the foundations of the world (Eph. 2:10). To live out the purpose God has for our life, it is critical that we are obedient to God’s directions. Living purposefully, the goal is spiritual maturity and ultimately, conformity to the image of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29).

- Enlightens us as to what God has given to us. As believers, we have everything we need to live godly in this world (2 Pet. 1:3). First and most importantly, we have eternal life. In addition, as children of God, we have access not only to Father God, but also to all the blessings and promises that go with this special relationship (Eph. 1:3-14).

All these things and much more are ours today. But it requires correct knowledge and understanding of who God is—His goodness and His greatness.

The journey begins.

The rise of humanism in our world, has caused man, incorrectly, to believe he is the most important and knowledgeable creature on the earth.

Humanism primarily focuses on human flourishing in the present world, emphasizing social progress, ethical living, and addressing immediate concerns. This may not automatically lead to a focus on knowledge of God unless individuals actively seek to connect those values with their spirituality.

In his groundbreaking work of faith, Your God is Too Small, J.B. Phillips encourages Christians to redefine their understanding of who God is. Phillips explains that the trouble facing many of us today is that we have not found God big enough for our modern needs.

Many women and men are living, often with inner dissatisfaction, without any faith in God at all. This is not because they are particularly wicked or selfish or, as the old fashioned would say, godless, but because they have not found with their adult minds a God big enough to account for life, big enough to fit in with the new scientific age, big enough to command their highest admiration and respect, and consequently they’re cooperation.[1]

We invite you to join us as we expand our knowledge of God. Let’s learn how God is “big enough” to meet us where we are today, even amid the complexities of 21^st century living.

[1] Your God is Too Small, J. B. Phillips

Advent/Christmas

Preparing for 2024: God Goes Before Us

December 26, 2023 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

New Year anxieties

In choosing our year-end WordBytes, it was amazing how quickly the teaching for today came to my attention.

This WordBytes was written in 2019, as we entered the world of COVID. At that time, we had no idea that our lives would be forever changed. The world as we knew would never be the same.

This WordBytes was also written to address the anxiety we typically experience as we begin planning for the new year.

Are we ready for 2024?

In our text today, Moses is preparing the Israelites for the changes that lie ahead as they prepare to enter the Promise Land with 2+million people. Just imagine the heightened anxiety and fear of the people. But Moses shares with them a promise they could “hang their hat on”. God will go before them!

It’s been said, “Hindsight is 20/20.” As we look back over the past year with new COVID variants, political division, wars around the world, and more, we might ask this question, “Is God still going before us?”

Assess where we are.

Take a moment and think about how God has intervened on your behalf during this past year. It’s true that we have experienced many hardships this year. However, regardless of them, we are now planning for a “new year”.

Do you want to know why? Because God still (even in the 21^st century) goes before us. Whatever circumstance we may face in 2024, know that God is more than able to sustain you through it. I pray that today’s WordBytes will increase your confidence and trust in the Lord. Have a blessed and happy new year.

God Goes Before Us

Advent/Christmas

Advent Revisited: A Psalm for Advent

December 12, 2023 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

A Time to remember

One of the things I love to do during the holiday season is to find a quiet place in the house and reminisce on how my family prepared for Christmas. After Thanksgiving, we would receive the “Sears and Roebuck” Christmas catalog. We called it “the dream book.” Now Christmas displays begin to appear before Halloween.

As believers, we have the liturgical calendar to help us “mark” the different aspects of this most holy season. It begins with Advent and the practice of waiting. It culminates with Christmas, a time of celebrating the arrival of our Savior, Jesus the Christ.

This Advent, I invite you to join us as we reminisce and revisit Advents of the past through our WordBytes devotion. We have chosen three (3) of our most popular Advent WordBytes from past years. We hope they will fill your hearts with hope, peace, joy, and love.

“A PSALM FOR ADVENT”

Knowing God

God’s Large Place

December 6, 2023 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

Good morning to you!

