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The Ministry of the Spirit

14 Monday Jun 2021

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I write this on a Sunday afternoon after having had a wonderful meeting with other believers and, after the chronological meeting was over; continuing my day strengthened in the Spirit, edified, joyful, and peaceful.  I say “chronological” because I live and move and have my being in Jesus Christ and so while the Sunday meeting is an opportunity to gather together with others who live and move and have their beings in Jesus, to hear our teacher share his delight in Jesus, and have our spirits cry a resounding “Amen!”; there is no real end to the meeting because my body is the temple of God and His Spirit dwells in me (1 Corinthians 3:16).  I am-along with other believers-the ecclesia, and we all live and walk in the Spirit.  This is my Christian Life.

I can’t help wonder what Sunday Service was like for other believers.  Did they go to a church building believing it was the only place they could meet with Jesus? What was the message like?  Did their meetings end with the Song of Lord in their hearts?  Did their meetings end with their hearts heavy with the burden of being wretched sinners, saved by grace certainly, but having nothing more in them than a determination that this week they would do better?  How many of them heard a message on the life that is theirs now through the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

I ask myself these questions because-whether through social media or in person-I rarely hear anyone speaking of the Holy Spirit.  When He is mentioned it is little more than that: a mention.  I hear nothing of His ministry and very little of His necessity to the Christian Life.  I understand His purpose is hard to nail down.  After all, it is Jesus who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, and that in all things He may have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18).  The Spirit speaks not on His own authority (John 16:13) and so it is difficult to understand just what this Third Person of the Trinity does.  I long to know more myself and so, while conducting this study of the Fruit of the Spirit, I went to the New Testament with a blue Bible highlighter and looked at every instance of “in the Spirit”, “of the Spirit”, “by the Spirit”, etc. 

It’s a fascinating project and scriptures I have read innumerable times leapt off the page.  Doing this study has convinced me the Christian Life is impossible without the Holy Spirit.  Space does not allow for me to quote every scripture I highlighted because doing so, and including the context within which they occur, would result in my quoting the entire New Testament.  I have managed to select those scriptures which were especially helpful in revealing the ministry of the Holy Spirit to me and I pray they do the same for you. 

The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us.  We cannot believe nor confess who Jesus is without Him (Romans 10:9).  “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Go ahead.  Say it out loud.  Use all the definitions of the Greek: Jesus is Supreme.  Jesus has all authority.  Jesus is God.  Jesus is Lord.  His Spirit in us testifies of Him (John 15:26).   

The Holy Spirit reveals our relationship to the Father.  “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”  That’s 1 John 3:1.  I know I am a child of God.  I can say it out loud.  How do I know it?  Because Galatians 4:6 is true: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”  He is not merely God the Father.  He is God MY Father.  See also Romans 5:5. 

The Holy Spirit teaches us to pray. “For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8: 26-27). 

The Holy Spirit enables us to understand the things of God. “But as it is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (Isaiah 64:4) But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.  For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.  For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?  Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.  These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirt of God for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:9-14).

The Holy Spirit shows us how Jesus has set us free. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8: 1-2).  “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

The Holy Spirit reveals to us the hope we have both now and for the future.  “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8: 9-11). See also 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 and Ephesians 1:13-14.

The Holy Spirit reveals to us the New Covenant.  “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?” (2 Corinthians 3:5-8)

There are so many more wonderful, beautiful scriptures!  How I pray you search them out and read them for yourself!  Underline them.  Highlight them.  Speak them out loud so your ears hear them.  Let the Spirit minister to you and He will guide you into all truth (John 16:13).  I know the Holy Spirit lives in me and is active in my life.  I know it through experience and I also know it because the Bible tells me so.  Because He lives in me, my life bears His fruit. His fruit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:25-26a)

Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Amen!

And Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.  ©1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

 

Show Your Work

31 Monday May 2021

Posted by in Walking in the Way

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I laughed a little as I chose the title to this post.  I can’t tell you how many times I lost points in math class because I failed to show my work.  I didn’t do it on purpose: I’d do the mental steps and write down the answer.  If I got it right, what did actually writing out the steps matter?  It mattered for many reasons, as any math teacher will tell you.  Doing the work and showing the work is important.  And so, before I post the final study on the fruit of the Spirit, I want to address something I wrote in last week’s post, specifically; rather than doing “good works” I seek to be about The Father’s business and do only what I see Him doing.  I did not mean waiting on God is an excuse to not do anything.  In this post, I want to expand on what I mean when I say “good works” and I want to take a look at James 2:26 and Ephesians 2:8-9. 

