“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
JESUS SAID, “YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE” (JOHN 8:32). Cloudy vision and confused notions about what is real are at the root of the problem of sin, and Jesus came to clear up our vision and reacquaint us with the truth. To the extent that we let Him adjust our understanding, we will gain a greater measure of freedom and also many other things that freedom makes possible, such as peace and confidence.
On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus spoke with His disciples about both truth and peace. First He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and later He said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (v.27). These two statements are inseparable. It was only because He was the true way to God that Jesus could promise peace, and we need to understand that peace can’t be enjoyed on any basis but that of truth: in other words, of God’s explanation of reality. If we reject the truth about God and our responsibilities to Him, then our hopes will be blighted by fear, no matter what soothing lies we tell ourselves.
But if truth banishes fear, it doesn’t do so automatically. For truth to give us peace, we must value it enough to pursue it diligently. We must dig for it, appreciate its worth, and apply its principles to our decisions twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It is a potent force, but not even truth can liberate those who are lazy and lack the desire to learn (Proverbs 17:16).
Out of all the truths that can give us peace, the greatest are those that concern God Himself, and the greatest of these is that He is the sovereign Ruler of His creation. Whatever forces oppose His benevolent will right now will be brought back under His rule or else banished from His presence on Judgment Day. When we are grounded in this truth about God, we can be guarded by the promise that those who are rightly related to Him through Christ will share in His victory. “In the world you will have tribulation,” Jesus said, “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
“Unceasing peace is the result of truth. Stress and grief are the products of falsehood” (Guigo I).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
