He is our peace

'He is our peace'

— Ephesians 2:14

The Lord, Jesus Christ is our peace. He is not only the Friend of peace and the Prince of peace, but peace itself. He has not only made peace and proclaimed peace, but Christ is our peace.

Christ is our peace with God. There was a wall of partition separating us from God: our sin and guilt. But Christ came in human flesh to reconcile a holy God and his sinful people. In order to do so, he established righteousness for us, such as God’s law required, and satisfied the justice of God against us by pouring out his own life’s blood unto death as our Substitute. By his great atonement the Son of God has taken away the sin which separated God and his chosen people. But another wall of partition had to be broken down: our proud, sinful, rebellious will had to be subdued. Christ has done that too. By the power of his Spirit, through the preaching of the gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ has persuaded us who believe to be reconciled to God. ‘He is our peace, ‘because he has reconciled God to us by his effectual blood and reconciled us to God by his irresistible grace.

Christ is our peace with one another. He has made all true believers one in himself. Coming to Christ in faith, we are united in heart and purpose with all other true believers. Faith in Christ destroys all those distinctions of the flesh which alienate sinful men: race, social standing, education, etc. In the kingdom of grace there is neither black nor white, male nor female, rich nor poor: but Christ is all, and in all. ‘He is our peace,’ because we are one in him.

Christ is our peace within ourselves. When Christ rules in a man’s heart, he causes that heart to be at peace. It is written: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. “He is our peace,’ because he brings peace to the heart.