“The Sword Of Peace”

Sunday, December 21, 2014

      Some passages that say God is peaceful (Rom 15:33, 1 Cor 14:33, 2 Cor 13:11, 2 Thess 3:16, Heb 13:20, and Isa 2:4).  Some passages say that God is a warlord (Psa 18:34, Exo 15:3, Psa 24:8, 2 Sam 22:35, Psa 144:1, and Joel 3:9-10).  So how am I to understand both set of Scriptures when one talks of peace and the other talks of war?

Sincerely,
Character Building

Dear Character Building,

God says that we should be at peace with all men as much as it depends on us (Rom 12:18).  It takes two to have peace, and even the greatest peacemakers must be prepared for war when others seek to destroy and commit evil.  God is that perfect peacemaker that desires good things for all but is unafraid to punish the wicked (Rom 12:19).  If God were unwilling to protect the righteous from evil, there would be no peace (Pr 17:15).  However, God knows how to both protect the righteous and vanquish the unrighteous (2 Pet 2:9).

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