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Living at Peace with All Men

 


Paul wrote, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:18.

It is a well-known fact that there are some people in this world you are not going to live in peace with no matter how good and nice you are to them. Some people just hate for no reason whatsoever. What we must keep in mind is that they are the exception and not the rule. Paul teaches us to do all that is within our power to live at peace with others. Before diving into how we do this, we should note that there are limits.

For example, we cannot compromise the truth of God’s word for the sake of peace with others. The apostles were commanded by the council to stop preaching Christ. Peter responded, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) Peter was not about to compromise the truth of the gospel for the comfort of the officials. We do well to remember that the gospel is not ours to compromise. Therefore, we must be bold for Christ.

While living at peace with all men does have its biblical limits, there is still a great number of actions we can take to live peaceably with all men. For example, we can do good for them even when they only seek to do us harm.

Paul quoted from the book of Proverbs, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” (Proverbs 25:21-22; Romans 12:20). Keep in mind this passage teaches that heaping coals of fire upon their head is a result of the kindness we show, not the motivation for it.

Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of living at peace with others is forgiving them when they trespass against us. I don’t know of anyone who reads through Matthew 18:21-ff thinking they are the unforgiving servant. Instead, we like to think of ourselves as a loving and forgiving people. But as Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan, until he gets punched in the face”.

So, how do you respond when you are hit in the face (metaphorically speaking of course)? Are you quick to forgive and show love and reassurance to the offender? Or do you secretly harbor ill will toward them? Do you hope to see them fail? Do you rejoice when calamity strikes them?  Do you claim you have forgiven them, but ignore them and treat them as a second-rate human being?

If so, then forgiveness has not taken place. You still have bitterness and anger in your heart toward them. These things must be eradicated from your heart before it is eternally too late. We must do all that is dependent upon us to live at peace with all men.

God Bless each of you,

Eric Hicks

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