Have you ever awakened in the morning and instantly felt overwhelmed by the day? I mean, have you been totally immobilized so that you’re unable to get out of bed?

We can be sure that it is Satan’s effort to get us off God’s plan and purpose for our lives. Of course, our flesh also plays a part in this conspiracy. It is in the morning that the battle for our mind and our spirit begins.

This is the time to connect with the Holy Spirit and the truth found in God’s Word. This is the moment we can declare, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psa. 118:24).

This is the day…

Each day begins with our perception of what lies ahead for us. Our calendar and day timer contains our commitments. Our mental and physical state impacts how we receive each new day. We are mentally challenged with fears, anxiety, depression, attention deficit, even our negative talk. We may physically “not feel good”. Seasonal ailments, chronic pain and disease make “jumping out of bed” a real chore. Getting up in the morning is a complex endeavor.

Read, “Monday Morning Cup” , with Lisa Boone-Reddick

But mornings are simply “a period of time which occurs between sunrise and noon”. The bigger issue is our ability to manage the stresses, complexities, and demands that arise during our days (and nights). The challenge is knowing how to successfully navigate the realities of living during these tumultuous and demanding times.

What would happen if we changed our perception of how we operate each day? How much better would our lives be if we acknowledged the real source of release and contentment? King David gives us the answer in Psalm 118.

The view from the other side

Psalm 118 is an excellent source of encouragement when we are perplexed with the struggles we face in our lives. King David probably penned this psalm after he had weathered the battles and challenges to gain full possession of the kingdom to which he had been anointed (1 Sam. 16:13).

In Psalm 118, David acknowledges the struggles but more importantly he witnesses to the presence and favor of God in the midst of those struggles. David begins and ends this psalm (vv. 1, 29) with praise and recognition of how Israel had made it through its most challenging days. David’s psalm was a call for all to remember God’s presence, God’s protection, and God’s provision. It was a time to give thanks for God’s goodness and His mercy.

Oh, give thanks unto the Lord,

for He is good, and

His mercy (lovingkindness) endures forever.

God granted David gracious favor in his distress. Matthew Henry describes this favor as “vouchsafe”.

God heard his prayer (v. 5): “He answered me with enlargements; he did more for me than I was able to ask; he enlarged my heart in prayer and yet gave more largely than I desired.” He answered me, and set me in a large place, where I had room to bestir myself, room to enjoy myself, and room to thrive; and the large place was the more comfortable because he was brought to it out of distress (Ps. 4:1). [1]

Getting to God’s large place

David’s view “from the other side” (of his rise to power) was the result of his personal relationship and experience with God. David remembered God’s faithfulness. He trusted God (vv. 8-9). This strengthened his belief that God would always be there (vv. 6-7; 17-18). David’s experience of God’s large place would prepare him for what lay ahead as he ruled the great nation of Israel.

We too can enter God’s large place through prayer and receiving His engrafted Word (James 1:21). We are invited to be intentional in recognizing and accepting God’s providence in our lives. Whether good or bad, morning or evening, God is always present to see us safely to the other side. God’s large place can be a place of victory, growth, and freedom. Let us declare, like David: Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.

[1] Matthew Henry Commentary, Psalm 118.

Spiritual Discipline

Return to Joy

September 26, 2023 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

What is Joy?

Joy is defined as gladness of heart. It is listed among the top five things[1] people desperately want in life yet “never seem to be able to get”. Joy’s allusiveness, in many cases, is the result of our tendency to define joy as external to ourselves. We believe it is a person, place, or thing. Once we have “it”, we’ll have joy. Wrong!

Joy under Attack

As we survey the world we live it, gladness of heart is under attack. Our attempts to navigate 21^st century living seem more daunting and challenging with each new day. Financial worries served as a significant source of stress ranking higher than three other causes of concern: work, family responsibilities, and health concerns.

Work, family, and health concerns have exploded. So how can we find joy? The Apostle Paul shares the secret of not only how to find joy but also how to return to it in spite of the pressures we might face.

