Have you been around Christians as they begin to talk about having the peace of Jesus? For years I’ve heard others pray for God’s peace, talk about feeling His peace, and waiting for that sense of peace about big decisions in their lives. It can feel very… fake or at the most spiritual sometimes. Right?
Today we will explore what Jesus says about peace to help us understand the idea and apply it in our lives.
The Peace of Jesus: What Did Jesus Say About Peace?
“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.” (John 14:27 NASB)
Jesus repeatedly mentions peace, but my two favorite peace of Jesus quotes are found in the Upper Room Discourse.
Just before Jesus is arrested, at the end of HIS earthly life, He celebrates the Passover with His disciples. The disciples find a guest room in a home in Jerusalem. In that upper room, they celebrate with a feast as was tradition.
While they were in this upper guest room, Jesus taught the disciples many important things. It is one of the longest sections of teaching and prayer by Jesus and it is rich with meaning.
In the midst of all this teaching, Jesus begins to prepare His disciples for what is to come. He will leave them and they will not be able to follow Him.
Serving as bookends around what the disciples would have understood as terrible news, Jesus talks about a great peace.
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Jesus Peace Verses
So right off the bat, we understand that the peace Jesus was teaching about was different from what we think about in our Western culture.
The peace of Jesus Christ does not refer to happiness or prosperity. They were grieved and confused, angry.
Grieved that Jesus was planning to leave before accomplishing all they expected.
Confused about why Jesus believed it was better for Him to leave. Confused about who the Helper was Jesus kept saying was coming in His place and how that would be better for them than Jesus.
Angry that all their plans and dreams seemed to be ending. Angry that Jesus would not overthrow the Roman government and establish the Kingdom of God in that moment. Possibly angry that they may have thrown away the last three years of their lives all for a messiah who was now quitting.
Maybe that’s why Jesus bookends this section with another reminder that He gives peace.
“These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NASB)
What Does It Mean To Have Jesus’ Peace?
The dictionary defines peace this way.
- Peace – freedom from disturbances, tranquility.
Jesus said we will have tribulations in this world, however, so this can’t be what He me and. If peace is not about calm and happy circumstances, what does it mean to have the peace of Jesus?
If we look only at these two verses to help guide our time we see some striking things.
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John 14:27 Meaning
In the West we think of peace as a lack of trouble, a lack of war or sickness or natural disaster. But Jesus clearly predicts trouble for the disciples and declares they can have peace in the midst of what should cause fear.
“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.” (John 14:27 NASB)
Worldly peace is not what Jesus is leaving. Jesus specifies that He is leaving His peace. The peace of Jesus is something different… something powerful and necessary in the life of a Christian.
Jesus would leave this earth and send His peace. The meaning of John 14:27 is all wrapped around the Holy Spirit as the Helper, the Comforter Jesus was sent to bring peace.
The Peace of Jesus is an inner strength to face hard times through the power of God at work in us by the Holy Spirit. You can have that peace today! Click To TweetWhat is the Peace of Jesus Christ?
The peace of Jesus is an inner peace. Just look at John 16:33.
“These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NASB)
Jesus spoke of the coming peace – given by the Holy Spirit – after telling them that they will have trouble. Specifically, they would;
- Doubt Jesus.
- Deny Him.
- Turn away from the path Jesus Christ set them on.
- Hide in fear.
- Return to their past ways.
He still speaks of leaving the disciples His Peace. Jesus knew the mess they would be. He knew the tribulation they would face.
Still, He loved them and sent them the Holy Spirit to help them, comfort them, guide them, remind them, and strengthen them with the power of God.
Oh, the grace and love of God! He doesn’t need perfect people! He uses us all!
Related Post: What Does The Bible Say About Peace?
Peace that Surpasses All Understanding
The Apostle Paul understood that well when he wrote his letter to the Philippian church.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7 ESV)
There are over 350 Peace of God verses, but Paul in this case gives such a vivid description of peace.
