Peace! has been a popular declaration throughout history. It has been uttered honestly, and it has also been used deceitfully before wiping out whole people groups. God indicts certain people by saying, “You’ve declared, ‘Peace! Peace!’, when there is no peace,” and “they speak peace but evil is in their hearts.”
The Bible says that there is no peace for the wicked. Who is wicked? According to the Bible, all of mankind has fallen and become wicked, for it says, “in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” This is a harsh message, that hostility abounds among mankind; but is it true? How can we know?
According to the Bible, one of our most deadly weapons is our tongue. “Their tongue is a deadly arrow.” A sword or bullet can kill us once, but our tongue will kill us for eternity. Jesus said that if you’ve called someone a curse word or a fool, you are in danger of the fire of Hell. He also said that out of the abundance of our heart our mouth professes, have you ever told someone that you hated them? The biggest indictment comes if we’ve ever taken God’s name in vain. Have you used God’s name without reverence or as a curse word by saying things like OMG, or Jesus Christ, or Goodness Gracious, or any number of others? According to the Bible, we do that because there is enmity between us and God, we make ourselves his enemy by using his name in vain, we declare war on Heaven with our irreverent use of his name.
There is no peace for the wicked. But, Jesus loved his enemies by willingly facing their condemnation. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, went to a cross to save wicked people; it pleased God the Father to crush his only begotten Son, thereby making peace through the blood of his cross. While we were hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has reconciled us in his body of flesh through his death, if we repent towards God and put our faith in Jesus Christ.
The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, is alive today, he defeated death three days after his crucifixion, and he promises for all who hope in him, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” May he guide your feet into the way of peace.