Source of Joy

In Philippians 4:4, Paul exhorts the Church at Philippi to holy joy and delight in God.

Delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, find your joy in him at all times. (Phillips Translation)

God has furnished us with joy even in the worst of circumstances. Nehemiah in the midst of hostility and threats, said that “the joy of the Lord is my strength.” (Neh. 8:10).

David acknowledged that “in God’s presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). Jesus instructed His Disciples “to live in The Vine”—in Jesus’ holy presence (John 15:5-11). By living in the Vine, Jesus’ joy would remain “in them and be full.” These same offers of joy are extended to you and I who live in the 21^st century. Jesus is the source of our joy.

Returning to Joy

It is God’s desire that we return to joy regardless of life’s circumstances or difficulties. Jesus describes these as “tribulations” (John 16:33). Tribulations and trials are “natural outcomes” we suffer as a result of living in a fallen world.

We experience the effects of fallenness every day. They include death, disease, and difficulties. However, in Christ and as God’s children, we have been provided with God’s Presence (The Holy Spirit), God’s blessings (Eph. 1:3-17), and God’s inexhaustible grace to sustain us (Phil. 1:6).

Strengthen our Joy

Returning to joy strengthens our resolve and helps us to continue the purpose God has set before us. Such strength can only come from Eternal God Who helps us through the worst of circumstances. When we come into the presence of the Lord, we connect with His great and eternal power. God’s power exceeds anything we can do in our own strength (Phil. 4:13).

We are invited to return to the joy that comes from serving God who is sovereign and who has overcome the world (Ps. 119:89-91).

[1] Top 5 include: Happiness, Money, Freedom, Peace, Joy

Spiritual Discipline

Return to Faithfulness

September 19, 2023 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

The basics of backsliding.

As a child, I remember our worship services especially the ones with sermons that warned our congregation of the dangers of “backsliding”. After the minister’s fiery discourse, a few members would approach the “welcoming” altar, many times weeping and repentant.

The word backslide, in a Christian context, implies movement away from Christ rather than toward Him. A backslider is someone who is going the wrong way, spiritually. He is regressing rather than progressing. The backslider had at one time demonstrated a commitment to Christ or maintained a certain standard of behavior, but he has since reverted to old ways. Backsliding in Hebrew mean “turning away, turning back, or apostasy”. It infers “defection”—turning away for the wisdom of God (Prov. 1:32) and away from Jehovah—the Covenant Keeping God (Jer. 3:6, 8, 11, 12).

Return to the wisdom of God.

We don’t hear much about backsliding these days. Perhaps our focus has shifted to the “lost” versus those who “appear to be” in the ark of safety. But backsliders are as important to God as the unsaved in that backsliding is an indication of the lack of one’s faithfulness to Him. Faithfulness to God was an important part of the prophets’ proclamations and is central in appreciating Hosea 11.

The Old Testament prophet’s function was to not only herald the warnings of God but to also remind God’s people, Israel, to remain faithful to Him. Through the prophets, God announced His intentions to enforce the covenant which was always in accordance with categories of blessings and curses already contained in the Law. Even today, we need to take heed to the prophetic Word of God. We must remain faithful to Him and if we have “backslidden”, repent, and return to faithfully follow God.

A Prophet’s view of backsliding

In Hosea 11, God speaks to the prophet as one would speak to a close friend and confidant. God shares with Hosea His history of unbridled favor and goodness to Israel. The opening verses (vv. 1-3) read like a doting parent, who has poured all their affection and attention upon their child only to receive, in return, opposition and defiance. God’s “gentle cords and bands of love” (v. 3) only resulted in Israel’s ingratitude and unfaithfulness.

For Israel’s immorality and worship of idols, God’s punishment of Israel would be swift and severe. Israel’s unfaithfulness would earn God’s judgment and doom. God’s compassion toward Israel would be the only reason God’s mercy and grace would be extended (Hosea 12:6). It would, however, call for their faithfulness to God.

