Fruit of the Spirit: PEACE

Pinckney Pinchback is known in American history for being the very first black man to serve as a state governor. And while that may seem like a milestone event in civil rights, there is much more to the story. Pinckney’s father, William Pinchback, was a white southern plantation owner in Mississippi. Pinckney’s mother, Eliza Stewart, was one of William’s slaves. Even though Pinckney was born to slave, William took him (and the other nine children he had with Eliza) as his own children, not as slaves. Eventually, William freed Eliza from slavery before his death in 1848. Eliza moved north to Ohio so her children could be raised in a free state that did not have the institution of slavery.

The Civil War ended in 1865, and two years later in 1867 Republican congressmen from the North forced through the passage of the Reconstruction Act. This dismantled so-called “black code” laws in the south and gave black men the right to vote and to hold office. Pinckney found his advantage by running for the state senate in Louisiana (even though he had moved there from Ohio) because there was instantly a strong coalition of black voters among the population in Louisiana. In 1868 Pinckney was elected as a Republican to the state senate and appointed to the position of senate leader, even though only seven of the 36 senate seats in Louisiana were held by black men.

In 1871 the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana died, and Pinckney was automatically moved to fill that position as leader of the senate. In 1872, while Pinckney was serving as Lieutenant Governor, Louisiana had an election to fill an open US senate seat in Washington. Louisiana’s election board appointed by the Republican Governor, Henry Warmoth, declared the Democratic candidate won. The Republican led legislature in Louisiana appointed their own separate election commission which proceeded to declare the election was fraudulent and that the Republican candidate had actually won. Republican Governor Henry Warmoth certified the election by the official election board results and named the democratic candidate as the winner. The republican legislature in Louisiana then proceeded to file articles of impeachment against their own Republican Governor and sought to remove him from office because he would not support their claim that the election was fraudulent.

Article 53 of the Louisiana Constitution stipulates that if charges of impeachment are filed against the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor assumes Governor responsibilities while the impeachment proceedings take place. And this is how Pinckney Pinchback became the very first back state governor in America, being sworn into office on December 9, 1872. Pinckney Pinchback served as Governor for a total of six weeks until Warmoth’s term ended on January 13, 1873. Six weeks as Governor because of an impeachment trial over allegations of election fraud; but all the same, he still goes down in history as the first back man in America to be a state governor.

The Civil War was over, but things sure didn’t seem very peaceful down in those southern states that had been torn apart by war. It seems there is a lot more to peace than the ending of war. There is more to peace than simply the removal of conflict. And since it appears the culture wars of the 1870s are not much different than the culture wars of today, maybe we could use a good discussion on what the Bible has to say about being people of peace.

John 14:15–27 NIV

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Let’s start today with a sort of 30,000-foot view over this Bible passage and then work our way in. Jesus concludes his section of teaching here with some words about peace, but let’s figure out what peace has to do with everything else Jesus is talking about around this. I think sometimes we get confused whenever we run across passages in the Bible that speak about peace. It is a complex word in the Hebrew language and carries a great deal of nuanced meaning for the Hebrew people. It may help us to zero in on what Jesus is talking about here in this passage when he says he gives peace.

teachings in John 14 — Jesus speaks several times about the coming of the Holy Spirit

The big picture view of John 14 is that Jesus is giving his final instructions and teachings to his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. The scene here is the last supper on the night Jesus is betrayed. John tells us that Jesus washes his disciples feet, and then after the meal begins this series of teachings that begin back in John 13. In these teachings Jesus predicts his betrayal and death, and predicts that he will be disowned—rather depressing news for the disciples to be hearing. But also in these teachings Jesus speaks several times about the coming of the Holy Spirit, who John also refers to as the advocate. Jesus knows what steps are immediately in front of him over the next day which will take him to the cross. And he knows the confusion and suffering that will come upon his disciples in these next days as well.

why John includes this teaching from Jesus at this particular point in his gospel writing

And into that context comes this teaching about the Holy Spirit and peace. It certainly does not seem like a very peaceful time in the story of the gospel narrative. In fact, if there is any point in the story of the gospels that we might identify as the furthest from what we might consider peace, I think it would be right here—the day in which Jesus is betrayed, arrested, and executed. We need to make some sense of why John includes this teaching from Jesus at this particular point in his gospel writing.

