Why Do We Need Peace?

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - (John 16:33 NIV)

We need peace. The world needs peace. Peace is all we need.

Blame it on the fast paced life that we are forced to live nowadays, but I’ve never really had time to think about what it is that is so desirable about peace in the first place.

 While the question might seem obvious, childish even, has anyone of us really thought about peace? Is peace really the solution to all of humanity’s problems? Do we really even want peace?

In my humble opinion, there are only two kinds of people who will answer that they DO NOT want peace.

The first, and most obvious, would be a madman. A social outcast. A loony. Someone not right in the head. Pick your description.

The second is a bit more complicated. The other person who rejects peace, is the person who benefits from the lack of it.

Several decades ago, I would have contested that such a person even exists. Blame it on naiveté or the insulation brought about by our present social conditioning (perhaps even both), but I found it hard to believe that people would even consider choosing conflict over peace.

My ignorance then was matched only by my juvenile contempt for history.

Like most young male adolescents who would rather spend their time on more “worthwhile” pursuits such as watching television, playing video games, hanging out and ogling young girls, I found little to gain from reading passage after boring passage of accounts of peoples and cultures long dead.

But there IS one historical subject that seems to hold a universal appeal to young men: the subject of war.

Let’s face it; there is not a single, healthy male adolescent in this world that does not have dreams about being a war hero: to fight and offer your life to a great and noble cause as fighting for your homeland and loved ones.

That’s the romantic view of war. And many are those who are lured into the battlefield by such romantic notions.

Thank God for my father, who was wise enough to show me the other aspect of war. The side that our history books always seem to glance over. And that is the cost – the real cost of war.

If there was one thing that I utterly hated as a child, it was the sight of blood. And apparently in war, there are lots of it. Not just blood, but lots of other nasty stuff as well. Stuff that are meant to be hidden inside the human body, not strewn all over the place.

The sight of blood and all these other nasty things made me come upon one inevitable conclusion:

War is ugly.

It is, in fact, the ugliest part of being human.

And if there is any reason, any reason at all to justify going to war, it had better be a damn good one.

Because the real cost of war is not money, weapons, or land.

Its human lives.

I had already established that death is universally undesirable. But to meet death on the battlefield, to have your body mutilated and trampled beyond recognition as a result of being at the opposite end of the manifest hatred that your enemy has for you, and then be fed upon by creatures of carrion: that for me counts as the worst kind of death. It is a most inglorious and ignoble death.

And so I was thankful that I was born in a time of “peace”, continually assuring myself that war would never again happen in the scale that it has happened before because of its sheer ugliness.

It is this kind of naiveté that will prove humanity’s undoing.

Why?

Because conflict is a part of human existence.

Proof of that statement can be seen in every facet of our lives. We have conflicts at home. We have conflicts at work. We have conflicts with our relatives, our neighbors, with our friends and foes alike. We even have conflicts within ourselves.

In fact, conflict goes beyond humanity. It permeates all of creation itself.

Life IS conflict.

To deny the existence of conflict would be to deny the existence of life itself.

And war is the ultimate expression of conflict. It is conflict taken to the extreme. While there is life, war is always a possibility, if not an inevitability.

And lest I be misconstrued as being un-Christian in this view, allow me to refer once again to the words of The Teacher:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. - (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV)

God Himself has instituted that war exist.

But how can that be? Is not God a loving God? Is He not forgiving and full of mercy? Does He not love all of creation?

Why would He create something that is so ugly? Why would He allow for something that causes so much death and destruction to even exist?

My answer to that would be this:

God instituted war, so that we may truly know and appreciate peace.

Peace is NEVER to be taken for granted. It is to be longed for and sought after, and if the situation merits, it should even be fought for.  The fact that all of life is conflict, means that peace should be the ultimate goal of every living thing in creation.

Now the philosophical among you might say: but that is a flawed argument! If life IS conflict, does not searching for peace therefore, go against life?

To this, I ask another question:

If you come across a person who is being mugged, what is your first reaction?

Is it to walk away, telling yourself that life is conflict, and that the person being mugged just happened to be unlucky enough to be at the receiving end of it?

Or is it to call for help, if not assist the person yourself, knowing that an injustice is being committed?

Let me rephrase the question a little bit:

What if the person being mugged is your loved one? What if that person is yourself?

Will you just offer yourself to the mugger in resignation, telling yourself that life is conflict, and to resist would be to go against life? What if the mugger decides to kill you? Would you still accept the situation?

To this the philosopher might answer:

But isn’t that what Jesus Christ says for us to do in His Sermon on the Mount? To give when someone takes from you?

