Peace Is Not Out of Reach
He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. Ephesians 2:17
“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior’” (Judges 6:12). The angel of the Lord was probably a “theophany” (a manifestation of God) or a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Like Moses, Gideon had been commissioned by God to deliver Israel. To make sure this word was from God, Gideon asked for a sign (see verse 17).
So it was that when Gideon brought his offering as instructed, an amazing miracle occurred. “Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. . . . When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die’” (verses 21-23).
Any unregenerate person would respond as Gideon did if suddenly confronted by the presence of God. That being the case, why would anybody want to draw near to a holy God who is perceived as a consuming fire? That is the unfortunate perspective of many defeated Christians. They live as though God were out to get them. If they make just one mistake, they think the hammer of God will surely fall on them.
Dear child of God, the hammer fell. It fell on Christ, once and for all. You are not a sinner in the hands of an angry God. You are a saint in the hands of a loving God who has called you to come before His presence. “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12).
“So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace” (verse 24). Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and His primary work has been to mediate peace between fallen humanity and God. “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Peace is now no longer out of reach: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Paul describes this justification—this peace between God and humankind—using the past tense. It has already been accomplished. There is nothing more that needs to be done. We will not die in the presence of God as Gideon feared. We are already in the presence of God, because we are alive “in Him.”
As the Peacemaker, Jesus also reconciles Jew and Gentile, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility (see Ephesians 2:14-16).
When the barrier between God and us is torn down in Christ, it also brings down the barrier between those who are committed to Him. Trying to negotiate peace in this world without first having peace with God has not proven successful. Peace between religious and philosophical factions can only happen when both find their peace with the same God.
Some questions to ponder:
How did Gideon respond when confronted by the presence of God? In what ways do many Christians respond the same way?
Why don’t some Christians sense the peace to “approach God with freedom and confidence”?
In what ways has Jesus been the Prince of Peace?
Do you feel at peace living in the presence of God? Why or why not?
What relationship do you need to restore?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.