The Ohio Independent Baptist, February 1969

• The Christian And PEACE! by Thomas A. Thomas The author of this article, Rev. Thomas A. Thomas 1s presently serving as Assoc iate Pro– fesso r of Theology and Cha irman of the Department of Apologetics at Baptist Bible Semin ary ;n Clarks Summit, Pennsylvan ia . The art ic le is most t imel y, for it is written in a day " when there is NO PEACE!' ' Peace i a very important word the e da)'S. With war, and threaten– ing of more war, people are crying out for peace. ' 'Give us peace," they ay. ..We \\iant peace. ' Even the ommuni ts are talking about peace, and their de ire for it. But we mu t be vef)' careful to keep in mind that "hen the Communi t ays he want peace he means something quite d if– ferent from what we mean when we u e that term. For to the ommuni t peace is that condition which shall ex, t when Communism rule the world. When Communism is in com– plete control, when all opposition has been destroyed or liquidated, when everyone and everything has been brought into ubjection, then, and on] y then. can there be peace from the ommunist point of view. And an)' means of trickery\ or deceit, or hypocrisy \~.1hich will help to accom– pl i"h th at end 1s considered good and right as the Communist ~ees it. Any- 1hing then. which would go to c;up- 1,ort ommuni st world domination i~ con idered an act of peace. A nd so the ommuni t may take a ' peaceful ' gun , put in it a "peace– ful ' bullet and shoot th at ' 'peace ful' ' t,u]let firo ,n that ' ' peaceful " gun into )'OU or r11e, "warmongers' ' he would cal] u , wl10 vlou1d oppo him and thi i "peaceful'' 11111rdcr. ikit,l l1ru l1ci1ev can end his tank r 11- i11g into 13udape t and lat1gl1ter pl;;C) J)lc ll} 1he tl1ou and V i t o ng guc;ri lla ca11 con1111it the r11 t }1orri t, 1 of atr citie , nd th ar "p ac ftd ' "ct 111 • i '1, aceful ' ' lat1gl1t r f(>r tJ e tl1i11g ,, uld \\ rl 10, aid i l1e o 1111 1 u r1 i t ,, r Id d r11 i 11 a t i n • • n t 1 r f re , tl1c.: 111r11un1 t ,., '·\~' ~ ant p ," ,-. 1 1 tie i a ing n t 1 1 u 1 t I ,,, r l cl ," f r c n tl1 r 1 f I J 11 t l 01 fl lJ 11 i t I A11d 11 A11 ric 1 111~""..... 11 t , 1 1 I r J j ff OHIO I D D r f APII r ~ \\ 1 b tl1 I a1 - Bttt in <i pite of all thi deception fl nlf h) p crj 1 with word there 1 a re,11, genuine peace for the people of God. There won't be an, lasting peace in thi worJd until our Lord J e u Chri t , the Prince of Peace, return , but there i a peace which each one of u can have in hi heart. The Bible speak of two different kind of peace, ' peace with God," and the peace of God." "There– fore , being ju tified by faith, we have peace ivith God through our Lord Je u Chri t." (Romans 5: 1) Sin --eparate the inner from a holy God. It place u in a strute of enmity again t H im. God i holy and He hate in with a holy hatred, and He mu t judge it. And ""the wage of jn i death. ' (Roman 6:23) But "Chri t died for our in." ( I Oor. 15:3) The penalty which a holy, righteou , ju t God had to demand again t our in ha been paid in full . "Je u paid it all; All to H im I owe. ,, o that all those who put their faith , their complete tru t in the Lord Je u Chri t a their per onal aviour from in, believing that He died for their ·ins on the cro of Calvary, now have forgivene of their in , alva- tion and the promi e of eternity with God in Heaven. The enmity again t God which their in ha produced ha been removed. They now have ' 'peace ivit/1 God through our Lord J e\ tl hr i t." And \Vhen one ha '"peace lvit /1 C,od" he can aJ o then have " the peace <>/ God ' ' ( Ph1lippian 4:7 ) The Chr1 tian· God 1 an almighty God, one \\ho i all- uf.ficient for our e\.ery need. There i no problem o great that He cannot olve, there i no burden so heavy that He cannot bear it. there is no heart ache or te t– ing or trial that He cannot soothe or overcome. And so He bids us to "Be careful (or full of care, overl)' anxiou , exce ively concerned ) for nothing: but in everything by prayer and upplication with thanksgiving let your reque ts be made known unto God." (Philippian 2:6) And as we take our burden , our problem , our heartache our trials to the Lord, the almighty God of the univer e, the One who i all- ufficient for our every need, and turn them over to H im and leave them there. He then give u H i peace. Thi i that 'peace of God which pas th all under- tand ing. '' I t i a peace which noth– ing in thi world can ever give, and can ever take away. With the world in turmoil and people crying "Peace, Peace,' ' when there i no peace. Jet u find our peace in Him. May we know the re– ality of "peace .. ,·ith God thr ugh our Lord Je u Chri t/' and then "the peace of God '' °Vt'hich i the privileg f tho e ""ho take th ir burden to the Lord and leave them there. H P. 0. BO 55 L RI ,OHIO