As we enter the Christmas season and Advent, one of the passages we turn to most is Luke 2:9–14. Verse fourteen shares what all the angels said to praise God at the birth of Jesus: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Glory to God…and peace on earth? What? Peace is a word that almost seems impossible in our current circumstances. 

From racial tensions...

To political descension...

To financial declension...

We are in a time of anything but peace! Yet, the birth of Jesus and His presence in the world promises PEACE. How? To answer that question, we must take time to understand God’s purpose for peace. God gives us peace when we give HIM glory, and He brings us into His presence. Let me explain.

Five times in the New Testament, God is called “the God of peace” (Romans 15:13; 16:20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20). Jesus says, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). Paul says, “Jesus himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). 

This teaches us that the peace of God can never be separated from God himself. Why? God must rule in our hearts if we want peace to rule in our lives. Again, there is NO peace separate from God. God wants to give us His peace, but we first must make Him the most glorious Person in our lives. 

When we give all the glory to God, we determine that we no longer need to receive the glory. We relinquish control and the desire to be our own god, and we instead allow the one true God to sit on the throne of our lives. Then, and only then, we receive peace.

You see, the key to receiving the peace of God is keeping together what the angels keep together in their announcement: Glory to God and peace toward humanity. A heart that is bent on giving glory to God will know the peace of God. But it is important to realize that God receiving all the glory and giving us peace is held together by our faith. Our faith is about believing and trusting that the promises of God have been and will find fulfillment in and through Jesus Christ. 

Romans 15:13 points out this fundamental truth about the role of faith in our peace. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” Did you hear that? In believing. That is saying that God’s promises become real for us and produce peace in and through us “in believing.” When we believe God’s promises are being and will be fulfilled, we find His peace that goes beyond reason. 

Giving glory to God and living in the reality of His peace finds fulfillment in three ways: peace with God, peace with self, and peace with others.

PEACE WITH GOD

Since the garden, we have been at odds with God. The result of our sin is separation from God and death. We desperately need peace with God! If we don’t start here, all other thoughts and experiences of peace will be superficial and temporary at best.

Romans 5:1 tells us, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith [again, the vital act of believing], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Justified means that God declares us to be just (acquitted of all guilt) in His sight. He does this by giving us the righteousness of Jesus through His sacrificial death and His resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ death is our death, and His resurrection is our resurrection. This comes to us by grace through faith alone, and not by works.

The result is peace with God. We are no longer separated from God because of our sins. He is not against us, but for us. Therefore, we have peace. We no longer need to be afraid because perfect love casts out fear. How does that make you feel?

But this is not the only fulfillment of peace...

PEACE WITH SELF

Because we now live in the reality of peace with God by grace through faith, we can begin to experience the enjoyment of peace with ourselves. Again, the key to this peace is that we choose to glorify God rather than ourselves. Giving Him all the glory allows us to release the pursuit of self-glorification. It allows us to be at peace with our struggles and anxieties that can often paralyze us or even make us feel hopeless.

Philippians 4:6–7 is one of the most important passages when considering this peace with self: 

“Do not be anxious about anything [peace is the opposite of anxiety], but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God [give your anxieties over to God]. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding [goes beyond reason], will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Paul is suggesting that our hearts and our minds are under attack. Sin, guilt, worry, uncertainty, and loneliness threaten our peace. God wants to “guard” our hearts and minds with His peace. He guards them in a way that goes beyond reason. 

Don’t limit God’s peace by what you can understand. God’s peace is supernatural, and He gives it to us when we take our anxieties to Him through prayer and trust that He will take them for us (1 Peter 5:7 – casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you). He will guard us, and then he will use us to be peacemakers (our third fulfillment of peace)...

PEACE WITH OTHERS

The third fulfillment of God’s peace is found in our relationships with other people. We have little control over this area because we cannot control other people, only ourselves. As Paul said in Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

Again, this can only happen when we give God the highest glory. As we relinquish our desire for self-glorification, we can walk humbly before God and others and not look to push our opinions on others or win arguments. Instead, we glorify God and draw others into His great peace. Think about it, how much of your anxiety is based on relationships with other people?

When we get together with friends and family for Christmas, we often encounter awkward and painful relationships. Some of the pain is old, and some of it is new. With some of these relationships, you know exactly what you need to do to restore peace (even though it may come with great difficulty). However, in some other relationships, you have no idea what to do to restore peace.

The key to restoring peace in those relationships is trusting that God fulfills His promises, which makes you fully aware of how he forgave you through Christ. So, as He has forgiven you and given you peace, you should do likewise. As Paul said in Ephesians 4:31–32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” We must keep granting peace when we want to do anything but live peaceably with others. We must keep reminding ourselves that the peace of God draws us nearer to His heart and character. 

The peace of God is transcendent. It is beyond the comprehension of the world. The Christmas season provides us with a unique opportunity to share with others a peace that surpasses all understanding and goes beyond reason. It is a time to be disciples who believe in Jesus and look like Him. May we declare the glory of God as we live in and reflect His peace!