Alright, to find some understanding of why this teaching appears in this part of the gospel story needs a little further insight into a detail tucked into the passage itself. One of the foundational beliefs of Christianity is the Trinity. The Christian church has always taught for 2000 years that our God is a triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is one of those doctrines in the church that is somewhat difficult to understand. We say there is one God who is made up of three persons. Thomas Jefferson, who was not a Christian, famously said in one of his writings that “the problem with Christians is that they cannot count.” A comment directed toward the doctrine of the Trinity—one God, three persons.

God reveals himself in scripture to be Trinity

It is difficult because you cannot find the word “trinity” anywhere in the Bible. Yet scattered about several passages here in the New Testament, there are obvious clues which God reveals about himself that show us the trinitarian makeup of God. This passage right here in John 14 which we read today is dripping with trinitarian language. Just look at verse 26 as one example of what is present all over in this passage.

John 14:26 NIV

26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

God in himself flourishes and thrives in perfect love

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existing eternally in a perfect unity of love. The heavenly Father selflessly gives love to the Son and the Spirit, but also receives the selfless love of the Son and the Spirit. The Son gives love to the Father and the Spirit, but also receives love from the Father and the Spirit. And the Spirit gives love to the Father and the Son, but also receives love from the Father and the Son. A God whose very being exemplifies perfect self-giving-and-receiving love. God in himself flourishes and thrives in perfect love.

out of this perfect love which flourishes and thrives within the Trinity Jesus gives peace to his disciples

It is out of this perfect love which flourishes and thrives within the Trinity that Jesus gives to his disciples peace. In fact, it is this perfect flourishing and thriving trinitarian love which gives us a better glimpse into understanding what peace means when we read about it in the Bible.

peace is one of the central themes of the Bible

If you have been with me a while, you know that this is not a new subject for me to bring up. I have talked about peace several times here before. And I do that because I want us to be absolutely certain about the way in which peace is one of the central themes of the Bible. Some of the other central themes of the Bible are obvious enough. Anyone who reads scripture knows that the Bible carries a theme of love. And anyone who reads scripture knows that the Bible carries a theme of grace. Perhaps many people would also identify a prominent theme of covenant that is seen in the Bible, or a theme of faith within scripture. I would round out that top five list of most important Biblical themes with peace. Woven all throughout scripture is an intentional focus on peace. We might be able to catch some of that even in this passage as Jesus tells his disciples that along with the gift of the Holy Spirit being given to the church comes together with the gift of peace.

Hebrew shalom “peace” = flourishing, thriving (Nicholas Wolterstorff)

Peace in the Bible comes from that Old Testament Hebrew word shalom. In the many times I have discussed peace before I always give credit to Reformed Scholar Nicholas Wolterstorff who says that the better English translation for shalom is ‘flourishing.’ Flourishing is what describes the creation God made in Genesis 1 before sin came into the world. Shalom-flourishing is what characterizes the world functioning in all its creative beauty in all the exact ways that God created and intended the world to function free from sin. When the conditions around us are exactly and absolutely perfect for everything God made to flourish and thrive, that’s shalom.

sin defined as a “violation of shalom” (Neil Plantinga)

salvation Jesus brings to us through the cross culminates with the reinstatement of God’s perfect shalom

I think it is with Wolterstorff’s ‘flourishing’ in mind that Neil Plantinga’s book about sin titled Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be defines sin as a “violation of shalom.” Any time we break down or impede the flourishing which God intends for his creation, we see sin at work. This is what makes peace—shalom-flourishing—such an important and major theme of the Bible. The salvation Jesus brings to us through the cross culminates in the book of revelation with the reinstatement of God’s perfect shalom. Maybe we sometimes think that the final destination for Christianity is heaven. Let’s be very precise about the way scripture portrays paradise. Paradise is the complete restoration of shalom. It is the reason why the angel in Bethlehem announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in Luke 2 proclaims this news as “peace on earth.”

Jesus describes the shalom of God himself and says, I am sharing my shalom with you the people of God’s church are to be characterized as people of peace

Bring it back to John 14. Jesus gives for his disciples a description of the perfect flourishing and thriving love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus describes for us the shalom of God himself. And Jesus concludes that teaching with an amazing pronouncement: “my peace I give you.” I am sharing my shalom with you. The perfect flourishing and thriving love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is overflowing from our triune God and is poured out upon his people. We—the people of God’s church—are to be defined as people of peace.

Shalom is not the absence of conflict and turmoil, but the active presence of God’s flourishing and thriving

Keep in mind, we are talking about peace as the Bible describes it—peace as the shalom flourishing of God within his creation. Get past the English language definition of peace. In our language, perhaps we narrowly define peace as an absence of conflict or an absence of tension. When we think about peace, we might often frame it that way. When the lake is peaceful, what we mean is that there is an absence of turbulent waves and wind upon the water. When a baby sleeps peacefully, what we mean is there is an absence of restless tossing and turning. Shalom is much more. Shalom is not the absence of turmoil, but the active presence of flourishing and thriving.