James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  In times past, I have looked at these two scriptures and wondered if they didn’t contradict one another.  Someone might say, “Of course not!  It’s obvious!”  I can only speak to my own walk with God and, for a long time, it wasn’t obvious to me. 

These two scriptures appeared to be expressing opposing thoughts regarding works.  That is, of course, even assuming the two Apostles are speaking about the same thing.  Perhaps Paul is speaking merely of Jesus’ death and resurrection while James is speaking directly to how we Christians interact with our fellow men.  And yet, can the two be separated?  Don’t we have a tendency to present God with our good works, almost like a “here’s how Christian I am, aren’t I faithful and good” resume?  Our works are the proof of our faith according to James but then no they aren’t according to Paul. 

Is your head spinning?  I know mine was until my eyes were opened to see that everything comes from God.  I took another look at Ephesians 2: 8-9 and saw that everything mentioned there is a gift of God.  His grace is a gift.  His salvation is a gift.  His faith is a gift.  When I saw that Galatians 2:20 really says “the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the Son of God” rather than IN the Son of God, it changed James 2:8-9 for me.  I do not have to prove that my faith in Jesus is alive by doing good works.  Rather, it’s because He is alive in me through His Spirit, and because I live by His faith, that I do good works.  The works I do are His works.

Continuing on in Ephesians: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).  This is such a beautiful, exciting verse and one that leads me to rest in Jesus.  It’s never me.  It’s not my works.  It’s not doing what I think is good.  God has prepared specific good works for me and I walk in them.

This is, of course, easier said than done.  First, we must know what these works God has prepared beforehand are and there is a subtle difference between good works and the good works prepared beforehand by God.  There is a fact I have found to be often overlooked by pastors and teachers I have listened to.  I find there are few in Christendom who fail to attribute the existence of evil in the world to the fall of mankind that resulted in the eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden.  What I do not hear spoken of often is that the eating of the fruit of the tree resulted in man knowing both good and evil.  We humans are capable of great evil as well as great good. 

Doing good works has very little to do with whether or not we are following after God.  There are people who have no belief in any sort of god at all who have done great good.  There are people who believe in a God who have done great good.  There are people who are devout followers of Jesus who have done great good.  The same is true for doing evil but, for the sake of this post, I am focused on good works. 

There are many scriptures that stress the importance of good works like Titus 3:14: “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.”  Romans Chapter 2 stresses the importance of good works especially in verses 6 & 7: “who will render to each one according to his deeds, eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good…” Good works are crucial and they are expected in the life of a Christian.

The point I am attempting to make is that, for the Christian, there is a difference between good works done FOR God and good works done out of the life OF God.  There is such a thing as “spiritual burnout”.  I am convinced this happens because we are capable of doing great works, the Bible even spells them out for us, and we expend so much energy in doing Christianity that we eventually burn out.  The Spirit is promised to be a spring of living water, flowing out to others through us.  When the works that we do are the works we see the Father doing, it’s His life in us that enables us to do the works.  There is no spiritual burnout when our works flow from the Spirit within us.  His fruit is love, joy, peace…

Knowing whether our works are the result of what we think/believe is good or whether they are the result of the life of Christ in us is impossible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  It requires being still, shutting out every other voice, and listening for His because, “…He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak…” (John 16:13).  Whatever He speaks we must do and we must do only what He speaks.

God has prepared the way for us to walk in.  We are His workmanship: His work is shown in us.  We can be confident that He who began a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6, emphasis mine).  We can trust that He watches over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).  We can trust that the good works expected of us are not a call to busyness and exhaustion but rather a promise that His life in us bears fruit. Let us remember we only bear fruit when we abide in Him.  It’s His life flowing through us that bears fruit and the Father is the husbandman who prunes us that we may bear more fruit.  Let us not fall into the trap of “I ought to be doing this or I should be doing that.”  It is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).  He wants our lives to bear fruit and we can trust that He will ensure they do so no matter our circumstances or stations in life. 

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit! (Galatians 5:25)

Amen.

Fruit of the Spirit-Gentleness

24 Monday May 2021

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness” Galatians 5:22-23

The New King James Version I quote from most often has “gentleness” in this passage but I am used to hearing and quoting “meekness”.  “Gentleness” is without doubt a more positive word choice but it is “meekness” I find in the King James and Amplified versions.  It is the word I find most interesting in this list of Spirit Fruit because it is the one that carries the most negative connotation.

What do you think of when you think of meekness?  I mentioned in an earlier post how literature forms my understanding of words and, thinking on books I’ve read, I cannot think of one time where a character was described as “meek” and it was meant to be positive.  A “meek” character is a “weak” character and is someone to be mocked rather than emulated.  This cannot be what the Bible means.  Moses is called “very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3, KJV) and I do not read of a weak man in his story.  Jesus calls Himself “meek and lowly of heart” (Matthew 11:29, KJV) and I do not read of a weak man in the gospels.  If Jesus were weak, spiritless, spineless, and easily imposed on-all words I’ve found used to define meek-He would have been no threat to the rulers of His day.

I did hope the dictionary definitions would help clarify the meaning of meek for me but they did not.  The New World Dictionary gives the first definition of meek as 1, patient and mild; not inclined to anger and resentment and then 2, too submissive, easily imposed on; spineless, spiritless.  Webster’s give me “humble and patient, submissive”; not necessarily a negative attribute of a weak character but not necessarily positive either. 

Looking at the Greek was also of little help.  The Greek word for meekness in the Galatians passage is praotes (G4236) and the Strong’s Concordance defines it as, “gentleness, humility, meekness.”  None of the related words, praos (G4235), praus (G4239), and prautes (G4240) offered any enlightenment.  The definitions do not go beyond “gentle, gentleness, humble, humility, meek, meekness.”  Not a great deal of new information here so I went to my reference materials.

Unger’s Bible Dictionary defined meekness as, “…in the scriptural sense is an inwrought grace of the soul and the exercises of it are first and chiefly toward God” and then quotes Trench’s Synonyms saying, “The Greek term ‘expresses that temper or spirit in which we accept his dealings with us without disputing and resisting; and it is loosely lined with humility and follows close upon it (Eph. 4:2, Col 3:13) because it is only the humble heart which is also the meek, and which, as such, does not fight against God.”

The Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines meekness in a similar way.  The entry for MEEK, MEEKNESS says: “PRAUTES, or PRAOTES, an earlier form, denotes meekness.  In its use in Scripture in which it has a fuller, deeper significance than in non-scriptural Greek writings, it consists not in a person’s outward behavior only; nor yet in his relations to his fellow men; as little in his mere natural disposition.  Rather it is an inwrought grace of the soul; and the exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God.  It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting”.

The Vine’s Expository Dictionary did not care for “gentleness” as a definition for meekness neither did it suggest prautes/praotes had any inference of weakness: “The meaning of prautes is not readily expressed in English, for the terms meekness, mildness, commonly used, suggest weakness…whereas prautes does nothing of the kind…’gentleness’ has been suggested but as prautes describes a condition of mind and heart,  and as ‘gentleness’ is appropriate rather to actions, this word is no better than that used in both English Versions.” 

While none of these entries gave me a clear idea what meekness means, I did begin to see a pattern emerge.  I found that I was defining meekness for myself as submission to God, but a submission flowing from relationship.  I looked to the lives of Moses and Jesus to see if this definition held and I believe it does.

There is a beautiful statement expressing the relationship between Moses and God in Exodus 33:11; “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”  Moses’ story is full of speaking to God, listening to God speak, and then obeying: relationship.  And yet, Moses’ didn’t always obey.  The word of the Lord came to him to speak to the rock and instead Moses struck it.  This disobedience cost him the Promised Land (Numbers 20).  Moses’ story is one of a mighty man and one of an incredible relationship with God, and yet this relationship was not perfect: something more was needed.

