Peaceful Lives

 “Be at peace among yourselves.”

1 Thessalonians 5:13 ESV

One thing the church is not known for is peace. And when I say this, I’m not referring to the church’s relationships with those of other belief systems. Nor am I talking about actions carried out by the church in ages past, like the Crusades.

I’m referring to the relationships of those within the church. I’m referring to the life of its members. And I think we can agree that it is often anything but peaceful.

There has been some friction in every church of which I’ve been a part, either as a member or a pastor. Some, of course, are worse than others. However, this is true nevertheless.

We can simply chalk this up to our sinful nature, and we wouldn’t be wrong in doing so. Yet this doesn’t excuse the ugly reality that confronts us. We are called to do better.

As we see above, Paul called the members of this congregation to be at peace, or to live peaceably, with one another. Each member was to do his part in this endeavor. He couldn’t, of course, control the actions or the attitudes of others. But, as much as it depended on him, he could be at peace with others.

Paul stated as much in Romans 12:18. While the context of this passage isn’t the church, he reminded the people that it wasn’t their place to take revenge. When they were wronged, they were instead to leave this to the Lord.

He encouraged them to repay evil with good. This, you see, is what it means to live in peace with others. It means extending grace to those who wrong us. It means putting an end to the cycle of vengeance and allowing God to handle it according to his will.

If this isn’t reciprocated we’re, at the very least, testifying to the grace of Jesus by our actions. He, you recall, didn’t seek revenge against those who rejected and harmed him. He, instead, died in their place, paying the penalty of their sin, that they might have peace with God through faith in him.

However, if everyone lives in this way, what a blessing for all. In this way, we each receive grace from our neighbor. And, in this way, the church’s reputation of mutilating our own comes to an end.

This isn’t, of course, something we can do of our own accord. Having received the grace of Jesus, who established us in a state of peace with God, we naturally begin to desire peace with others. We naturally begin to live peaceably with others. And when we fall short, we seek the forgiveness of God that is found in Christ.