- The peace of Jesus is beyond what we can understand.
- Try as we may to define it, God’s peace is still greater!
- The peace of Jesus guards our hearts and minds.
- From what you might ask?
- From the troubles and tribulations, this world throws in our path just for following Jesus Christ.
- Peace of mind is a gift to the children of God. He gives it as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
- From what you might ask?
That sounds like the Holy Spirit again. The comforter. Our helper. The counselor who offers wisdom and discernment.
The Peace of Jesus For Marriage
Years ago, hopejoyinchrist.com was started as a safe place to find Biblical advice and practical tools to help with marriage problems.
I believe that fixing a broken marriage, or thriving through a difficult season of marriage requires a whole lot of Jesus.
On our own, two sinners living life together through all the seasons, we will fail. We will be selfish and prideful and lazy. We will hurt and be hurt.
However, when we are living this life together with Jesus at the center of our relationship, things shift.
- He takes our selfishness and teaches us to love selflessly.
- He replaces our pridefulness with humility.
- That lazy streak, He shifts to service when we let Him have all of our heart.
And to really live marriage out well, we need the peace of Jesus.
Marriage Matures Us In Faith
That inner strength that keeps us moving forward regardless of the circumstances helps our marriage stay healthy. It is when we stop moving forward that our marriage crumbles.
Even if only one spouse is moving forward, the peace of Jesus brings hope and healing. The peace of Jesus helps us mature in our faith in beautiful ways.
If you are married, you need the peace of Jesus as your help and strength. It will be the difference between happily ever after or a 50% divorce rate.
Jesus makes the difference!
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How To Recieve The Peace of Jesus
The Prince of Peace (Jesus Christ) gave us His peace through the third person of the Trinity (The Holy Spirit) who dwells within us when we accept God the Father’s free gift of salvation.
Receiving the peace of Jesus is simple and hard at the same time.
The simple part is salvation. The hard part is allowing God to work that peace into the very fiber of your soul. Let’s talk through each piece of how to receive the peace of God.
- Salvation
- Renewed mind
- Prayer
- Waiting
Salvation
The world has lost sight of the need for salvation. So many have fallen back to the old way of thinking about being saved. They believe:
- Being good will get you to heaven.
- Going to church, even just at Easter and Christmas, will save you or is proof of salvation.
- God is good and so there isn’t a hell.
- If there is a hell, it is for the worst people.
- And if there is a hell for the worst people, we are better than the worst so it will all balance out.
- If there is a hell, it is for the worst people.
The Bible is clear about salvation.
- God is holy, perfect, and set apart.
- He can not and will not be near sin.
- We all sin – do things that are less than holy, and are far from perfect.
- We can’t compare ourselves to other flawed humans when God is comparing us to Himself.
- The penalty for sin is death – separation from God forever.
- Even one moment of living less than God’s perfect standard of holiness and righteousness is enough to separate us from Him for eternity.
- God sent His One and Only Son, Jesus to live a perfect life.
- Jesus (the Son of God) was perfect, and sinless, attaining the standard He set before creation.
- Jesus died a sinner’s death – taking our place.
- Knowing we could never be perfect, Jesus took the penalty of all our sins on Himself at the time of His death.
- Fulfilling prophecy, Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was master over death and hell.
- Over 500 people saw Jesus after His death.
- Many wrote about the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection.
- As Jesus ascended back into Heaven He gave His followers the job of telling everyone about the free gift of salvation He now offered them.
- Baptism is how we show the world we have accepted that free gift.
- When we are baptized God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit who brings us peace within.
Renewed Mind
Salvation is the simple part.
After salvation, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to live within you and He brings Spiritual peace along with the knowledge of God.
That is the promise of John 14 and John 16, a promise of peace as a gift of God. To receive the peace of Jesus, He had to die and make a way for salvation.
After salvation, we are promised we will have trials and tribulations. But we see from Paul’s specific instructions in Philippians 4 that we can still know God’s peace. How do we get this peace?