Jesus is the example of perfect submission and obedience to God.  He says of Himself, ““For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12:49) and also “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19).  John 5: 20 says, “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.”  Jesus was submitted to His Father because of love even though that love took Him to the cross.

I would encourage the reading of the stories of Jesus’ arrest: Matthew 26: 50-57 (especially verse 53), Mark 14: 43-50, Luke 22: 47-54, and John 18: 3-12 (especially verse 6).  There isn’t space in this post to go into why the cross and why God didn’t/couldn’t choose another way to deal with sin but I hope you can see reading these passages that nothing happened that Jesus didn’t anticipate and allow.  He was submitted to His Father’s will and He was anything but weak.

With Jesus’ Spirit within us, we have His same love relationship to the Father. His Spirit at work in us means we can keep ourselves in perfect submission and obedience to the voice of The Father.  This obedience is always our choice and I don’t pretend it’s easy.  His voice is at odds with the voices we hear in the world.  There are so many demands for our attention, time, and activity.  Good works need to be done and we’re the ones who need to be doing them.  But, our ears are inclined toward the voice of Our Father, we must be about His business, and we only do what we see the Father doing.

“Spineless,” the world calls us.  “Spiritless.”  “Weak.”  These words hurt, especially when they come from someone close to us.  We know we are none of these things in Christ Jesus: we are meek.  One of my favorite scriptures is Isaiah 30:15: “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’ But you would not.”

I will.  His Spirit within me strengthens me to choose Him as Jesus chose Him and the cry of my heart becomes, “I delight to do your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8)!

Amen.

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

References:

The Comparative Study Bible, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984

Guralnik, David B., The New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition, William Collins + World Publishing Company, Cleveland • New York, 1976

Strong, James, LLD., S.T.D., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990

Unger, Merrill F., Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1982, Page 709

Vine, W.E., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1997, Pages 727-728

Webster’s New Reference Library: An Encyclopedia of Dictionaries, Webster’s New Dictionary of the English Language, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1984 

Fruit of the Spirit-Faithfulness

17 Monday May 2021

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“The fruit of the Spirit is…faithfulness” Galatians 5:22

I was certain I knew how this week’s study would go.  I know what “faithfulness” means.  Indeed, when I went to my dictionary, I anticipated no surprises. Nor did I find any, except that “faithfulness” didn’t appear in my dictionary on its own but at the end of the entry for “faithful”.  No matter.  There were no surprises in the definition of “faithful”: keeping faith, maintaining allegiance to someone or something; constant; loyal.  That is God, I said to myself, and knew what scriptures I would use to declare His faithfulness.

Well, He is faithful and faithfulness but that isn’t the word used for this particular aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in the original Greek.  The Greek word here is pistis (G4102) and it means faith.  If faithful, or even faithfulness was meant, the Greek word pistos (G4103) would have been used.  I had to double check with The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament and the fruit of the Spirit is pistis-faith.  What’s the big deal?  Am I getting nitpicky?  I don’t think so because I am aware of controversy surrounding the meaning of faith.

I looked up “faith” in two separate dictionaries and found the same definition.  The definition in The New World Dictionary of the American Language does start out with the word’s origins which include fides (Latin) meaning confidence, belief.  No controversy here.  But then, the first definition is “unquestioning belief that does not require proof”.  The World Book Dictionary puts the word origins at the end of the entry and starts with “a believing without proof”.  I have to read down to definition #5 in The New World Dictionary before I find a semblance of what is meant by “faith” in the Bible: complete trust, confidence, or reliance.  The World Book Dictionary does eventually give me “confidence, reliance” as well.  Confidence, trust, and reliance is not possible without proof. 

I am going to set pistis and its meaning aside for the moment and ask myself the question, does the Bible require me to have blind faith-faith based on no evidence whatsoever?  I cannot see that it does.  Quite the opposite.  In his first epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul tells them to “test all things: hold fast what is good” (1 Thes. 5:21).  In his second letter to Timothy, Paul says, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing–rightly handling and skillfully teaching–the Word of Truth” (2 Tim. 2:15, Amplified).  I’ve already written posts on 1 John 4 but this is an excellent chapter on the necessity of testing as is Romans 12:2.  The expectation of the New Testament writers was that believers would be active in their beliefs, investigators, and would not blindly follow after anyone. 

