Peace on Earth – Really?

Image Compliments of Pixby.com

From the latter half of the twentieth century to the present, a significant push for peace has been made from many different places in our world.

Presently, south of our border, President Trump has wanted to bring peace to the decades long unrest in the Middle East and to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. His desires to be known as a President of peace. Remarkably, his efforts have not gone unnoticed either. Some countries have even wanted to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize (1). For example, Pakistan announced on June 20, 2025, it would nominate Trump after diplomatic interactions during a May conflict between India and Pakistan that ended in a ceasefire; the Pakistan government described the nomination as recognizing his "decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership" (2). Certainly, these aspirations are noble. But can there be any real lasting peace?

People sickened by war, fed up with oppression, and weary of abuse, have joined together in a fight against fighting. Ironically, many Christians – followers of Jesus, the Prince of Peace – have raised a skeptical eyebrow toward this embrace of peace, rather than add an enthusiastic Christian voice to it. Why is that? I’ll come to that in a moment.

The Christmas story about the birth of Jesus Christ contains an important announcement about peace. The angels announced in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in highest, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” In the angels' announcement we see that God’s peace was not elusive, it was obtainable, but it was conditional.

So, we must ask, "With whom is God pleased?" Apparently, he is not pleased with everyone. If he was, then there would be no need for hell, and his peace would be axiomatic in every country and city in the world. But the news headlines tell a different story.

If Christ came into the world to bring peace, then where is it? And if his peace resides only upon those with whom he is pleased – then “What does it take to please God?' Knowing the answer to that question will help us find the kind of peace the angels announced at Christ's birth.

Perhaps a good starting point would be to determine if peace ever existed on the earth in the first place. Or are we just chasing an elusive fantasy? To answer that question, we must go back to the beginning when God created the world.

When God finished creating the world, it says in Genesis 1:31, “He looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” When God calls something good – like his creation – you can be pretty sure it was a peaceful and serene place.

Then he created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. And, if you read the narrative in Genesis 3, you’ll discover they gave in to the serpent’s (Satan) deception and temptation. They ate the fruit from the forbidden tree and sin and death came into the world as a result of their disobedience.

God’s idyllic creation was now marred. Things were no longer peaceful. Guilty consciences appeared. Chaos and turmoil followed. And the first evidence that man couldn’t get along with each other soon followed, when a jealous Cain murdered his brother Abel.

By the time we reach Genesis chapter 6, just before Noah began to build the ark, it is evident that peace was nowhere to be found. Genesis 6:5-6 says, "The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart."

In God’s perfect creation, death, evil, and sin were not a part of it. But sin and death entered the world because God gave Adam and Eve a choice. They chose to disobey God. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12). The evil and chaotic picture of our world without peace is best captured by Paul's words to the Ephesians and the Romans. In Ephesians 2: 1-4 Paul describes the state of every Christian before they chose to follow Christ:

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

In Romans chapter 1:28-32 Paul describes a world without God's peace:

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

These depictions that Paul gives of the Ephesians and the Romans aptly describes our present world as well. It showcases what happens when no one searches for God and his peace, but instead, is caught up in a societal juggernaut of selfishness, sin and evil. Christians have long known that any attempt to attain peace without addressing the human condition of sin is a fruitless cause.

What we need to understand is that our sin and evil alienates us from God. Instead of working to restore our relationship with God, we try to fill that void with everything but God.

To restore our relationship with God and to obtain peace with God, our sin had to be dealt with. Whereas Adam’s sin brought death to everyone, God’s Son, Jesus brought forgiveness and eternal life through his death and resurrection. Paul states it like this:

"But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:15)."

God’s grace and forgiveness are now available because Jesus came to earth. He died on a cross for our sins and rose from the dead. Luke wrote, in Acts 10:36, “This is the message of Good News – that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”

While Jesus walked the earth, he invited people to repent of their sins and to put their trust in him. He still does. It’s the only way for us to have have peace with God.

When we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus as our Saviour we make our peace with God. Our sins are forgiven. Our inner struggle for peace is satisfied. We are promised the abiding presence of God to go with us while we are on this earth and eternal life after death. Paul says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” No longer are we alienated from God when we believe in his Son.

When we make our peace with God, we can experience the peace of God. Gone is the internal struggle to find peace with God. In its place, God gives us his peace – an inner peace that is truly remarkable. In fact, it’s beyond comprehension. God’s inner peace sustains us through every trial and difficulty. This is what Paul meant when he told the Philippians, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil.4:7) Simply put, making peace with God will bring the peace of God into our lives. It is a peace that settles our nerves, fills our mind, floods our spirit and, in the midst of the uproar around us, gives us the assurance that everything is all right."

Peace with God is what we need first; it's important to reflect upon this, because there is so much inadequate Christian teaching today proclaiming the blessings first to people: 'Come to Jesus, don't worry about repentance. Do you want a friend, a buddy? Do you need help? Do you want happiness? Do you want prosperity? Do you want peace and joy? Do you want to be healed? Then come to Jesus.'

The problem with this type of teaching is it all starts with us and our needs. Jesus becomes the one who will satisfy those needs. He becomes like a baby's pacifier, meeting the child's temporary needs 'til it squawks again!

But before we can have our needs met, we first have the need for peace with God. We can have no benefits from God until we are reconciled to him. We need God's forgiveness. We need peace with God first. Paul wrote to the Romans in 5: 6-9, "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

Christ didn't give up his life on the cross for perfect people. He didn't wait for us to get better and improve. That could never happen apart from him. Instead, God showed his great love toward us while we were still helpless sinners. It's what we call amazing grace.

Are you longing for peace? Then you first must answer this question, "Have you made your peace with God?" If you answered yes, then you know what I mean when I talk about God’s wonderful peace.

If you haven’t made your peace with God, then you will need to take that first step to restore your relationship with God. Repent of your sins and ask for God's forgiveness. Believe in Jesus, God's Son. Trust in him for the things he accomplished for you by dying on the cross. There on that cross, he took your sins. Don’t let your sins any longer separate you from a wonderful relationship with your Heavenly Father. Come to Jesus and experience God's peace this Christmas season. Make peace with God so you can have the peace of God in your heart.