Peace on Earth This Christmas?

Each year I read through the Bible in a different version. This year I am reading the New Century Version. It is a very modern attempt at translation which sometimes gets a little loose with the original text, but I often like the way it puts things. This morning I had to chuckle at their version of 1 Peter 2:15. “It is God’s desire that by doing good you should stop foolish people from saying stupid things about you.” The Greek word (ἀγνωσία) translated “stupid” here is generally transliterated into English as “ignorant.” It literally means “not knowing.” This perfectly describes people who don’t know God or accept His ways. Paul explains their problem in Ephesians 4:18 saying they walk, “in the futility of their mind, being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them.”  (For more see: How Can They Think That?)

The Holy Spirit doubled down on the lesson with my daily reading from Charles Spurgeon. The verse Spurgeon drew from was Revelation 12:7 which describes the archangel Michael fighting against the dragon, aka Satan. Spurgeon advises, “The duty of every soldier in the army of the Lord is daily, with all his heart, and soul, and strength, to fight against the dragon.” I agree wholeheartedly. However, sometimes when we are engaged in that fight, foolish people are going to say stupid things about us. Those same people may cause us trouble. Peter advises, “A person might have to suffer even when it is unfair…. But if you suffer for doing good, and you are patient, then God is pleased.

Spurgeon continues the lesson: “We are foolish to expect to serve God without opposition: the more zealous we are, the more sure are we to be assailed by the [loyal followers] of hell…. War rages all around, and to dream of peace is dangerous and futile.” But I do dream of peace. Peace on earth was promised to men of good will outside Bethlehem by the same angels who are fighting against the dragon. Apparently, I need to adjust my personal definition of peace. According to Peter, Paul, and Charles, it doesn’t mean that I won’t have difficulties with “foolish people.” That makes sense if you realize that they are the same ones whom Paul said were living in the “futility” of their minds.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, He restated the promise of the angels on the night of His birth: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you—not as the world gives, I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled.” The peace He promised is to be in our untroubled hearts, not in the world or its circumstances. Later that same evening, Jesus repeated His promise: “I have said these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction, but have courage! I have conquered the world.” The Greek word Jesus used for “affliction” (θλῖψις) means pressure or distress.

Paul uses the same root word as Jesus to describe his circumstances to theCorinthians: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” The word “pressed” is how they described what you do to grapes to get wine: you pressure them. If you will allow me to press the metaphor, the good wine we get from our pressure is the fruit of righteousness. The early disciples considered it an honor to be worthy to suffer for Christ. They apparently agreed with James that we should rejoice in tribulation. Our peace is found in knowing why we are suffering.

We can also find peace in knowing how the war we are fighting ends. Spurgeon’s devotional closed with this: “Glory be to God; we know the end of the war. The great dragon shall be cast out and forever destroyed, while Jesus and they who are with him shall receive the crown. Let us sharpen our swords to-night and pray the Holy Spirit to nerve our arms for the conflict. Never battle so important, never crown so glorious. Every man to his post, ye warriors of the cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly!” Amen. And may you find God’s peace this Christmas.