The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Third Fruit—Peace (Part 2)

by on August 7, 2024 | Comment

Peace as a Fruit of the Spirit

When Paul talks about peace as a fruit of the Spirit, we have to remember the above aspects of peace. It is found in God, and it is from God through faith in Christ. These are objective. When Paul mentions peace as a fruit, however, he is referring to peace in a subjective way. That is, peace as a fruit of the Spirit is peace within—peace in our hearts, minds, consciences, wills, outlooks on life, relationships, attitudes, actions, and even dispositions. Peace as a fruit of the Spirit is a spiritual quality that the Holy Spirit is producing in us as he makes us more like Christ, the great Peacemaker.

Before someone comes to faith in Christ, they do not have peace with God. Those who reject God are like the restless sea which is always stormy and churning up mud (Isa 57:20). But when the Spirit works in a person’s heart through the message of the gospel and gives new life, that person believes in Christ. He is justified by faith and adopted by God. The Spirit continues to work in his heart and tills the soil of his heart so good fruit grows—fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, and so on (Gal 5:22).

Paul calls this peace the peace of Christ that rules in our hearts (Col 3:15). Peace with God and from God affects us and makes an impression on the center of our being. Because of what Christ has done and because the Spirit is at work in me, I know that I have peace with God. I can experience that peace. It is not just in my head or mind; I experience a comfort in my soul because it is also in my heart. This peace inside makes life pleasant.

Through Christ the believer also has peace of conscience. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC) 36 says, two blessings that flow from justification and adoption are joy and “peace of conscience.” The conscience is something like a moral guide that God put in us. When we disobey God, it is good if our conscience is bothered. Sin does make us guilty, and the conscience should feel that guilt. But when we have peace with God, the Spirit works in us so that even our conscience enjoys peace. Because of Christ’s work, we have relief from the sense of guilt, shame, and God’s disfavor. One wonderful aspect of Christ’s work is how it brings a calm and sweet quietness to our conscience, because we know that he died to remove our sins and reconcile us with God. To have a peaceful conscience is one of the best blessings in life.

The Holy Spirit also works this peace in our minds and thoughts. The mind which is set on the Holy Spirit is a peaceful mind (Rom 8:6). Because of what Christ has done for us, even our minds can enjoy peace. The peace of Christ permeates our minds and relieves it of being consumed by anger, hate, and the desire for revenge. By the Spirit, we can enjoy peaceful thoughts. For example, you can relax well at night, knowing that you are at peace with God, and that you sleep resting in his arms: “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps 4:8; NLT). In fact, the Christian can even enjoy peace in the face of death. Death is an enemy, to be sure. But we can face it with peace, knowing that even death cannot separate us from Christ’s strong love (Rom 8:38–39).

To put it all together, this peace that the Spirit works in us is a well-rounded, holistic peace with God, from God, through faith in Christ. It is objective and subjective. It is so amazing, so wonderful that it is hard to explain. Indeed, it is a peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7). The foundation of our peace with God is solid because it has been secured for us by Christ’s finished work.

Sometimes, however, our subjective experience of peace waxes and wanes. Sometimes in our Christian lives we do not feel the peace of God or experience it very strongly. We live in a sinful world. People sin against us and we sin against people. We are not always at peace in every way. Sometimes our sins can lead us to feel distant from God, as many of the Psalms attest. It is hard to subjectively enjoy peace if we are stumbling in sin. On top of that, Satan hates peace and does not want us to experience it. He wants you to believe lies, doubt Christ’s love, and make you think your sin is beyond forgiveness. Sometimes inward peace escapes us in this fallen world.

Thankfully, when this present evil age comes to an end, God will make all things new, and we will experience the perfect peace of the new creation (Rev 21–22). One day, the God of peace will crush Satan under our feet (Rom 16:20). Then we will know exactly what it means when Paul prayed that the Lord of peace would give us peace at all times and in every way (2 Thess 3:16). That is when we will fully know what perfect peace is.

Until then, we pray that the Spirit would grow our awareness of God’s peace. We pray that he would grow the fruit of peace more in our lives: “Lord, I’ve sinned again. Please forgive me through Jesus’ blood and restore to me that sense of peace.” “God, my heart is a wreck right now. Can you please calm it with the peace of Christ?” Put personal peace on your prayer list!

Peace with Others

Peace is something God gives us through Christ by faith. We experience it within by the work of the Spirit. But peace is also a duty. It is commanded in Scripture many times. We are to live in peace, pursue peace, strive for peace, and seek peace (2 Cor 13:11; 1 Thess 5:13; Heb 12:14; 1 Pet 3:11, etc.). When Paul lists “peace” as a fruit of the Spirit, it is presented as a quality opposite to the works of the flesh: strife, discord, division, anger, fighting, etc. (Gal 5:18–21). God has not called us to be angry, argumentative people who start relational fires. Instead, God has called us to peace (1 Cor 7:15).

