Lesson Four: The Fruit of Peace

Summary: To understand peace, we will need to look at what peace looks like on the world, national, and local level; but more importantly, we will be looking at scripture to see what peace looks like in our personal lives. How is peace seen in the life of the everyday Christian? Is it visible to the non-believing bystander? How can we maintain peace when the world around us is better described as chaos and confusion?

GROUP NOTE

Question: Will there ever be universal peace in our world – is it even possible? Why or why not?

Lead-in Questions

1. Are peace and war compatible? How? 2. Can you have peace personally when the circumstances around you are anything but peaceful? How? 3. Jesus declared to his disciples “peace be with you” both before and after his resurrection. What do you think that he meant by that, considering what happened to them later?

The Importance of Peace

peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:8) Although Solomon is more noted for peace treaties and building plans during his reign, he was certainly familiar with wars, since his father, David, spent most of his life fighting against enemy nations or threats to his throne. Jesus, on the other hand, teaches: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called Sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) With the injustice of Roman domination evident everywhere around him, this would have been astonishing to his original Jewish hearers. Christian leaders down through the centuries have struggled through the question of if and when there is still a “time for war.”

Peace is a word that is much in demand these days. Considering the things that have happened in our society with regards to murders, riots and violent acts, more and more people are calling out for peace among the races, the cities, and even the nations. Of course, humans have been longing for peace throughout history. If you grew up in the ‘60s then you will remember the two-fingered Peace symbol that became popular. In democracies, we seek for peaceful ways to protest but sometimes fall short of that ideal. In government, we often hear about peace talks, and sometimes we will justify war in the name of seeking peace. At the start of his teaching Jesus included the “peacemakers” as part of his formula for the blessed life. Near the end of his earthly ministry, when Jesus appeared to the frightened disciples after his resurrection, his words were “peace be with you.” Clearly, peace was important to Jesus. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Paul lists “peace” as one of the various fruits that we find in the life of the believer filled with the Spirit. The peace that Jesus spoke of and imparted to his followers is now available to us through the life of the Holy Spirit.

A Time for Peace

To begin with, let’s look at peace on the larger scale—the question of war and peace between nations. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon lists a set of opposites that make up the seasons of life: “A time to laugh and a time to cry; a time to be sad and a time to dance,” and so on. Towards the end of the list, he includes “a time for love and a time for hate, a time for war and a time for

The “Just War” View

Clearly, God does not sanction injustice in any form. All too often, the propaganda behind human wars simply hides motives of selfishness, greed and pride that God opposes. However, some suggest that there is such a thing as a “Just War,” a war that is on the side of justice. Gleaning from a number of writers on just war theory, here is a summary of the qualifications usually considered necessary for a war to be just: 1. First, it must be an action in response to a clear injustice perpetrated against an innocent and under-protected people. Nazi Germany’s aggressive and unprovoked attacks against various European countries like Poland, or Pol Pot’s annihilation of over a million Cambodians, would be good examples of actions that warrant war as interventions on behalf of the innocent. 2. The decision to go to war must be the last resort after all other means of defending, protecting, or resolving the treatment of the innocent have failed. 3. The degree of force applied must be no greater than is necessary to stop the injustice. In the time of the Crusades, on some occasions the Crusaders catapulted the heads of defeated enemies back into their city to dishearten their opponents. Even if the war itself were just, such actions would not be sanctioned since they were beyond the force necessary to achieve the task of peace. 4. The war should end if, at any time, the unjust perpetrator decided to cease their hostilities and unjust actions. After war, just restitution should be required to the degree of the value of damages done by the

offending party. These limitations ensure that the goal of war is not revenge or profit, but only the restoration of justice. Proponents of Just War Theory cite Old Testament precedents of just war. For example, Abraham goes to war against five armies that have captured his nephew, Lot to rescue him from slavery. The wars of King David were generally against those who had been aggressors against Israel.9 Just War Theory must be understood in the broader context of God’s commands and laws for the people of Israel that indicate God’s overarching concern for the poor and needy. God gave detailed instructions on how to make sure that the poor were provided for and protected from oppression. In the period of the prophets, the whole people of Israel were warned that they would be punished by going into exile, in large part due to their unjust behavior with regards to the poor. Just War proponents would argue that if a group is poor or weak enough to be taken advantage of by their enemies, then God would expect the righteous to come to their aid.

