“…I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me” (Romans 7: 18- 20, ESV).
One of the objectives of the United Nations since 1945 has been to promote and maintain international peace. But where is the world peace as wars, poverty and injustice continue to ruin nations? Pride goes before a fall. Man cannot reject and despise the Prince of Peace and have peace.
Jesus Christ, the Author of Peace calls people who make peace blessed (Matthew 5: 9). Peacemakers are not necessarily scholars, scientists, security experts, kings or artisans. Peacemakers are God-fearing people saved by Jesus Christ and live by the Word of God which promotes peace through love.
Peace can only be achieved when love is at work in nations. Love does not kill, rob, exploit, covet and undermine. Love is compassionate and seeks the good of others. Love is law-abiding. And true love comes from the Spirit of God. True peacemakers have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in their hearts. The unseen Being sheds love abroad in the hearts of the children of God, who live by the law of Christ.
Every nation or kingdom has laws to regulate the conducts of its citizenry. People in Ghana live by the laws of Ghana and people in the United States of America live by the laws of the US. One cannot live in a country and just live the way they want, else there will be confusion, disorder, chaos and lawlessness.
Similarly, people in Christ have another law to live by. It is a divine law. As Christians, we are charged to live by the laws of our nations and the divine law of Christ. A Christian lives in the world and also lives in God through Christ. In other words, a Christian is a citizen of both his country and the kingdom of God and so must live by the aforementioned laws.
The law of Christ tells us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbours as ourselves (Matthew 22: 37- 38). How can we hate, cheat, steal and kill ourselves if we love ourselves? The world is not unaware of Jesus Christ and His soul-penetrating teachings, but many world leaders have, since the days of Christ, rejected God and His message of love and peace.
Christ is peace and for peace, but when He speaks people gnash their teeth and flex their muscle; they threaten to fight. King David experienced similar situation, and so wrote, “I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war” (Psalm 120: 7, ESV). Christ is peace and preaches peace, yet the world hates Him.
Has the world lost the Way to peace? Obviously, yes! The world lost it hundreds of years ago. The world lost the Way to peace when it rejected Jesus Christ and His teachings. Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way, Truth and Life to peace in this world and in the world to come. And the modern world has rejected Christ with the excuse that His words are impracticable.
But this is a hypocritical lie. The spiritual eyes of the unregenerated soul are blind so they cannot see the .light of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A damaged or faulty technological device can only be repaired by the advice of its manufacturer.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator, Son of God, who King David called Adonai (Hebrew word for Lord) as recorded in Psalm 110: 1, gives us the reason for the rejection of His words. Christ knows all men and what is in everyone’s heart. In the days of His flesh, the Lord addressed those who rejected His words:
“Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning…Whoever is of God hears the words of God” (John 8: 43- 47, ESV).
From the above passage of Scripture, the Lord Jesus tells us that the devil is behind the murderous deeds of people he has enslaved. The devil is a real being. Do not doubt his existence because you can be ignorant though educated. Man’s unbelief cannot prevent the devil from existing and enslaving people to commit atrocities or lawlessness.
How smarter, wiser and intelligent can the political leaders of the world be to overcome hatred, injustice and other factors which trigger wars in the world? They do not know that they have been deceived and enslaved. That is why the world’s great minds formulate and implement best strategies to achieve peace, but end up promoting wars, conflicts and oppression on all fronts.
God is the only source where peace comes and rests. God designed the world to be governed by the divine law which is rooted in love. True love is of God and is the greatest virtue. When you have love, you have God because God is love. Therefore, love is God. And when we have God, we have love which promotes peace. “… God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4: 16, ESV).
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14: 27, ESV).
jamesquansah@yahoo.com
From James Quansah, Kumasi