Why do we backslide?

God attributes Israel’s behavior to its “bentness to backsliding.” This “bentness” is like Paul’s description of “the flesh”—that unredeemed part of man that still exists within believers (Rom. 7: 17-19). Israel was deaf and disobedient to God’s voice, spoken by Moses and His other prophets. They rebelled and became more resolute in their disobedience; adding to Israel’s injurious behavior, was their failure to exalt God (Hos. 11:7).

The positive ending to what began as a tragic narrative is that despite Israel’s faithlessness, God was faithful. God honored His covenant and extended mercy to Israel with the promise to ultimately restore His covenant people to Himself (vv. 10-11).

Are we guilty of 21st century backsliding?

How similar is Israel’s behavior to that which we find in our nation, in our homes, and in our individual faith walk. That same “bentness to sin” that tempted Israel still tempts us today to unfaithful behavior. Though delivered from the bondage of sin, we may find ourselves still pursuing those things that feed our fleshly desires and wants (1 John 2:15-17). Backsliding may manifest itself in several ways, e.g., dropping out of church, losing fervor for the Lord, walking away from a ministry or a family, or falling back into old habits.

It is a great encouragement to our hope in God’s mercies to remember that “God is God”, and not man. He is the Holy One. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and receives us even when we are guilty of backsliding. God is faithful to His covenant people. Even in our faithlessness, God remains faithful to us (2 Tim. 2:13).

Spiritual Discipline

Return to Our First Love

September 12, 2023 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

Do you remember?

Who can forget their first love? The excitement we felt when that special person entered the room. The anticipation of seeing them and the connection that was made as eyes met. The experience of first love, with all its innocence and purity, was never to be repeated—for that is the way of “first things”.

Remember the first time you professed your love for Jesus Christ? With that experience came the same excitement and anticipation as our first earthly love. Unlike most first things that eventually lose their luster, it is important for us to make every effort to nurture and cultivate our personal relationship with our First Love, Jesus Christ.

How’s love today?

Are we feeling distant and estranged from God? Do our prayers appear routine and repetitive? Is our praise predictable and puny? If we answered yes to any of these questions, then it’s time for us to examine ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5) and see what is hindering our personal relationship with the Lord. God never changes (Malachi 3:6) nor has God moved. Maybe it’s time to return to our first love for Jesus.

The church at Ephesus had persevered and endured hardship for the Lord. This was a critical part of the early church’s responsibility to insure a clear and true presentation of the gospel (Eph. 4:1-2). In general, this church had continued in its faithful service to God for more than 40 years. While all these “efforts” were important in the development of the early church (as it is now), there was something noticeably absent. They had left their first love for Jesus.

Time to return.

Jesus lays a charge of carelessness in Ephesus’ relationship with Him in Revelations 2:4: ” Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

In the literal translation of today’s text, the order of the words in Greek emphatically denote the strong rebuke directed to the church. “Your first love you have left!” This second-generation of believers, had retained purity of doctrine but were lacking in deep devotion to Christ.

As believers, we must ask ourselves if we too are careless in cultivating our relationship with the Lord. Remember the first time we professed our love for Jesus Christ? With that experience came excitement and anticipation. Are we now guilty of taking our eyes off the Lord? Are we more concerned with our personal agendas than practicing the presence of the Holy Spirit? Have we left our first love?

And what can we say about the Church, Christ’s bride (Rev. 19:7-9)? The Church needs to heed the same warning given to the Ephesians. Orthodoxy and service is not enough. Christ wants hearts as well as our hands and heads (Matt. 22:37).

How can I return?

Last week, we agreed that repentance is the starting point to return to God. Once this has taken place, we might consider the following strategies to return to His side (1 John 1:3).

Recommit ourselves to Him. Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? (Rom. 6:16) Recommitment involves renewing your loyalty to Christ and His lordship over your life. This includes directing your time, talents, and treasures to the service of the Lord. We are so grateful that there is nothing that can ever separate us from God’s love (Rom. 8:39).