Neither do I find an inference of blind following in the original Greek.  The definition of pistis is: persuasion, credence, conviction, assurance, belief, faith, fidelity.  I do agree a person can have all of these things without proof or evidence but the root of pistis is peitho (G3982) and contains the meaning “to assent (to evidence or authority).” No blind following is inferred here.

There are voices today who insist there is no evidence for even the existence of God and that, because that is so, my faith is not only blind I hold to it in the face of evidence proving the opposite.  That is not true.  My faith is based on evidence.  Greater minds than mine have done this work: minds like Dr. John Lennox, Dr. Stephen C. Meyer, and Dr. David Berlinski for the science-minded among you.  There are so many other men and women, brilliant minds, who believe in God and did not have to set aside their intellects to do so.  I encourage anyone and everyone to test, investigate, study, and decide for yourself.  Do not blindly follow anyone.

While I am grateful for the scientists, philosophers, and theologians I have read over the years who have shown me I am not irrational for believing in God, I have the very best proof of my faith in another source.  That is, of course, God Himself.  The word pistis is relational.  The Dictionary of New Testament Theology tells me the following about “faith”:

“The words dealt with here are basically concerned with that personal relationship with a person or thing which is established by trust and trustworthiness (including their negation).  If this relationship comes about through persuasion or conviction, the vb. peithomai is used.  The perf. tense pepoitha expresses the firm conviction and confidence that has come about.  The words of the pistis group are derived from the same verbal stem.  They denoted originally the faithful relationship of partners in an agreement and the trustworthiness of their promises.  In a broader sense, they came to denote the credibility of statements, reports, and accounts in general, both sacred and secular.  In NT Gk., they gained a special importance and specific trusting acceptance and recognition of what God has done and promised in him” (Page 588).

I have come across many instances where study has led to a belief in God but leaves Him remote.  He’s an “intelligence”, “a mind”, but uninvolved and uninterested in His creation.  I think Andrew Murray says it best: “Nature speaks of God and His work; but of Himself, His heart, and His thoughts of love toward us sinners, nature cannot tell” (Holiest of All, Page 43).  There comes a point where evidence of the existence of God is not enough.  Without a revelation of Himself; His personhood, His intentions, and His nature, faith becomes belief without proof.  At the very least, it is not the faith that is the fruit of the Spirit.  This faith is a living, breathing, person centered in Jesus Christ. 

In Galatians 2:20, Paul says; “I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  There is a mistranslation in this passage and it’s “I live by faith IN the Son of God”.  The true translation is “l live by faith OF the Son of God.”  It’s a subtle difference and yet it’s all the difference in the world.  The Greek word for in, en, is not the word here.  It’s tau (G5120) and it appears twice in the sentence:  OF (tau) the Son OF (tau) God.  It means “of this person, his.” 

This faith that is the fruit of the Spirit, His Spirit, has nothing to do with us.  It’s very good to have evidence for our beliefs but we do not live this Christian life because we have built up our own faith in Jesus.  We live it through His faith, His relationship to the Father, which is also our relationship to the Father through His Spirit living in us.  The proof is in the person, in this case.

Isn’t it wonderful?  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Amen!

And Amen.

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

References:

The Comparative Study Bible, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984

The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1958

Barnhart, Clarence L., The World Book Dictionary, Volume One, Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, Chicago, Illinois, 1970

Brown, Colin, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Volume I, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967

Guralnik, David B., The New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition, William Collins + World Publishing Company, Cleveland • New York, 1976

Murray, Andrew, Holiest of All: A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Whitaker House, New Kensington, Pennsylvania, 1996

Strong, James, LLD., S.T.D., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990

Fruit of the Spirit-Peace

12 Monday Apr 2021

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is…peace” Galatians 5:22

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!  This is the beautiful greeting used by the Apostle Paul in each of his letters and it is my greeting to each of you as, this week, we take a look at the Fruit of the Spirit which is peace.

The Greek word translated “peace” in all the scriptures I’ll be discussing is eirene (G1515).  The Strong’s Concordance gives me this definition: …from a primary verb eiro (to join), peace, prosperity, one…set at one again.  How beautiful Luke 2:14 becomes: “Glory to God in the Highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”  God Himself has come to bring peace on earth, to set everything at one again. So the heavenly hosts proclaimed.  Jesus Himself said something different: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34)  These two scriptures appear opposed to one another.  I have heard some believers say that Jesus came to save us from the wrath of the Father but no…looking at these two scriptures it seems to me God wants peace on earth and Jesus said nope-not peace but a sword.  Do we Christians have a divided God?  Can one member of the Trinity be at odds with another? 

Such a thing is impossible in the God who has revealed Himself as One.  There are all of the scriptures where Jesus says “The Father and I are One” but let’s look at John 1:1; “The Word was with God and the Word was God”.  The word “with” in the Greek is sun (G4862) and means “union, with or together.”  No separation but union.  They are One in being and One in purpose.  Keeping this in mind, I took a closer look at Matthew 10:34.

My NKJV says “bring peace” but the KJV has “send peace”.  I looked up the Greek word and found ballo (G906) which carries the basic meaning of to throw or cast.  Here I see peace is not something imposed from without but rather, something central to a group of individuals.  The disciples carried it with them when they were sent out, it was something they could bestow, and it was something they could remove (see all of Chapter 10 of Matthew, specifically verse 13).  Chapter 10 of Matthew described terrible happenings, schisms between families, great tribulation.  There’s a similar passage in Luke’s Gospel but the word there is division rather than sword.  (Luke 12:51) 

Division or sword?  I think it’s both.  The word translated “division” in Luke 12:51 is diamerismos (G1267) and means “disunion (of opinion and conduct), division” while the word for “sword” in Matthew 10:34 is machaira (G3162) and means “a knife, i.e. dirk, fig. war, judicial punishment-sword”.  I find these two passages aren’t saying entirely different things though because, machaira is derived from mache (G3163) meaning “a battle, i.e. fig controversy-fighting, strive, striving” and, tracing further to the primary verb machomai (G3164); I find “to war, i.e. (fig) to quarrel, dispute:-fight, strive.”

Not that the sword mentioned by Jesus could not be and has not been a literal one.  History has recorded the people of God being put to death and, indeed, many times delivered up to death by a close friend or family member.  It is happening today in parts of the world.  To the shame of what it is to be Christian, the literal sword has been wielded by Christians.  I am not talking about being part of a military or defending one’s nation but am talking about killing another in the name of God thinking it brings Him honor.  This is not the way Jesus gave to peace.  “My kingdom is not of this word.  If My kingdom were of this word, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”(John 18:36) 

This thought continues in the New Testament and is perhaps best put into words by the Apostle Paul: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4)  No, the sword, or the far more advanced weapons of this day; are not for the hands of Christians to usher in the Kingdom of God.  Neither do we declare another human as our enemy because “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Perhaps all this is easy for me to say.  I do not live in a country where I am under threat of death for speaking what I believe.  That is true.  My life is not in danger (I hope) but I have experienced divisions.  I know the pain of separation because of my faith.  I can speak to the truth of Luke 12:51 if not to Matthew 10: 34, and I can also speak to the truth of the peace of God centered in Jesus.

His peace is to us in the midst of whatever we may face.  “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) and “Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give unto you; not as the world gives do I give unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  (John 14:27)

His peace is also, quite literally, a fortress.  Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  The word “guard” here is phroureo (G5432) and means “to be a watcher in advance i.e. to mount guard as a sentinel (post spies at gates), to hem in, protect; –keep (with a garrison).”

What a peace is this!  It is not given by the world, it is not given to the world, and it can never be found there.  The Hastings Bible Dictionary says, “The transition from OT to NT usage (of peace) strikingly illustrates the inwardness of Christianity.”  The entry for peace also contains a quote from G.G. Findlay: “Peace on earth is to flow from the peace of Christ that rules in Christian hearts.”  The will of God is peace on earth but this peace is found only in Jesus.  It is the fruit of Christian lives because of His Spirit in us.  May the Spirit open our eyes to the reality of His peace and then may we go into our daily lives with our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.  (Ephesians 6:15)

Amen.

References:

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

Hastings, James, Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Reprint from the edition originally published by Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1909, March 2001, Page 696-697

Strong, James, LLD., S.T.D., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990