In 1865, the civil war between North and South ended. The Battles stopped. By our own definitions, we would say there was peace. And in those years immediately following the Civil War in the South, there may have been an end to the conflict, but there was NOT an active presence of flourishing. There was an absence of war, but there was NOT the presence of shalom. In 1865 and 1866 when southern states admitted back into the union began passing what was known as ‘black code’ laws restricting freed slaves’ rights and abilities in southern states, there was a swift response by Northern Republicans in congress to pass the Reconstruction Act of 1867. This swung so far the other way that it failed to protect many of the efforts of Southerners to rebuild their lives. Opportunists from the North (who became known as ‘carpetbaggers’) moved to the South in order to take control and take advantage of those whose lives had been torn apart by years of war. This, in turn, led to the rise of organizations like the Ku Klux Klan who pushed back using fear and violence against the black population in the South. There may have been an absence of war in the South during the years following 1865, but it was certainly NOT a time of flourishing and thriving for people who lived there. The army may have declared a time of peace, but shalom was missing.

the spiritual fruit of peace reminds us that shalom is not about the absence of conflict; it is about the active presence of God’s flourishing and thriving

When we act in ways which enable others to flourish and thrive, we bear the spiritual fruit of peace

Our generation is marked at the moment with what we see to be culture wars taking place. We may not be literally pointing cannons at one another. But there are figurative shots being fired between sides in our society. This is where the spiritual fruit of peace starts coming into play. And this is where the spiritual fruit of peace gives us some guidance in these times of culture wars. Because the spiritual fruit of peace reminds us that shalom is not about the absence of conflict; it is about the active presence of flourishing and thriving. When we act in ways which enable others to flourish and thrive, we bear the spiritual fruit of peace. Look for a moment how the apostle Paul describes this fruit applying to the culture war issue of his time taking place in Ephesus.

Ephesians 2:11–18 NIV

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Paul explains in this passage how the Jewish and Gentile believers may have had the appearance of absence of conflict. After all, they were all brought together as part of the same church in Ephesus. But Paul is also telling us they still had quite a long way to go in embracing the active presence of flourishing and thriving within their community together.

spiritual fruit of peace begins with reminding ourselves again that God himself is our peace

The spiritual fruit of peace begins with reminding ourselves again that God himself is our peace. The grace that we have received from God is the overflow of his shalom into our lives. Maybe your life doesn’t feel very peaceful all the time; maybe your life is stuck in the middle of conflict. But remember, shalom is not necessarily about the absence of conflict; shalom is about the active presence of God’s overflowing love. May we flourish abundantly in the grace and love of God. In fact, may we flourish so abundantly in the grace and love of God that we ourselves overflow with grace and love.

posture of peace — positioning my life to embrace every little glimpse of shalom flourishing I can find in the world around me

What does it look like, then, to bear the spiritual fruit of peace? It is a posture we take in our lives. To hold ourselves in a posture of peace is to respond to the love and grace of God in ways that will seek to embrace every little glimpse of shalom flourishing we can find in the world around us. A posture of peace always approaches those around us in ways that promote the flourishing and thriving of our world within God’s love and grace.

Spiritual fruit of Peace — shows up in small glimpses and nudges towards shalom

Here is what else a posture of peace looks like as spiritual fruit. It shows up in small glimpses. I know someone like Arv Tap could tell us stories about students from Potter’s House who were given the opportunity to flourish, or released inmates through 70X7 Life Recovery who were given an opportunity to flourish. We see examples right here on Tuesday nights with our Life Skills Program of people who are given an opportunity to flourish. Here is what I want you to know. Each one of those stories is actually made up a collection of many small glimpses and nudges towards shalom—coming from a posture of peace.

So do not count yourself out if you do not have huge stories to tell about people finding shalom flourishing in your world around you. Some days, a little glimpse and a small nudge towards shalom is all we can do. That’s okay. That little thing you do to care for the health of an aging spouse or family member is a glimpse of shalom flourishing in their world. That little thing you do which steps in to help care for grandkids is a glimpse of shalom flourishing in their world. That little habit of recycling or tending a garden in order to care for the environment is a glimpse of shalom flourishing in our world. All of these things are a posture of peace which bear the spiritual fruit of peace. And it all testifies to the truth that God himself is our peace.