Renew our love for Him. I will love You, O LORD, my strength (Ps. 18:1). Tell the Lord how much you love Him. Although He is all-knowing, He still wants to hear us tell Him how much we adore Him. We must let Him know that we desire Him with all our heart and soul (Ps. 42:1-2). Let us show our love for Him through our praise and worship. We are never closer to Him than when we “love on Him” (Ps. 22:3).

Reprioritize our life around Him. Christ set the standard for priority when He said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6: 33). However, to make God the center of our life is counterculture. When we place Christ first in our life, we are assured that we have chosen the “Good Part” (Luke 10:42).

It’s time to return to our first love! He is waiting for us (Isa. 30:15, 18).

Victorious Living

In Search of Peace: When will we find it?

August 29, 2023 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

We seek peace.

What peace are we seeking and when will we find it? Because of God’s grace and mercy, we experience various degrees of peace even in this fallen world. We are no longer in enmity with God because of Jesus’ gift of life (2 Cor. 5:18). We on occasion see glimpses of peace between nations and groups divided because of preference, politics, or social agendas. However, even that peace is tenuous and subject to change with the next difference of opinion.

The search for peace is a pursuit that will continue until we transition to eternity. So why are we trying so hard to achieve it now? Because it is God’s desire that we live in peace with each other and experience peace within. Without peace we will be hindered from accomplishing our divine purpose which includes glorifying God.

Peace was God’s First Choice

When God and man lived in the Garden of Eden, their world was designed to accomplish a specific purpose. God would provide for His creation—food, clothing, shelter. Man in turn would be obedient to his Creator and reverence God. They would enjoy an intimate and harmonious relationship. There was peace. Of course, we know what happened to the plan of creation.

Although many attempts have been made through the institution of covenants and laws, man has always been troubled with contention, strife, and war (Hab. 1:3; James 4:1; Rom. 2:8). The biblical text relates attempts by God’s prophets and priests to bring peace, but none could be found—externally nor within.

Only Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah, could bring the “peace” that would reverse the ravages of sin that resulted in broken relationships and shattered hearts (Isa. 9:6-7; Mic. 5:4-5).

Peace is a hard issue.

Early in our study we defined peace as a stress-free state of security and calmness, everything co-existing in perfect harmony and freedom. Let’s be real. Man cannot orchestrate this kind of peace while we live in this fallen world. And this is the world we must live in right now. The peace described in this definition will be possible when Jesus Christ returns and rules physically during the Millennial Age.

However, right now God’s peace is guaranteed by His unchanging promises and can be found through faith in Jesus Christ. It is possible spiritually through the Holy Spirit living within us. The Holy Spirit fortifies us as we live in this fallen world. He sustains us even in the most desperate of circumstances (Gal. 5:22).

Peace that passes all understanding.

The Apostle Paul, while imprisoned in Rome, appealed to the church in Phillipi, to “rejoice in the Lord”. Strange message considering Paul’s situation. But while experiencing the backlash of living in a fallen world, he found peace in his situation. He offered the same to them (Phil. 4:6-7, NLT).

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Chrysostom, Eastern church father and archbishop of Constantinople wrote these words on “how this peace—God’s peace—passes all understanding”.

The peace of God, which He imparts to us, passes all understanding. For who could have expected and who could have hoped for such benefits? It transcends every human intellect and all speech. For His enemies, for those who hate Him, for the apostates—for all these He did not refuse to give his only begotten Son, so as to make peace with them. The peace which will preserve us is the one of which Christ says, “My peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.” For this peace passes all human understanding. How? When He sees that we should be at peace with enemies, with the unrighteous, with those who display contentiousness and hostility toward us, how does this not pass human understanding?[1]

God’s peace is what we need for 21^st century living. Peace that will not only exceed our expectations but also guard our hearts and minds, from fear, anxiety, hopelessness, and despair. Our “call to action” as believers is to, like Jesus’ Disciples and the Apostle Paul, become agents of peace and ministers of reconciliation to a “peaceless” world. In the world’s search for peace, let us be the light to show them where they can find it (Matt. 5:9).

