"Peace Takes Practice" (Colossians 3:5-15)

Welcome to the Reformed University Fellowship at UNCW Podcast! Each week, we will post the messages from our RUF Large Group meetings at UNCW. This semester, we are looking at how the Spirit of God transforms our relationships. This week, we’re looking at the aspect of christian character that Galatians 5 calls "peace." In the Bible, peace is more than an absence of conflict. Peace (also called Shalom in the Hebrew Bible) is God’s vision and intention for how all human relationships are supposed to be! In Colossians 3, Paul describes two ways of doing relationships with those who we have the closest, deepest intimacy. One is governed by the rule of peace, and the other is governed by our natural, selfish desire for comfort. Paul shows us that for Christians, our union with Christ gives us everything we need to be people of peace. But we will only experience harmony in our closest relationships to the degree that they are continually being transformed by the already-paid-for peace of Jesus. “The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight — a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.” - Cornelius Plantinga. “Modern-day Christians must admit that that these extraordinary resources for … understanding, healing, and unity are largely going untapped. The new self that is rooted in Christ's love and work rather in than our race, culture, and achievements is something that must be put on … Paul would not be exhorting believers to put on the new self or to overcome racial hostility if this happened automatically to Christians. You can be a believing Christian and not put off your old identity with its idolatrous desires, including the natural human inclination to make an idol of our culture, in order to feel superior to others.” - Tim Keller “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” - Elie Weisel