Living in Peace
Galatians, 2 Corinthians 13:10-12
Introduction
The next section for the fruit of the Spirit is that of peace. Peace. That is something that is on many people’s minds right now. We have seen this on the global scene. The United States has been trying to bring about peace in the Ukraine-Russia war. But the peace that is being offered is for Ukraine to give over the land that Russia wants so that the fighting can stop. Refusing to just give up is described as opposing peace. I cannot help but think back to just before the Second World War when Britain attempted to bring about peace by giving Hitler the part of Czechoslovakia that he wanted for the sake of peace. The British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain came home with the signed piece of paper and declared “We have achieved peace in our time.” One of the challenges to the current conflict is that Ukraine, Russia, and the United States all want different things and it is more than just the cessation of the killing.
Closer to home, we have the current trade war with the United States. We would like this to come to an end and the ending we want is not the decimation of our economy. The ideal situation would be for there to be a meeting of the minds, an agreement of what is important, and a reconciliation between the two countries.
Perhaps these international conflicts seem too complicated or you are just sick of hearing about them. I can understand that. But I would say that what we see on the global stage is just a magnified version of interpersonal conflicts that we experience all the time. This happens at work, this happens in families, this happens even in the church. We want peace but what kind of peace do we want? True peace is not just a cessation of hostilities. Biblical peace is something much deeper.
As with all of the fruit of the Spirit, peace is the result of God’s work in us. But like all fruit, we have some say in encouraging or discouraging the growth of that fruit. We want an abundant harvest of peace, in all relationships, and to so we need to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit.
What Peace Looks Like
The passage that we are looking at is the conclusion to Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church. This letter, in general, suggests some tension between Paul and that church. There is conflict and Paul has had to take a stronger stand than he would really like to.
Final words, especially in a letter, are very important. In this age of email and texting, we can forget the art of letter writing. It is not just a random collection of content. A letter writer tries to communicate with the other by carefully arranging their thoughts so as to minimize confusion. Paul was a master letter writer. After saying many things, Paul wants to leave them with his main point. In modern terminology, this is his call to action. He tells them to get their house in order because he is coming for a visit. What does he mean by getting things in order? In my translation, it says “agree with one another” which I do not think is the best way to render it. Others say be of one mind, which is closer. A couple of paraphrases I looked at used “harmony” which not a literal translation, may yet be closer to what Paul is saying.
But why can it not just be that we are supposed to agree with one another? It would seem logical that if we all agreed on pretty much everything that we would have the most peaceful church. There are a couple of problems with this. One is that it has never yet happened. When it seems as if everyone agrees, it is most likely that there is a situation in which contrary options are not tolerated. It is enforced agreement, which is not healthy. The other problem is that this does not reflect what Paul teaches elsewhere. In his previous letter to the Corinthians, Paul acknowledges that there are people in the church who think it is acceptable to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols handsome that thought it was unacceptable. This was a significant issue, especially in that culture, and yet Paul does not enforce one interpretation. Paul’s concern is not about whether they eat or don’t eat the meat but about how the two groups treat each other. In that case, he specifies that it is love and not agreement on the truth that should guide their actions.
The word that Paul uses here in this conclusion to 2 Corinthians refers to our inner being, the place where rational thought comes from. It is the same word that Paul uses here:
“Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:4-5)
It is more than just an opinion on an issue, it means an agreement of what is ultimately important. What is important is not the details of every issue but a unity of the church based in love and humility. This is ultimately what would bring peace to the church in Corinth.
The call is to live in peace. The peace is not because everyone thinks exactly the same on every issue but everyone agrees on the foundation of the faith. This is the being of one mind. The result of this is not just a reduction in conflict with other people but a deeper fellowship with God who is the God of peace and love. As we embrace the way of peace which does not insist that our way always has to be done, we come closer to the God who seeks to create peace within and through us.
Peace Within the Church
How do we get peace within the church? Of course we can look at this from different angles. There is the worldwide church and the issue of different denominations and traditions. People are divided over whether greater cooperation is a good thing or a bad thing. Then there is the perspective of peace within our own Baptist group. There are congregations within our Atlantic group that would not want anything to do with each other. And then there is our own local congregation. I think that is where to start.
Now, when I speak of peace within the congregation, I am not suggesting that there is some great conflict that needs to be dealt with. Discussions about Christian peace should begin before conflict and not just as a result of it.
What is peace based on? I have heard from many Baptists that the foundation of our unity is that we are a gathering of like-minded Christians. Is that true? As I have already suggested, it depends on what we mean by like-mindedness. I had a pastor within a former Association complain that our Association lacked like-mindedness, and by that he meant a very specific form of theology. He had no idea that I was actually on the opposite side when it came to that specific question. What about us in this congregation? If I handed out a survey with questions about the age of the earth, of what the end-times will look like, the role of women, same-sex relationships, transgender rights, prayer in school, and Christians drinking alcohol, to everyone on our membership list, would we get all of the same answers? Most likely not. You may think that your views on all of these issues are obviously correct and Christian and that you are confused why not everyone else agrees. And that would be a normal reaction.
Do you know why I am a Baptist? I was not raised Baptist and even after being hired at my first church, I took time to consider this tradition. The concepts of local church and of soul liberty mean that there is not a central authority that determines every detail of what we believe. We agree on the historic Christian faith but on secondary issues we are able to wrestle with the Scriptures and follow according to our conscience. Since becoming a Baptist, I have changed my beliefs on a number of topics, and never have felt that it put me outside the Baptist identity.
As a congregation, we are supposed to be like-minded. But that like-mindedness is based upon our identity in Christ and the way of love and not an enforced agreement on every issue. I can be united with a Christian who has different interpretations of passages and topics. I have my convictions and I respect other people’s convictions, even if they are not mind. And with our congregational polity, I do not get a greater say than anyone else in the church.
Peace in the church is not a far off goal for when we finally agree on all of the issues. It is something for now, for people who disagree on some things but ultimately agree on that which is most important, and that is the Lordship of Jesus.
Conclusion
God is a God of peace and God wants peace between us and God, between us and others, and within us as well. This peace is fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit is the seed and the growth begins. What will we do with that growth? Will we encourage that growth or discourage it? Encouraging that growth does not mean giving up our convictions. We have all heard the request to “Keep the peace.” What is usually implicit in that is not just that you work for peace, but that you pretend that there is uniformity with the hope that the illusion of peace remains. A real peace does not live in fear that someone will rock the boat. Real peace, as in the peace from the Spirit, is one that is mature enough to allow differences of opinion to remain side by side. The Apostle Paul never asked the Corinthians to give up their convictions. He did tell them to get things together and to live in peace. We can agree to disagree on many issues and we should not diminish in love for having done that.