And isn’t that exactly what He Himself did when He died on the cross?

Doesn’t that mean therefore, that for the Christian to have peace, he must offer everything that he has, including his life, to the whims of conflict?

If such be the Christian life, then I would not have any part of it.

But obviously, this is NOT the reason why I chose to be a follower of Christ.

First of all, the Messiah offered His life, not in resignation to conflict, but so that others may live.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. - (John 10:10-11 NIV)

Secondly, the Christian life does not mean the absence of conflict. In fact, being a follower of Christ is itself an invitation to a life full of conflict.

For as the Messiah says:

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. - (Matthew 10:34 NIV)

In this oft misunderstood and (therefore dangerous) verse, Jesus alludes to the fact that being good means you are against evil in whatever form it takes. That being good automatically makes you an enemy of those who do evil.

Says the Apostle Paul:

How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? - (2 Corinthians 6:14-15 NLT)

And lastly, if the message of the Gospel is simply to do nothing in the face of evil, then why bother with the Gospel at all? Do we even need the Gospel for us to do that?

I follow the Gospel precisely because it tells me that evil exists, and that I must do everything in my power to resist it.

And to resist evil does not mean a surrender to conflict.

For the peace of Christ does NOT mean the absence of conflict.

The peace of Christ means mastery over conflict.

And to master conflict means to overcome and master any and all sources of conflict.

And the greatest source of conflict in this world is none other than ourselves.

I am my own worst enemy.

Therefore, to truly attain the peace of Christ, I must overcome and master myself.

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Have you ever been offended or hurt so bad that you’ve become blinded to everything else except retaliation? I sincerely believe that one couldn’t be human otherwise.

I also believe that this is the primary reason for the existence of human conflict.

But I also believe that to participate in the human race is to overcome all obstacles that hinder us from growing beyond our present humanity.

It is to voluntarily choose to strive and become more than what our current humanity is capable of.

And if our current humanity cannot see past the need for revenge and conflict, then it is our sovereign duty to choose to overcome that short-sightedness.

For as a human being, I AM the master of my fate, and the captain of my soul. That much the Creator has given us to achieve while in this life.

And no one, absolutely no one, has epitomized self-mastery and mastery over all conflict, as He who is known as the Prince of Peace.

For when He hung on that cross, dying a slow and agonizing death, bearing the full punishment for the transgressions we have made, as He offered His last drop of blood, and breathed His last breath with the words “It is accomplished!”, it was not in resignation, nor surrender.

No, those words were uttered with the final triumph of one who has fought and won the only battle worth fighting.

It is the victory that comes from having mastered conflict and attained true and lasting peace for all of humanity.

And for this alone, He deserves all our praise.  

For this alone, He deserves all the glory.

This is the reason why I choose to call His faith my own.

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Going back to my earlier statement on the second type of person who would reject peace, it is true that there are people in this world who has seen it fit to profit, and to profit greatly from conflict.

In fact, there are people who have reaped such a great profit from conflict, that it has become their interest to keep conflict going, even up to the point of starting and engaging in conflicts themselves.

This is the very description of people who have given themselves up over to evil. To sin.

For to embrace conflict is to fall short of the purpose of conflict.

To embrace conflict is to deny peace.

Sooner or later, those who call themselves the Children of the Most High will have to face these people.

In fact, the battle has already been joined.

And the frontline is being fought right here, in the marketplace of ideas.

At stake, is the only thing worth dying for in this life.

It is the battle for the soul of humanity.

All of creation waits with bated breath at the arrival of Him who will lead the forces of truth and light and triumph over the forces of deception and darkness in this world once more.

And how I long to be in that number.
 

Blessed is the man who searches for peace.

Blessed is the head of the man who meditates on peace.

Blessed is the heart of the man who desires peace.

Blessed is the tongue of the man who speaks words of peace.

Blessed are the feet of the man who follows the path to peace.

Blessed are the hands of the man who works for peace.

Blessed are the arms of the man who gladly embraces peace.

For such a man, the sufferings of this world will have no lasting trouble.

For such a man, the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven will be given.

For to be at peace with all of creation is to be at peace with God.

And God is the ultimate source of peace.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. - (Matthew 5:9 TNIV)

When Our Weakness becomes Strength

But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. - (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

Few people I know can readily admit that they’re weak.

In living the worldly life, I have noticed that it has become increasingly difficult for one to admit to making mistakes. Not only is making mistakes a sign of weakness, but it also entails cost: the cost of correcting that mistake.

And for the worldly, cost is everything.