The Non-Violent Response

Counterbalancing these arguments are the teachings in the New Testament with regards to our own personal mistreatment. Rather than follow the Old Testament rule of equality in retaliatory justice (“an eye for an eye”), Jesus clearly states that his followers are to allow themselves to be mistreated (“turn the other cheek,” “go the second mile”)10 rather than to aggressively respond to unjust treatment. (Matthew 5:38-42) Counter-culturally, he tells his listeners that they must “love their enemies” and that they should “pray for those who despitefully use them.” (Matthew 5:44) It would have been shocking enough if Jesus told us to do nothing in response to our enemies; how much more so when he tells us to go beyond this and actually do good to those who do harm to us! We would be tempted to think that Jesus is exaggerating and does not mean his teachings literally, if he had not put them into practice himself. No one could have been more innocent than he was when he was put on trial, falsely accused, cruelly beaten, and unjustly executed. No one could have been more capable than he was of responding with a “Just War,” by calling on the legions of angels to come strike down his enemies. Yet Jesus willingly endured the cross for you and for me. Again, we would be tempted to suppose that Jesus alone could fulfill this teaching, but that it is impossible for “ordinary humans.” Yet Jesus explicitly tells his

Justice and Mercy

We cannot exhaust the debate about Just War or NonViolence in this space. However, every Christian should recognize that God calls us to a radically different view of peace than the world around us. Those who believe in strict non-violence must wrestle with what it looks like to respond to God’s call for justice for the poor and weak. Those who believe in Just War must wrestle with the seriousness of Jesus’s demands that we love our enemies. If we settle for easy answers to these questions, chances are we are just going along with the culture around us, rather than truly hearing the teaching of the Bible. Now, however, we need to shift our gaze from peace between the nations to the much more practical and personal question of peace between individuals, and peace within our own hearts.

A Character of Peace

Most of us have used the phrase “peace of mind” before. For example, I might take out a life insurance policy that will ensure that my family will be taken care of upon my death for my own “peace of mind.” Or, I might ask my son to call me when he gets to his destination after a long trip for my “peace of mind.” “Peace of mind” is a state of being free from anxiety or worry. Peace is also associated with quiet. Perhaps you have been hiking through the woods and have come upon a pool of water or a beautiful clearing, and exclaimed, “It feels so peaceful here.” In this case, we are expressing the idea that peace means an absence of chaos; a sense of order and quiet; a calmness that helps us relax and be restored. Thinking again of the fruit of the Spirit, we must ask: Is it necessary to find a peaceful environment to experience this kind of inner quiet and calm, or is it possible to generate from within?

GROUP NOTE

Question: Have you ever felt peace in a certain place or situation (perhaps on a vacation) but then immediately losing your “peace” when you returned to everyday life? How do you think we can better carry “peace of mind” with us wherever we go?

God’s Nature is Peace

First, we should recognize that peace is one of the character traits of God. We should reflect the same kind of character exhibited by the God we serve. The New Testament almost takes for granted that God is a God of peace. It is often expressed in an almost casual way, such as in salutations in letters. For example, as Paul is closing his letter to the Romans, he writes, “May the God of peace be with you all.” (Romans 15:33) Likewise, at the end of the letter to the Thessalonians, Paul offers a blessing to the people, and prays that the

9 Theocratic Wars—those directly ordered by God through Moses and Joshua for the conquest of the Promised Land—fall into a separate category that we will not attempt to address here. For those interested in further reading on the subject, we recommend: John Walton and J. Harvey Walton, The Lost World of the Israelite Conquests (IVP Academic, 2017); Dr. Lawson Stone, Violence in the Old Testament, Seedbed Seven Minute Seminaries videos, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hotJ7p0f9I. 10 Paul picks up on these themes when he says it is an embarrassment to the witness of the church when Christians sue other Christians rather than simply allow themselves to lose money rather than divide the church (1 Corinthians 6:1-8).

14 | SUSTAIN “God of peace” will sanctify them so that they are pure. (I Thessalonians 5:23) As he reaches the end of his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells the people to live in peace with one another, and the “God of peace and love” will be with them (2 Corinthians 13:11). To the Philippians, he writes that, if they will follow his teachings, then the “God of peace” will be with them (Philippians 4:9). From these Scriptures we see that peace in the church reflects the core character of God.

The Mission of the Messiah is Peace

GROUP NOTE

Question: Sometimes we say that we are giving our cares over to God but then we still continue to worry. How can a person learn how to truly release their anxieties into God’s hands? To carry this further, the characteristic calling and mission of the Messiah is to bring about peace. In Isaiah, for example, notice the list of traits that describe the coming Messiah: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Later in Isaiah, we are told that Christ’s mission would be to bring about peace for human beings: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that brought us peace, and by his bruises we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) The angels who announced the birth of Jesus expressed this same sense to the shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Luke 2:14) After telling Joseph that Mary was pregnant miraculously through the Spirit, the angel states, “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) These passages make it clear that the Messiah has come to bring redemption to the world, and central to the concept of redemption is peace with God. In the letter to the Ephesians, Christ is described as our sacrifice and the bringer of peace: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.” (Ephesians 2:13-16) Peace is a reconciling of relationship with God. Because of the work of Christ Jesus, we now are back in relationship with God, and we are free from the sin that broke the relationship in the first place. As Paul writes to the Romans, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)

