My first thought in regard to this message was to study all of the concluding words in Paul’s letters. Then it expanded to include all his benedictions, both at the beginning and the end of his epistles. But I decided that since there is not much variety in them, that might not be a very profitable study. We will look at only the benediction here in this book. But I would like you to be aware of the rest, so I thought that we’d make a brief survey of Paul’s epistles looking for all his benedictions.
Romans 1:7 – “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice the two primary elements of this prayer – Grace and Peace. Romans 15:33 – “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” I Corinthians 1:3 – “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 16:23 – “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” II Corinthians 1:2 – “Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” II Corinthians 13:14 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” Galatians 1:3 – “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ…” Galatians 6:18 – “Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.” Ephesians 1:2 – “Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 6:24 – “Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” Philippians 1:2 – “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 4:23 – “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Colossians 1:2 – “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Colossians 4:18 – “Grace be with you. Amen.” I Thessalonians 1:1 – “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thessalonians 5:28 – “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” II Thessalonians 1:2 – “Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” II Thessalonians 3:18 – “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” It could be argued, and perhaps it should be argued, that these benedictions give proof that Paul considered Christ Jesus to be one with God the Father – that this is evidence of Jesus’ deity.
With I Timothy we have an added feature to Paul’s benedictions, but we aren’t surprised. I Timothy 1:2 – “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” I Timothy 6:21 – “Grace be with thee. Amen.” II Timothy 1:2 – “To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” II Timothy 4:22 – “The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.” Titus 1:4 – “To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Titus 3:15 – “Grace be with you all. Amen.” Philemon 3 – “Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philemon 25 – “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”
Some might argue that since Hebrews doesn’t begin and end with a benediction, it proves that Paul is not its penman, but Hebrews is not an epistle in the true sense of the word. It is more like a treatise on the subject of Christ in the Old Testament.
Some of us write lots of letters – some of us just a few – and some never write letters – shame on you. How do you begin and conclude your letters? “Dear so-and-so….” “Sincerely yours…..” If we took Paul for our example; if we took the Bible for our example, shouldn’t we say more? Not only should we use more religious words, those words should express our prayers for the people to whom we are writing. You might be embarrassed in using this kind of language to people you don’t know, or people who you know don’t love the Lord Jesus Christ. But still there would be no harm, and in fact perhaps these words might open doors for witness and evangelism.
All of this is only the introduction to my message for this evening. I think that it is safe to say that since Paul repeats this benediction so many times, it must mean that its elements are important. Some would say that it is “unfortunate,” while others say “fortunate,” but only one of Paul’s usual elements is mentioned as this letter reaches its conclusion. Let’s consider “the God of Peace.”
The word “eirene” is translated “peace” many times, plus “one,” “rest,” and “quietness” one time each. It is quite easy to grasp the meaning of the word. It is the opposite to turmoil, confusion, trouble, worry, fear and things like these. Thus, it is also easy to see that our God is the God of Peace.
There is nothing harmful, malicious or evil in the nature of the Lord our God. For example, jealousy is something which can suck the peace right out of a person or a relationship. When one partner is wracked by jealousy of the other partner, that relationship is virtually doomed. This jealousy might be of other people in their lives, or position or honor or any number of things. Jealousy often leads to worry, animosity, anger and even wrath. Thousands of people have been murdered by jealous acquaintances. Even though the word “jealous” is used in regard to the Lord, it is not the same thing as human jealousy. Jehovah has no equals or rivals. He doesn’t need to fear losing His position as Lord of lords and King of kings. And even when the unbeliever spits on His Name, and calls faith in Him “nothing but a religious addiction,” the Lord will never loose His composure. He knows that it is the nature of all men to say such things and behave in such a way. But eventually every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess the truth. Jealousy, which steals away the peace of sinful people, cannot ruffle the heart of the Lord.
