Peace

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

PEACE

Eph 1:1-2

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

Once again we take note that grace and peace come from both the Father and the Son. It is now time to consider the word peace which is used ninety-three times in the New Testament. The meaning of the Greek eireenee is different than the Hebrew with Shaalowm which has this sense of “Be well” welfare, prosperity, health, etc., while the Greek word has quite a different sense. First, it would be right to consider that peace is the opposite of the havoc of war, used in the sense of a state of national tranquility that has the exemption from the rage and havoc of war. Of course, we could say that we have peace with God, based on the treaty or covenant he has made with us. Once we were are war with God, but now if we accept His treaty, Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected, there is peace between God and us. This Greek word can also be seen as having harmony or being in harmony with another person, and at times it might have been used in the sense of Shaalowm, but what strikes us is how this word has a meaning distinctly peculiar to Christianity. This is seen as the tranquil state of a soul, that is us, assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthy lot, of whatsoever sort that is. Seeing the Greek word eireenee in this sense, brings us back to being at peace with God, with God being in perfect peace with us. No longer are we objects of his wrath, or being at war with God and having his wrath as a result of our war-like conduct. Now, we have accepted His treaty and we are in perfect peace with God. This gives us this tranquil state of our soul, which means we put all our trust in God, and look not to ourselves, as we cannot create this peaceful, restful, serene, undisturbed, composed state within. Usually, we are more disturbed, being busy inside, but when we come into fellowship with Jesus, He gives us His peace, the peace of God, fully settled, completely at rest within, and fully content with our lives. This is a perfect way to live, with no hustle and havoc going on in our souls, our minds, and our spirits. We live in the peace of God, perfectly settled, completely at ease.