peace Gal. 5:22
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness, 6) goodness, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, 9) self-control; against such things there is no law.
3) peace, - eirene (ειρηνη - pronounced "ay-ray-nay") - all encompassing calm, total peace, a complete lack of turbulence.
The OT concept of peace was that peace was a reflection of wellbeing, and being a "man of peace" meant that I would do you no physical harm. The NT concept of peace is much more far reaching; it is not just about what won't happen, but also about what WILL happen - a man of peace will do you no harm, true, but he will also bring calm and safety into your life. As with "joy," this is a state of being that has no bearing on the circumstances or surroundings. The world can be filled with violence and chaos all around, but a person with eirene with be in complete peace to the point that that peace will even rub off on those in close proximity. They will have a calming effect on those around them, and no threats or harm will shatter that peace (in the same way that Jesus stood before his judges in a state of complete peace, and that Paul stood before Gentile rulers and Jewish judges in complete peace).
Peace is an inner state of being that comes from a deep and intimate relationship with God. It is both intellectual (knowing that if God is for us, then ultimately, nothing else really matters) and emotional (the worst that can happen to us is the wonderful reward that we or our loved ones get to stand before the throne and be in the presence of the God we love and serve sooner than we thought).
Peace also tends to manifest itself in that a peaceful person is very slow to get upset, stays calm in a crisis or emergency, is extremely reluctant to harm another (and actually prefers to be harmed rather than harm someone else), expresses joy easily, but anger rarely (is extreme slow to anger). This person walks through life in a bubble of calm tranquility reminisent of Jesus calmly and evenly walking on the water during a huge storm. The bubble doesn't keep people out (as Peter succeeded in walking on the water into Jesus' bubble of calm for a brief moment), it keeps the EFFECTS of situations out.
Grace and peace to you,
Rhomphaia
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Look for the good in people. And let the good in you be visible to them.
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