Renewing our minds.
(click through each word to learn more)
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NASB)
As a person who battles anxiety, I am always searching for Biblical guidance to hold tight to the peace of God. Paul tells us that our thoughts can lead us toward peace or away from peace.
“As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9 NASB)
Pray For The Benefits of the Peace of God
Thinking about the things God tells us to think about leads to a renewed mind which leads to peace. But there is another step forward toward living, daily in the peace of Jesus Christ.
Remember, the definition of the peace of Jesus (or the peace of God definition loosely) is:
- An inner strength to face hard times through the power of God at work in us by the Holy Spirit.
How do we tap into or activate that power to enjoy the benefits of the peace of God? This is actually what Christians are talking about all the time. That elusive, spiritual-sounding peace they are always searching for is NOT fake!
Perfect Peace is real.
In the face of hard times, we feel that sense of peace through prayer. We tap into the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer.
Waiting: When God Gives You Peace About A Situation
If you are tracking with me so far, you know that peace comes to those who are saved into eternal life, who have then chosen to renew their thought life and pray.
But there is yet another way to achieve peace.
Waiting.
Now, it seems counterproductive. I do not like to wait. I feel anxious if I have to wait for too long, but we want this peace.
This peace is the peace of knowing that the next right step is in God’s will for your life. We pray, asking the Lord to reveal His plan, then we wait for him to answer.
When God gives you peace about a situation you have confidence and joy moving forward, even if the next step is difficult. But when we get ahead of God because we are impatient… we lose that peace and usually fall flat on our faces.
Other Questions About The Peace of Jesus
I know this article has already gotten much longer than you would prefer. Sorry. So I will just tease a few of these questions out and link to the next article in the series when it is done.
Where in the Bible Does It Say Jesus Is Our Peace?
Every Christmas we read Isaiah 9, and revel in the prophecy of Jesus’ birth. In this passage, we see where in the Bible it says Jesus is our peace.
“For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NASB)
What Did Jesus Teach About Peace?
Throughout the New Testament, we see examples of Jesus showing peace. But I love his teaching on peace in the Sermon on the Mount.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NASB)
Are There Bible Verses About Peace in Hard Times?
Of course, there are many Scriptures about the Peace of God. In many of those, we find verses about peace in hard times. I love Psalm 29:11 as a time when Israel was clearly faced with a challenging season and yet they sing about the Peace of God!
“The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.“ (Psalm 29:11 NASB)
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What Are Bible Verses About Keeping Peace With Others?
This question comes up often and what we see in it is the Western culture’s worldview slipping into Christian Theology. The kind of peace that is implied is not what Jesus refers to in John. He is the Lord of peace and He teaches us a way of peace but it is not like the ways of pleasantness or the absence of conflict.
No, the peace God is referring to comes as the effect of righteousness has done its work in you over time.
Jesus did not bring political peace or ethnic peace. He didn’t end slavery or poverty. He didn’t end religious squabbling even.
In fact, let’s just look at one thing Jesus said about peace on earth.
“Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division;” (Luke 12:51 NASB)
Not what you expected. Right? We think of peace as kindness, and tolerance… not stirring the pot.
To that, Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace but division…”
Peace with others, at the expense of the salvation message, is not what Jesus wanted. The Gospel (the good news) is offensive and mysterious and is about eternal peace.
Only when we teach that message clearly though, can the world find the true peace they think they are looking for… but it will not feel like keeping peace with others in the way the world imagines.
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Will You Pursue the Peace of Jesus Through The Power of The Holy Spirit?
The Peace of Jesus is something we all need. It feels elusive and religious at first thought, but it is NOT.
God’s peace is 100% attainable. In fact, you can walk in that peace that surpasses all understanding DAILY. His peace can fill up your whole spirit even during the storms of life.
Will you pursue it?
Will you be intentional to renew your mind, pray, and wait?
in HIS love,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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