Peace Begins with Trust

an authority figure, whether it was a parent or a coach or mentor, we were willing to take chances, knowing that they walked alongside us, and would have our back. The writers of scripture portray just such a trusting relationship with God. Isaiah, for example, recognizes that peace begins with the Lord, and only a firm trust in His providential care will give to us peace of mind. He puts it this way: “Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace – in peace because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock.” (Isaiah 26:3-4) This attitude of trust is also found in Psalm 3:5, where David writes about his experience while running away from those who wanted to kill him: “I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.” In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he makes it clear that peace of mind is only possible when we make a connection with our Lord, and offer to him our troubles and difficulties. “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) When we are willing to release our anxieties and concerns into the hands of God, and to have an attitude of thanks, even before we are able to see answers, then God’s peace pours down into our lives, and we find release. Paul says that the peace that results from this prayerful mindset has a powerful effect on our whole being. As he explains to the Philippians, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) This peace becomes a protective barrier for our mind and emotions.

Peace and Believers

Peace should not only be a state of mind for the individual believer who trusts in God, but it should also characterize the body of believers as a whole. Though the Church was not fully formed while Jesus was still roaming the countryside of Palestine, he recognized the importance of having peace among his followers. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus has to deal with the disciples debating about who was the greatest among them, and gives them the example of a little child to illustrate the humility that he wishes them to have. He directs them through this humility to be at peace with one another. (Mark 9:50) This is the same point that Paul is making in I Corinthians when he discovers that the members of the church are lining up in cliques based around different leaders in the church like Paul, Peter, and Apollos. He chastises them for creating divisions in the body of Christ, which take away their peace. Like Jesus, he links their lack of peace to pride and calls them to return to humility. (1 Corinthians 1:10-31). Likewise, Paul tells the Ephesians to “lead a life worthy” of their calling through humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance and love, through which they will be able to maintain unity together in the “bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)

The peace between Christians becomes the basis on which they can work towards peace in the broader community. Paul tells Timothy, for example, that the community of faith should be in prayer for their leaders, and especially for the secular rulers, “so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity,” but they must do this in unity with one another, “lifting up holy hands without anger or argument” (1 Timothy 2:1-2, 8) In like manner Paul tells the Roman Christians that they should not seek vengeance on others but instead, “so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:17) We are responsible as Christians for doing our part to be at peace with all people. Even if peace is not possible, we are told to treat our enemies with kindness, and leave them to deal with God’s wrath at the end of the age. Paul concludes: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) The writer of Hebrews repeats this theme with the admonition to “strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14) Here, he connects peace with holiness as two primary traits of Christian community, showing us the importance of peace to the witness of the Christian population to the non-believers living all around them. Thus, the natural role of Christians in society is that of peacemakers. They are responsible for generating, as far as possible, a visible model of how the Kingdom of God operates in a lost world. As Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, those who are peacemakers will be recognized as the “sons of God,” children who are like their Father. (Matthew 5:9) The Prophets foretell that when God restores Zion, and judges the nations, they will all “beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) This is the ultimate purpose God has for the world that He created – a place where war is non-existent and all nations bow the knee to God. By modeling that peace here and now, the Church gives the world a glimpse of the Age to Come.

Peace in Times of Turmoil

Our final consideration is how peace strengthens us in times of difficulty. As Jesus prepared his apostles for the difficult days ahead of them on the night of his betrayal, he comforted them with these words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14:27) He does not promise them that this peace will exempt them from troubles; in fact, he assures them that troubles are coming. “The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (John 16:32-33) God does not promise that Christians will avoid the ups and downs of life. From time to time the Lord performs miracles that bring us out of troubles, but more often He strengthens us to go through the midst of the troubles with His peace. In a time of plague, drought, or natural disasters, Christians are impacted just as severely as non-believers, as we have seen in the pandemic. The amazing thing is that Christians are not at the mercy of these disasters; they have the Holy Spirit living in them and walking along with them through the crisis. That is the reason that we are able to say that we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us,” so that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-38) Peace begins with trust and ultimately overcomes all things through the love of God!

