EXTRACT

Peace is a moral element in Christianity, and it must be the effect of righteousness. If there be not righteousness, the maintenance of divinely-appointed relationships in integrity, God will not tolerate peace.

“There is no peace for the wicked”. If there be righteousness, then I can understand that peace follows upon it, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”.

It is most important to see the place that Christ has in relation to peace; how He has come in, in the cross, to remove the cause of confusion, and there is now peace by Him between those who were by nature very far separated, Jew and Gentile. We were all very far separated from one another, we were not of the same kindred, but Christ has come in to displace practically in us what He removed in the cross. The old man was removed in the cross, and the Spirit of Christ is come in to effect the setting aside of the old man in us, that there may be no room for anything but Christ, if there is distance between saints there is a defect on the point of righteousness, not simply on the point of love. There is the allowance of the flesh, that which has been removed in Christ’s death, and that is not righteousness. The great part of our difficulties is not as regards affection, but as regards righteousness, practical righteousness, the fruit of which is peace.

Christ has made peace, He is our peace, and He gives to us His peace that we may walk in quietness and sobriety down here, having complacency in the will of God, and, at the same time, confidence in God that He is able, in due season, to give effect to His will. Thus will the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.

F. E. Raven (Vol. 4, pp.279, 280)

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