If all that a worldly person is concerned about is making a profit, anything that detracts from profit therefore, is not to be desired.

Consider the example of a corporation: that entity which best represents the worldly life. Seldom would you see a corporation voluntarily admit to making mistakes, much less take the effort of correcting them. Legions of corporate lawyers are hired for the sole purpose of defending against people who would point out the corporation’s mistakes.

Have you ever tried reading through the fine print of a corporate waiver of liabilities or license agreement? I am told that these are deliberately long, vague and tedious to read for the layperson, so that he/she will be discouraged from interpreting what it truly means.

For laid deep within the legal jargon is a simple yet powerful disclaimer: “that as much as legally possible, the corporation will NOT be responsible for its mistakes.” In fact, if the corporation would have it their way, they will not accept responsibility for ANY mistake whatsoever.

Mistakes cost money. Mistakes eat away at profit. And for a corporation, profit IS everything.

Therefore, a corporation will do its best NOT to admit to any mistakes.

For this reason, corporations are NEVER to be considered paragons of moral and ethical behavior. Look to them for innovation. Look to them for examples of efficiency and resource management. But never ethics.

For the basis of ethical behavior is grounded in the premise that people ARE liable for their mistakes. 

To produce people who readily admit to making mistakes and take responsibility for them is the goal of any ethical civilization.

And that is what the Kingdom of Heaven is: the ultimate state of civilization where the highest ethical and moral values are upheld.

Those who concern themselves only with profit will find it hard to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. For as the Messiah, who calls Himself Lord of that Kingdom says:

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. - (Matthew 6:24 NIV)

Why is it that the we should seek profit in the first place?

Because we have been led to believe that the accumulation of worldly wealth can provide security against our fears.

What are these fears?

The fear of rejection. The fear of suffering. The fear of loss.

And chief among these fears is the fear of death.

Nothing motivates the worldly more than the fear of death.

For we all know that death is a harsh taskmaster. Death waits for no one. Death comes for everyone. To death we must all give an account. Nothing else in this world has a finality attached to it that is so total, so irrevocable, as that accounting.

And so we work and toil in vain to try and escape death. Though many of humanity’s mightiest have surrounded themselves with the greatest of worldly wealth, the best they have done against death is to just delay its inevitability.

Rich and poor. Young and old. Strong and weak. Saint and sinner. Death does not discriminate against them, for death comes for them all.

It is ironic that death would be the common factor that unites all of humanity together.

For to be human is to die.

If all the reward we get for living our lives on this earth is death, what then does anything matter?

What does it matter that I strive to admit my mistakes and correct them? Would it not be far better for me to enjoy life as much as I can? Why waste time dwelling on my mistakes? What do I care for accountability? What do I care for ethics or morality? Am I not entitled to live a life of pleasure? Let the strong prey on the weak! Let the poor be a slave to the rich! Let the guilty and innocent both go free! For in the end there is no distinction between them.

Death comes for us all.

The certainty of death makes us slaves to it, for we are slaves to that which we fear the most.

A slave does not have rights. A slave cannot make choices. When a slave’s master calls, he has to come and do the master’s bidding.

A slave has no freedom.

Death therefore, is master of the worldly, for there is no freedom from death.

And therein lies the salvation offered by the Christ.
For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. - (Romans 6:9 NIV)

The Gospel of Life testifies to the significance of the risen Christ:

Death is NOT our master.

For there is SOMEONE GREATER than death.

As the Christ testifies:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. - (Matthew 10:28 NIV)

And so our fear of death is revealed for what it truly is: a capital sin.

For it is not death whom we should fear. It is not death whom we should call master. To do so would be to commit idolatry against The One whom we should fear.

And the testimony of Christ reveals the One who is greater than death. It is to Him and to him alone we must give an account.

And He is worthy.

For unlike death, He is NOT indiscriminate.

As He says of those loyal to Him:

"They will be My people," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "On the day when I act in judgment, they will be My own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." - (Malachi 3:17-18 NLT)

Our loyalty to Him does not result in slavery, but in freedom: freedom from fear itself.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." - (Romans 8:15 NIV)

A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. - (John 8:35-36 NLT)

And if He who is greater than death rewards loyalty with freedom, where then is our weakness? Where then is our fear?

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?  - (Romans 8:31 NLT)

So do not mourn you who humble themselves before the Living God. Do not weep for those who give up their lives in His service. Do not cringe when the worldly laugh and mock you. Do not be ashamed that they would call your faith in Him a weakness.

For He who is Lord even over death is faithful.

In our weakness, He becomes our strength.

Soli Deo Gloria.