Practicing Peace

Let’s end with a couple of practical points. First, Paul notes to the Corinthians that “God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (I Corinthians 14:33 ASV) Confusion either in our minds or between groups of believers should be a red flag that we have become disconnected from the Lord. So, if we are not in peace yet, we need more of Jesus. Second, just as we saw in the lesson on Joy, we should expect that tests and trials are necessary in order for our peace to reach full maturity. “Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11) Discipline, or difficulties allowed by God, produce endurance and maturity over time, and these relational elements end up creating the “peaceful fruit of righteousness.” The holier we become, and the closer to Christ we get, the more the fruit of peace will become evident in our Christian experience.

GROUP NOTE

Part of what led John Wesley (founder of the Methodist movement) into a true relationship with Christ was observing a group of believers who were praising God in the midst of a literal storm at sea. How does it affect our witness to the world if Christians do not exhibit peace during the “storms” of life?

APPLICATION IDEA: Reflect on whether any areas of your thought-life are marked by confusion, anxiety, or lack of peace. Make a conscious decision to present your cares to the Lord and trust in Him to provide you with peace of mind. Then, decide where you can become a peacemaker in your sphere of influence (the people that you have relationships with; those who trust your leadership). Actively seek ways to create peace with a conscious sense that you do so on Christ’s behalf.

Lesson Five: The Fruit of Patience

Summary: In this lesson we will take a look at the issues surrounding the fruit of patience. We will define what patience is, and why it is in the list of the fruit of the Spirit. We will look at patience both from the perspective of church life and the individual life lived in the Spirit. We will also look at ways that the scriptures describe patience, and how we can become more filled with this valuable fruit.

Lead-in Questions:

GROUP NOTE

Question: Who is the most patient person that you know? In your opinion, how did they become that way? 1. Why is patience so hard to master? 2. If you had to pick the one area in life that tries your patience the most, what would it be? 3. Why do you think patience is a part of the fruit of the Spirit? Why is it valuable to a Christian? 4. Can a person increase their patience, or is it a fixed part of their personality? If so, how?

Patience in an Instant World

Patience seems like such a minor issue to be in a list of spiritual traits, and yet, if we really think about it, patience plays a central role in the life of every human being. It doesn’t matter whether we are outgoing or introverted, impatience is going to raise its ugly head at some point. Nor does it matter how weak or strong you are in the other individual fruits of the Spirit; we all will struggle with impatience at some point. Let’s look at some illustrations. How many of us have secretly chafed while standing in line with our buggy to check out at the local grocery store? Here we are with 10 items, just like the sign says, and the person ahead of us has 100 items, and they can’t find their credit card. To make matters worse, they also need to run back and pick up one item that they forgot. We might get a little impatient at that point! Or, how many times have we been in our car, and in a hurry to get to a meeting, when we manage to hit every single traffic light just as it is turning red? The feeling that rises up in those moments is not that of patience, I suspect. In fact, many of us have literally lost the “joy of the Lord” because of some situation that caused us to lose our patience. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t take a whole lot to make this spiritual fruit go rotten. Impatience can completely rob us of our Christian peace, joy and love. Why has patience become such a difficult thing to maintain in our lives? It could be argued that patience is in shorter supply at this time in human history, precisely because this is the most technologically advanced age. Never before have we been able to produce results faster due to the advantages given to us by machines and robots. I can place my order for a restaurant online without even having to go stand in line for a table. I have access to instantaneous information through search platforms. I can order a book or refrigerator from an online store and have it delivered to my house in 2-3 days. With my cell phone I can do business, find information, connect to friends and colleagues around the world, and stream hundreds of channels of entertainment without ever leaving the confines of my own home. The end result of all this technological advancement is a massive case of impatience. We expect everything right now, so when we must wait, we are put out. Moreover, this technological avalanche leaves us with less “empty space” to be quiet and reflect; we are connected every single moment we are awake and active. Watch people and you will notice how often they pull out their phones and begin scrolling through social media in moments when they used to have to simply wait. We cannot tolerate the idea of any moment that is not in use. Without any practice at being alone with our own thoughts, we tend to become anxious or angry when we must be disconnected from the Web. This ability to be instantaneously connected has created an environment in which impatience can flourish. Instant gratification naturally works against the quality of patience, and patience is closely connected to irritability and anger. And yet, here in Galatians 5, patience is listed as one of the Fruit of the Spirit. If patience is an important enough trait to be included in the list, then we want to see if we can understand why.

Patience Defined

In the New Testament, there are three primary Greek words that describe the personality trait of patience. For the purposes of pronunciation, I will give the words in their transliterated form (the way we would say them): hupomonay; makrothymia; and anexikakos. All of them are used to express the same concepts, but some have a more intense sense to them. 1. The word that is most often translated as patience is hupomonay. It literally means “to remain under” and it expresses the idea of constancy and steadfastness in the face of difficult life circumstances. This trait is most often seen in that person who cannot be swayed from their purpose, and who remains