In other words, peace with God and peace within always show up as peace with others. The Spirit causes love and peace to grow in us, which means we love others and strive for peace with them. We follow in Christ’s peace-making footsteps, remembering that he said peacemakers are “blessed” (Matt 5:9). Christians are not fighters. We should not like conflict. We should not like to argue and bicker—all Christians have a duty to strive for peace with everyone (Heb 12:14). This means turning the other cheek, avoiding revenge, and praying even for our enemies. These are the Christ-like ways of life. Fighting and arguing are not.

The call for Christians, then, is to put your weapons down. For those of you who have an inclination to fight, argue, manipulate, cause problems, or stir up conflict, you ought to listen to this call to peace and, as it were, put away your sword (John 18:11). Consider Christ’s peace and perhaps declare a personal cease-fire. Why do you like arguing, conflict, and making people upset? Such are not Christian qualities. The only fighting the Christian should do is against our own sinful flesh and the schemes of the devil. But we should not start conflicts with other people. Blessed are the peacemakers. That means woe to those who are peace-breakers!

This peace should be evident in the church among the body of Christ. Right after telling his disciples to be salt, Jesus told them to live in peace with each other (Mark 9:50). Whatever being the “salt” of the world means, it is closely related to peaceful living. In fact, Christ is our peace. He broke down the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles (Eph 2:14). Therefore, there must be no divisions in the church. We must not divide the body by ethnicity, age, income, or gender. In the body of Christ, we must strive for peace and unity with all other believers because he has first made peace with us. Thomas Watson said, “Christ suffered on the cross that he might cement Christians together with his blood.”1

The world is full of conflict, fighting, hatred, and anger. These things should never be true of the church. Christians are a people of peace who serve the God of peace and follow in the footsteps of the Prince of Peace by the power of the Holy Spirit who gives us peace. We ought not bite and devour one another (Gal 5:15). Instead of starting fires, we ought to extinguish them with peace. We ought not start fights, but rather seek to end them in a peacemaking way.

Here are some questions for consideration: For those of you who are in a conflict with another Christian right now, what are you doing to make peace? For those of you who are in a church family where there is discord, what can you do to bring peace to the situation? How can you be a peacemaker in your own family and friend circles? Of course, one thing we are called to do is pray for the peace of Jerusalem, the church (Ps 122:6). Spend time in prayer asking God to let Christ’s peace rule in your heart, and take steps in life to make peace.

This peaceful disposition should also extend to those outside the church. The apostle did not say we should seek to be at peace with some people or only people we like. Instead, he said we should seek to be at peace with all people (Rom 12:18). When you interact with people at work, strive for peace. If you are a student, strive for peace with others in school. When you interact with people who live around you, do so with a peaceful disposition.

There are certainly evil people out there; some might seek to hurt you. There are people you ought to stay away from. You might not be able to make peace with them in a face-to-face way. If a wife has an abusive husband, in many situations it is probably best for her to keep her distance. And if she is in danger, it would not be wise for her to go to him alone and try to make peace. In this case, the woman would pray for peace in the relationship. She would convey a peace-making attitude by refusing to slander her husband. Moreover, she can still be a peacemaker while removing herself from an abusive situation or relationship. Since we live in a fallen world, sometimes it is not possible to make peace with wicked, abusive people (Rom 12:18). It was best for Elijah to run away from Jezebel. In any case, peacemaking and peacekeeping do not mean we give up the truth. Sometimes holding onto the truth and confronting abuse and wickedness involves conflict, but peace should be our aim through the power of the gospel.

Conclusion

Peace is a rich biblical concept and reality in the Christian life. Objectively, we have peace with God through faith in Christ. This peace is experienced within us by the Spirit’s work. As Christians, we then seek to live peaceful lives in the church and in our everyday lives.

I firmly believe that one of the best witnesses of the gospel is when the local church is a place of peace full of people who live in peace and love peace. Imagine a broken man who walks into a church on Sunday morning. This man’s life has been filled with fighting, evil, and violence. He has never known harmony, tranquility, or trust. Consider what it would be like for him to hear the message of peace with God through Christ. Furthermore, imagine what it would be like for him to experience a loving congregation full of Christians at peace with each other. This would be the fruit of the Spirit on display in Christ’s church, and this fruit would be sweet to his taste.

Jesus’ teaching and example gives us light and guides our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79). We should follow in his steps and be peace-making people. Christ did not just show us the way of peace. He is the way of peace with God—true, lasting, and eternal peace.

Note

  1. Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2000), 211.

© Shane Lems. All Rights Reserved.

You can find this whole series here.

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    Post authored by:

  • Shane Lems
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    Shane Lems is a graduate of Westminster Seminary California and has a DMin from RTS Orlando. He has been a church planter and pastor in the URCNA. Since 2013 he’s been serving as pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Hammond, WI. He is married and has four children. Shane has written numerous articles for Modern Reformation, New Horizons, and other publications. He is also the author of Doctrines of Grace: Student Edition and manages a book blog, The Reformed Reader.

    More by Shane Lems ›

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