And we can say the same sorts of things about all which disrupt the peace of the human being. When the sinner gets angry, it is impossible to say that he is at peace. When I get angry, which thankfully is not very often. But when I get angry, my heart-rate soars, my blood-pressure rises, my face flushes, and usually I can’t think straight. Sometimes I wish that I got angry more often, so that I could learn to control these things, and at the very least be able to think more clearly and respond more appropriately. The wrath of man is the antithesis of peace. But even though the word “wrath” is used to describe the Lord, it is a wrath so different from our own that most of us can’t begin to grasp it. God’s wrath isn’t an emotional outburst which disrupts His self-control and His personal harmony. The wrath of man is usually related to his wicked heart, but God has no wickedness. Human anger is usually expressed with malice – a desire to harm someone or to see others suffer. The Lord doesn’t harbor malice, and His just judgment is not dispensed with a desire to hurt or harm. As difficult as it is to appreciate, God’s peace is not disrupted by His wrath the way that ours usually is.
Something else which stands opposite to peace is remorsefulness. Remorse is the anguish which arises when we realize that we’ve done something wrong. Judas’ suicide was a result of remorse. Peter’s bitter tears were a remorseful reaction to his denial of the Lord. Neither of these men were enjoying the peace of the Lord at that time. Peace and remorse cannot be found together in the same heart at the same time. That isn’t to say that remorse can’t be a good thing some times. Remorse plays a roll in repentance – something absolutely essential. But obviously, when we are being crushed by conviction and being brought to repentance, that is not a period of peace. In contrast to you and me, the Lord has never had any reason to be the least bit remorseful. He has never made a mistake, and He has never been embarrassed. He has never sinned, and never been under conviction. The Lord doesn’t have a Jiminy Cricket whispering in His ear telling him to avoid this or that. The Lord has never needed a conscience and probably doesn’t possess one. Remorse is something which has never disturbed His peace.
Another thing which disrupts our peace is apprehension. We don’t know what the future holds for us, and we can often be fearful or uneasy about what lies ahead. I hear of so many people my age who are fighting cancer, or having strokes and heart attacks. It’s not that I fear death, or that I fear any of these diseases or problems. My apprehension is what if they don’t kill me, and my wife wants to keep me alive? What will it cost and how will we do it? Of course, the Lord has no problem facing the future – because He has no future. The Lord lives in the ever-present now. He knows what is in your future, because He is already there. And furthermore, our futures are under His complete control; He is the absolute Master of all things. This next idea is somewhat foolish, but I think that it illustrates the point. If there was ever some situation which he didn’t like, such as a terrible storm, all that he has to do is say “peace be still” and there is perfect peace. There is no fear or apprehension in the heart of God.
Having said that several things are the antithesis of peace, perhaps we should take this another step. Is it worry, jealousy, malice and other sins which keep us from having peace? Or is the reverse true – if we possessed true peace, we’d be able to keep these sins and emotions at bay. Perhaps we can’t really separate the two. It was Paul’s prayer that we be filled with the God of peace, and with that we might never have to face all the problems that stand in opposition to peace.
There is nothing in this world of ours – nothing at all – which can give us true peace. As powerful as this country’s military is, it has never been able to completely calm the hearts of the American public. So we add the FBI, CIA, DEA and Boarder Patrol, and still the terrorists seem to march right in at their leisure. And some people fear these secondary agencies more than they do terrorists and foreign military. The United Nations causes more grief and fear than it ever has produced peace and tranquility. We have the American government and the Federal Reserve to keep our economy safe – what a joke. We have the finest medical establishment in the world to keep us well and healthy, so we go to the hospital and come away with MRSA.
We need the God of Peace. There is only one source of peace in a world which is filled with sin. Whatever may be the amount of agitation in the universe, the Lord is one Being without one ripple upon the surface of His heart. We could add another element to all of Paul’s benedictions, because the Lord is the God of love. Paul’s benediction is at the very least – appropriate. We need to be filled with the God of Peace – that is we need to be fully surrendered to the Lord.