The Fruit of the Peace: The Wellspring of Right Standing
by Daniel Burton
It seems as if the world is slowly spiraling down into anxiety and disorder. With the access to to global amount of information from technology fueled by an over emphasis on feelings as our guiding north star, it is no surprise that people are quickly become more and more anxious as they interpret the world around them. Peace seems like a far off ideal that has passed this generation by. Yet, the third part of the Fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Ephesians is the expression of Peace. For the Spirit-filled Christian, peace is not a far off abstract but comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Peace is tied to our eternal state rather than where we are during a particular moment of time. For the Christian, the Spirit of God indwelling inside of believers is a source of peace in the midst of a chaotic and anxious world.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 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, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Peace as Wholeness
Throughout the biblical text, the idea of peace is thematically tied heavily to the idea of wholeness. On numerous occasions, as Jesus heals those with chronic, debilitating, and incurable diseases, he admonishes them to “go in peace.” 
Not that they should pick up peace as they are going but rather that they have already attained a level of peace they did not have before. They were broken and by the miraculous grace of Jesus Christ, they obtained peace. Where their body had been in a sense of turmoil and anxiety, the restoration of Jesus Christ gives peace.
There is no external source that can bring peace greater than being restored to our intended relationship with Jesus Christ. Our peace comes from Jesus Christ securing our eternity on our behalf. Where we were unable to produce peace by following the law, by the grace of God, Jesus Christ provided peace for His people. For now, we have a taste of the peace that is to come as we later take hold of our new bodies in full relationship and intimacy with Jesus Christ. As we await our guaranteed eternal and everlasting promise, we stand in peace as a refuge and outpost among the storm of this world. We have been given peace by the God who claimed all authority and power and offers us safety and eternal life. This is our peace.
Peace With The Body of Christ
The sign of the Spirit within us as peace should be lived outward toward one another. Ephesians is clear that work of Jesus broke down the barriers between, not only God and man, but also between man and man. The peace of goes extends beyond our ability to contain it within ourselves. While there may be many denominations, there is only one God revealed in the flesh through Jesus Christ. Just as Christ reached out to us at our worst, Christ is working in others as well. Even if people are different than us, we must continue to sow seeds of peace.
There is no place for racism, bigotry, and judgmental attitudes towards a person who is created in the image of God. Though we are all sinful and believers should be willing to call sin for what it is, the attitude should be that of peace. We seek to build one another up towards a right stand and wholeness in an attitude of peace. The world may seemingly be spiraling downward towards anxiety and chaos, but the believer will stand firm on the foundation of peace for all the world to see because our God redeemed and sanctified His people.
For more in this series, check out The Fruit of the Spirit