[1] Ancient Christian Commentary of Scripture, New Testament VIII, Mark J. Edwards

Victorious Living

In Search of Peace: Whose peace do we want?

August 16, 2023 ITWMinistries Leave a comment

In Search of peace.

As we learned last week, peace can be defined in many ways. From a world perspective, peace is a stress-free state where there is perfect harmony and freedom. However, peace from a biblical perspective provides us with more precise descriptions on which to focus our attention.

Both the Old and New Testaments use the root word, salom or shalom to capture the meaning of peace as “completeness, contentment, rest, and harmony”.

Peace by any definition can be very elusive and subject to change because of external influences. That’s why we need to be clear as to what we’re looking for and where we think we may find it.

Loss of our Peace.

At one time man experienced “perfect peace”. That peace was found in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve. There was completeness, contentment, rest, and harmony. On Maslow’s Hierarchy they were “at the top” of the pyramid. Their peace, however, ended with the entrance of sin.

In the beginning, all creation was in a state of shalom, and this is the environment that Adam and Eve entered into. This Shalom was a perfect peace, where the infinite Creator of all things was in complete communion with his created beings Adam and Eve. Yet sin destroyed that shalom and cast the world into a place of brokenness. The fallen world we live in, with its violence, heartache, pain, and death are very visible results of the Shalom that was lost so very long ago.[1]

As we view the challenges of living in the 21^st century with its social challenges, spiritual deficits, and moral vice, we might ask if peace can become a reality in our lifetime. Peace can be achieved but it must begin with an understanding of the true source of peace.

Man-made peace.

There are two types of peace we can experience. The first is man-made peace which is based on the creation of external systems to ensure safety and security. It also includes safeguards to support peaceful interactions between individuals, groups, and communities (relationships). On a large scale we see governments (local, state, or national) serving in these roles. Our best efforts in fabricating peace will only leave us in disappointment and despair because our skewed understanding of peace is dependent upon things outside our control![2]

God-given peace.

The other option we have is God-given peace. The pursuit of God-given peace begins with being spiritually reconciled to God (Rom. 5:10). Because of our sin nature, our relationship is estranged. The way back to God is only possible through acceptance of Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sin (Rom. 5:8-9). Once reconciled to God, we are no longer in enmity with each other. We have peace with God.

Once we have peace with God, we become heirs of salvation and part of God’s Kingdom (Rom. 8:17). As children of God, we receive the Holy Spirit who dwells within us to comfort and strengthen us during difficult times. The Holy Spirit brings peace by reminding us of the faithfulness of God. The Spirit speaks to the promises and blessings that are ours because of our righteous standing made possible through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3-14; 2 Peter 1:3-4). We have the peace of God.

As we daily walk in newness of life with the Holy Spirit as our guide, we begin to act like Jesus. We are told to be conformed to the image of Christ who provides us with the model of how we act and react while living in this fallen world. We have escaped the corruption that is in the world through our knowledge of God—His power, His purpose, and His presence. This provides us with great confidence even when pressed on every side (2 Cor. 4:8-9). We have peace from God.

True Peace

Jesus promised to give His Disciples peace. Jesus’ peace quiets the inner turmoil that comes with danger.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you: I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled, or fearful.” (John 14:27, CSB)

The Apostle Paul reminds us in his letter to the Philippians that God’s peace is true peace.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7, Living Bible)

Whose peace do we desire? True peace can only be found in God through Jesus Christ. God’s peace is underwritten by His unchanging promises and experienced through the presence of the Holy Spirit living within us. God’s peace meets the perfect biblical standards. It is complete, leading to contentment, giving us rest (from worry), and creating harmony in our relationships.

[1] Jason Soroski, “What does shalom mean and why is it important?”, Crosswalk.com.

[2] Samuel Stephens, “The Pursuit of Peace”, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.