"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." It is a greeting at the beginning of Apostle Paul's letters. It is such a typical greeting from Paul that you breeze over it. To the church in Corinth Paul recommends they greet one another with a Holy Kiss which, as Presbyterians, is not happening. We offer the sign of peace as we greet one another during the church service. It is not just a way to say hello to one another. It is a sign of unity to welcome one another - to have no divisions amongst ourselves.
If you say, "God's peace be with you," what kind of peace are you getting? Is God at peace? Is he anxious? Does he have good days and bad days? Does he get in a bad mood? Is he upset about the upcoming election? Is he baffled about what to do about ISIS? We can look at how the Prince of Peace lived and see that he was in control, never confused, and selfless even during his greatest trial, going to the cross. This peace is present because he knew he was going to his Father in heaven.
Wayne Grudem defines peace as the doctrine that, “God is separate from all confusion and disorder in his being and actions. Yet, he continually participates in innumerable well-ordered, fully controlled, simultaneous actions.” God is understood to have these traits: omnipresence (God is everywhere present), eternal (God has existed for all of eternity), unchangeable (God does not change), and simple (characteristics of God are not parts of God that together makeup God i.e., God does not have goodness, but simply is goodness).
He has all of these traits unified in him. He is not more loving than he is holy, and vice versa. We can grieve him by our behavior and please him in our obedience, but he is not surprised or perplexed by our actions. Nor would we want him to be. He is entirely secure, content, and happy as God. He is at peace. Just like earthly children want their parents to be dependable during difficult circumstances, he is reliable on a different level because nothing can thwart his plan or change his character. He is someone we can turn to for the peace that transcends everything else.
I am reminded of a song my children learned this summer at a Christian camp: “My God is so Big, so Strong, and so Mighty; there is nothing that my God cannot do! He can give you peace during any storm that may come your way. How big is your God?”
