The Fruit Of The Spirit – Peace

Peace (Eirēnē)

Introduction

• Today we will Discuss Peace (Eirēnē, Used 88 Times).
• Definitions
  • English – Peace: “The absence of war/trouble.”
  • Hebrew – Shalōm: “Everything that Makes for a Person’s Highest Good.” It is translated “Soundness of Body,” “Welfare,” “Prosperity.”
  • Greek – Eirēnē: “Serenity,” “Tranquility,” “The Perfect Contentment of a Life which is Completely Happy & Secure.”

I.  Peace is Most Commonly Used as a Greeting

• Grace and Peace to You (Ro 1:7)
• Combining of Greek and Jewish Greetings

II.  Peace Has Recognizable Sources

• Trust (Ro 15:13)
• Faith which Has Turned to Action (Ro 2:9-10)
• God (Ph 4:6-9)
• Jesus Christ (Jo 14:27)

III.  Peace is Right Relationships in Every Sphere of Life

• Within the Home (1 Co 7:15)
• Between Jew and Gentile (Ep 2:13-18)
• Within the Church (Ep 4:3; Co 3:15)
• Between our Fellow Human Beings (He 12:14)
• Between Humans and God (Ro 5:1; Co 1:19-22)

Applications:

• Peace is the Expression of Perfect Welfare.
• Peace is a Gift from God, but we Must Seek and Pursue it (1 Pe. 3:11; 2 Pe 3:14).
• Peace within our Relationships does not Come Easy, but when we Pursue it with our Whole Hearts, God Provides.
• Peace with God is our Greatest Blessing.

Peace is the third virtue produced by Spirit, as he works to create within us the character of Jesus, listed by Paul in Galatians 5:16-23. Peace in the Greek is Eirēnē; it means “Serenity,” “Tranquility,” “The Perfect Contentment of a Life which is Completely Happy & Secure.” Eirēnē is the equivalent of the Hebrew Shalōm which means “Everything that Makes for a Person’s Highest Good.” Shalōm can translated “Soundness of Body,” “Welfare,” “Prosperity.” As you can see, both of these roughly equivalent terms mean much more than our English use of peace, “The absence of war/trouble.”

As with all the other fruit in this list, peace is the product of God’s activity in our lives.  This includes peace within, peace in the midst of circumstances, and peace within our relationships.  We all need peace in our lives.  This is especially true in our conflict laden world.  Just think of what we have experienced over the last two years – war and the threat of war; political and social unrest; economic uncertainty; and sickness, death, and fear from the pandemic. These circumstances along with the doom, gloom, and discord from the various media – including social media – erode our sense of well-being and mental health.  Thank God that he has an endless supply of peace for those who seek to be more like Jesus!