FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT PEACE
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peaceG1515, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
The characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit we are focusing on in this book is peace. Here are some basic facts about biblical peace from an article found online at https://loveinbible.com/how-many-times-is-peace-mentioned-in-the-bible/
- Peace is mentioned more than 300 times in the Bible, with the highest occurrence in the book of Isaiah.
- The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom” denoting completeness, soundness, and welfare.
- The Greek word for peace is “eiréné” emphasizing unity and rest.
- Peace in the Bible goes beyond the absence of conflict and encompasses restoration and inner tranquility.
- Jesus is the source of peace offering reconciliation with God, peace with others, and peace within ourselves. (77)
Peace with God, being reconciled to Him and freed from the chains of our sin because of His grace and Christ suffering the penalty for our sins, has to be the beginning place of peace. Once we have received the gift of salvation—peace with God—then we can begin experiencing and cultivating peace within ourselves by internalizing God’s promises to us in Scripture. We will have access to the peace of God. Then we will be responsible to live at peace with others. As we are seeing, the Bible has much to say about the fact that we should make every effort to maintain peace with other people.
Have you secured peace with God through faith in Jesus? Are you experiencing tranquility in your day-to-day life because the Holy Spirit dwells in you bringing you peace? Do you find yourself more successful at having peace with others because of your walk with Jesus? We hope these pages will help you grow stronger in peace. Peace comes from the power of God’s Holy Spirit within us.
Father, Your presence is powerful and gives us the power to remain calm in any storm of life. Being at peace within ourselves is a position of power because we are not easily ruffled. Help us to remember to tap into the power of Your peace! Help us to always be able to say, “It is well with my soul!”
Please take the time to listen to Hugh Bonneville narrate the story behind the hymn “It is Well with My Soul”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReApJymYSiw