The Enemy of Peace
God loves peace, the byproduct of faith and love. Peace means rest from worry and surrender and calm trust. Pure joy, true development of all our powers, real love dwell in the peace God has prepared for those who love Him.
But there is a counterfeit of peace. It exists in a quasi state of carelessness and lack of consideration. In blissful irresponsibility, presumption cares only for itself. God abhors presumption because it seeks tranquility, without feeling any obligation to the Giver of peace and prosperity. It works just the opposite of real peace. Trust, love and peace find tremendous energy to honor the rights of another person and they always put self last. Presumption walks upon God’s grace and the graciousness of others and expects them to say, “Oh, that’s all right.” Therefore, presumption is the mutual enemy of principle and peace.
When presumption made its debut in heaven distant eons past, when through pity for Lucifer almost half of the angelic hosts bought into his brand of peaceful brotherhood, God just let it happen. Having known God and having learned of His faithfulness as well as they did, the fallen angels, once infected with Lucifer’s “better way of life,” could never return. As painful as was the civil war to the Father of them all, He refused to allow into His kingdom even the slightest hint of presumption, full knowing its horrible end later on planet Earth. He would rather let sin burden down His faithful angelic host and quarantine it to Earth, Lucifer’s sole possession, than jeopardize the eternal safety of the unfallen worlds throughout creation. He would rather let presumption kill Him through the millennia and later demonstrate its crushing load on the Infinite King by crushing the life out His Prince, than condone it for a moment.
God longs for peace in His kingdom; but He can’t accept it at the cost of principle. So when presumption threatens to take over His kingdom, God becomes a Man of war. Quickly does the jealous Lion of Judah watching over His lambs move to protect them.
Long before He would come in the flesh, the Spirit of God revealed the Messiah as a Prince of peace. (Is. 9:6). But not to all did Christ come in peace; to some He would wield a fiery sword of vengeance. “He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.” Is. 11:4.
So Jesus came bearing the benediction of heaven. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 5:3;11:28. But not for everyone. “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword.” “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division.” Matt. 10:34;Lk. 12:5. The first ended up last in His estimation; the most greatly adored He took least notice of. He loved all, lovingly and carefully dealing with Pharisee and publican, but He refused to countenance presumptuous sin.
We see a description of presumption in an obscure event that took place some time after the Israelite tribes moved into their Promised Land. A remnant of the tribe of Dan were still looking for an inheritance to claim and they stumbled upon an out of the way settlement. This description follows: “Then the five men [the Hebrew scouts] departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing.” Ju. 18:7. The Zidonians were very licentious worshippers of Baal, the voracious god of sexuality. Satan had led the wicked inhabitants of this place, by it’s social structure, to live to satisfy the flesh, and to pretend that God took no notice. It was a presumption extravaganza. Qué será, será. Live and let live. I can do what I want to do, and nobody better bother me. No law enforcement was put in place to police or prosecute the trampling of human rights. The people weren’t accountable to anybody. Everyone there could do as he pleased. No rules. The devil worked in them to shake their fist at God in their wickedness and to dare Him to do anything about it. So the Lord led the warlike Danites right to their door, and they were destroyed before their contaminating influence could spread further.
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, and self-willed.” 2Pet. 2:9,10. “We will not have this Man to reign over us,” (Lk. 19:14) they say to God or to anyone for that matter. They just cannot be told what to do.
In the military, I discovered that this kind found it impossible to deal with authority or with a lawful order. They balked at the regimented structure and requirements for good order and conduct. It just grinded on them. They spent their time trying to figure out how to sidestep the military rules and the desires of their commander. If they had used their brain power for the efficient performance of command goals, they would have excelled among their ranks and their promotions could have come much sooner.
The great issue with presumption is pride. Deep down hates to be corrected; it hates to have its motives challenged and exposed. It lays low to avoid the spotlight of truth; it cometh not to the light lest its deeds be reproved. (Jn. 3:20).Thus it can carry on as it pleases without any disturbance. This it calls peace. Really, it is lazy morality, too lazy to wrestle with righteousness. The Holy Spirit works to awaken the conscience to righteousness, only to be continually refused. “They have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” Jer. 6:14. The mysterious reaction of pleasing self, which deadens the soul to the desire for holiness.
Our only hope for salvation from the sin condition is a continuously deepening, intimate knowledge of God and His loving righteousness. Christ gives power to the weak, for anyone who will look for Him. Pride is endemic to the whole human race. Since the fall of man into sin we’ve been proud to the core. Our hearts are evil and we cannot change them. Only God has the power to do this; only He can recreate us and reclaim us from sin and selfishness. “He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth:...all [His]works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.” Dan. 4:35,37. He has chosen to accomplish this through presentation of the truth—to reveal Himself and His character to us in a million ways through super-abundant creation, His Bible, in the everyday life experiences, and through a cross on Golgotha. God’s cure for darkness is light, lots of beautiful light.
So the only solution to presumption is truth as revealed in Christ, which is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the churched person first, and also to the unchurched.” (Rom. 1:16). And when we’ve wrestled with it long and hard under the heavy hand of life in a world of sin, and finally bow to God’s authority and to His loving care during all of life’s troubles, then we will find a friend in God, and we will have peace, real, deep, lasting peace.
“Now no chastening seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised herby.” Heb. 12:11.
But there is a counterfeit of peace. It exists in a quasi state of carelessness and lack of consideration. In blissful irresponsibility, presumption cares only for itself. God abhors presumption because it seeks tranquility, without feeling any obligation to the Giver of peace and prosperity. It works just the opposite of real peace. Trust, love and peace find tremendous energy to honor the rights of another person and they always put self last. Presumption walks upon God’s grace and the graciousness of others and expects them to say, “Oh, that’s all right.” Therefore, presumption is the mutual enemy of principle and peace.
When presumption made its debut in heaven distant eons past, when through pity for Lucifer almost half of the angelic hosts bought into his brand of peaceful brotherhood, God just let it happen. Having known God and having learned of His faithfulness as well as they did, the fallen angels, once infected with Lucifer’s “better way of life,” could never return. As painful as was the civil war to the Father of them all, He refused to allow into His kingdom even the slightest hint of presumption, full knowing its horrible end later on planet Earth. He would rather let sin burden down His faithful angelic host and quarantine it to Earth, Lucifer’s sole possession, than jeopardize the eternal safety of the unfallen worlds throughout creation. He would rather let presumption kill Him through the millennia and later demonstrate its crushing load on the Infinite King by crushing the life out His Prince, than condone it for a moment.
God longs for peace in His kingdom; but He can’t accept it at the cost of principle. So when presumption threatens to take over His kingdom, God becomes a Man of war. Quickly does the jealous Lion of Judah watching over His lambs move to protect them.
Long before He would come in the flesh, the Spirit of God revealed the Messiah as a Prince of peace. (Is. 9:6). But not to all did Christ come in peace; to some He would wield a fiery sword of vengeance. “He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.” Is. 11:4.
So Jesus came bearing the benediction of heaven. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 5:3;11:28. But not for everyone. “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword.” “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division.” Matt. 10:34;Lk. 12:5. The first ended up last in His estimation; the most greatly adored He took least notice of. He loved all, lovingly and carefully dealing with Pharisee and publican, but He refused to countenance presumptuous sin.
We see a description of presumption in an obscure event that took place some time after the Israelite tribes moved into their Promised Land. A remnant of the tribe of Dan were still looking for an inheritance to claim and they stumbled upon an out of the way settlement. This description follows: “Then the five men [the Hebrew scouts] departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing.” Ju. 18:7. The Zidonians were very licentious worshippers of Baal, the voracious god of sexuality. Satan had led the wicked inhabitants of this place, by it’s social structure, to live to satisfy the flesh, and to pretend that God took no notice. It was a presumption extravaganza. Qué será, será. Live and let live. I can do what I want to do, and nobody better bother me. No law enforcement was put in place to police or prosecute the trampling of human rights. The people weren’t accountable to anybody. Everyone there could do as he pleased. No rules. The devil worked in them to shake their fist at God in their wickedness and to dare Him to do anything about it. So the Lord led the warlike Danites right to their door, and they were destroyed before their contaminating influence could spread further.
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, and self-willed.” 2Pet. 2:9,10. “We will not have this Man to reign over us,” (Lk. 19:14) they say to God or to anyone for that matter. They just cannot be told what to do.
In the military, I discovered that this kind found it impossible to deal with authority or with a lawful order. They balked at the regimented structure and requirements for good order and conduct. It just grinded on them. They spent their time trying to figure out how to sidestep the military rules and the desires of their commander. If they had used their brain power for the efficient performance of command goals, they would have excelled among their ranks and their promotions could have come much sooner.
The great issue with presumption is pride. Deep down hates to be corrected; it hates to have its motives challenged and exposed. It lays low to avoid the spotlight of truth; it cometh not to the light lest its deeds be reproved. (Jn. 3:20).Thus it can carry on as it pleases without any disturbance. This it calls peace. Really, it is lazy morality, too lazy to wrestle with righteousness. The Holy Spirit works to awaken the conscience to righteousness, only to be continually refused. “They have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” Jer. 6:14. The mysterious reaction of pleasing self, which deadens the soul to the desire for holiness.
Our only hope for salvation from the sin condition is a continuously deepening, intimate knowledge of God and His loving righteousness. Christ gives power to the weak, for anyone who will look for Him. Pride is endemic to the whole human race. Since the fall of man into sin we’ve been proud to the core. Our hearts are evil and we cannot change them. Only God has the power to do this; only He can recreate us and reclaim us from sin and selfishness. “He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth:...all [His]works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.” Dan. 4:35,37. He has chosen to accomplish this through presentation of the truth—to reveal Himself and His character to us in a million ways through super-abundant creation, His Bible, in the everyday life experiences, and through a cross on Golgotha. God’s cure for darkness is light, lots of beautiful light.
So the only solution to presumption is truth as revealed in Christ, which is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the churched person first, and also to the unchurched.” (Rom. 1:16). And when we’ve wrestled with it long and hard under the heavy hand of life in a world of sin, and finally bow to God’s authority and to His loving care during all of life’s troubles, then we will find a friend in God, and we will have peace, real, deep, lasting peace.
“Now no chastening seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised herby.” Heb. 12:11.
posted by David | 4:10 AM
4 Comments:
Orange_cross, your questions are in some ways difficult to answer because they involve God, who by his nature is totally other from us yet who did reveal himself and manifest himself here on earth as a man, Jesus. He also reveals himself TO and THROUGH men via his Holy Spirit. I have "heard" him not audibly but in my spirit. I have heard him speak to me through his Word, through other people, and through circumstances. I know without a doubt that I have heard him and that it was not just some bad pizza last night and I know it was not myself talking to myself. My love for God is wrapped up in many things, first and foremost because of his love for me which he demonstrated by giving his Son to die for me. I was worth the shed blood of Jesus, that's a lot of love and it shows how much I am worth to him. It is also wrapped up in faith. I cannot touch God and give him a hug physically (yet)but when I give a hug to my Christian brothers and sisters, I know I am connecting with the Spirit of God who dwells in their hearts and it is sweet. I would not say it was so much my choice but rather it was his choice of me that has brought me to where I am in my relationship with him. It is a lot about revelation and faith and about his call and my response. I believe it would be impossible for me to reject God and his love for me now. His word even states that nothing can seperate us from his love for us in Christ.
Hmm, Orange Cross, these are some really in-depth questions!
Maybe Inheritor of Heaven was able to answer your questions. Thanks Inheritor, I appreciated your comments!
When I was 18 years old, someone asked me similar questions and I couldn't give very good answers. A shrug of the shoulders was about it! More recently, I asked my brother, a church-goer, something about a relationship with Christ, and his answer was, "That's a bunch of bunk! Don't feed me that. There is no such thing." Since I considered us both Christians, I was quite taken back. At the worst I expected him to question it. But not reject it. To me it begged the question, Why even go to church if its not to get to know Christ better? A better knowledge of Him and His character, resulting in a stronger faith relationship, is the only reason I go to church.
You probably ask, How did I get to that sort of reasoning? How did I get faith in the first place, a faith that might grow with experience?
My faith in God has solidified over time and with some difficult situations I've gone through. Jesus said that the rich would not likely enter into the kingdom of God. In other words, they wouldn't come to follow God because they have so much from the mundane things, that they rarely, if ever, feel a need for God. Jesus said, "They that are well don't need a physician, but those that are sick do." But its not just the wealthy, its anyone who has no time for God. Today people are really busy. It seems life demands it, but that is a fallacy. But if someone wants faith in God, which is always a gift from God, they must ask Him for it and then start searching for it. I guarantee it will come. Eventually, the person seeking God will know He is present.
You asked if it is a manifestation of some kind, or a mystery you can't put your finger on, or if it comes only by "inspiration," or by some religious practice. For me, it isn't a corporeal manifestation, and it isn't through some religious practice. It is a gift that we can't work out of us, because it is the product of time spent together. Like we come to trust each other by spending time together and talking together and listening, the same is true if we pray to "someone up there," and read the Bible, and work together with "someone up there" serving others. These are not just religious practices, they are the ingredients for getting acquainted with someone.
My love for God is the result of knowing how much He loves. He loves me, but that's not as good as knowing that He loves everyone, a data point I've learned from the Bible, and see reflected in His creation. I want to learn of His love better, and that's what I look for in the Bible and in other sources.
Orange Cross, I hope this helped. I'm sorry if I wasn't able to satisfy your inquisitive mind. I encourage you to go it on your own, and ask the "Somebody up there" to reveal Himself to you.
Take care, brother.
Orange-cross, I would say that the word inspiration that you used is correct in that no one can say Jesus is Lord but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I would say that your word involutary though is not correct. One always has the right to refuse/reject the call of God and the knowing of God and the saying of Jesus is Lord. It seems you think I believe and love God only during the good times or only because of the good times and that is not the case. I think in some ways it was going through the bad times and even in the midst of those times that I began to know him more. When my wife had a heart attack a year ago, she very nearly died. I of course prayed for her healing and subsequently her heart is now working better than before in part due to stints and exercise but all because of the help of the Lord. I also knew though that if she had died, that I would see her at some time in the future due to our belief in Christ. So I had some modicum of peace with either possibility.
In terms of communicating with God, yes, there is a very great mystery to it and yes, sometimes it can be uncomfortable. When you know the God of the universe is speaking and perhaps asking you to do, or not do, or say, or not say, something, it can be one of those times of fear and trembling. I would say that at these times I do not rely on what appeals naturally to me as you say. These are times when perhaps some sort of obedience is being called for and in my natural self, I tend to want to resist, I tend to want what is best for myself (or what I think is best for myself) and so it is difficult to obey. Do I always obey when this happens? No. There are other times though when he speaks comforting and healing words and those times for me have never been about any kind of fear and trembling but rather peace and joy. In the end, both examples have lead me to growth in knowledge and love of God.
Orange Cross, you asked, "Do you feel like you've made a choice, are you compelled?" Yes, I have made a choice, but it was only a response to God's move on me. Yes, I am compelled; my faith is somewhat on autopilot. But I must keep coming to "God by faith so that my choice and natural compulsion to have faith will remain. In other words, I am possessed by the love of God, I am a prisoner to His love. But I am always free to leave, as Inheritor also said. All I need do to leave is to neglect to come to Him by faith in prayer before His open Bible, and His presence will slowly fade away. Then I will be back to the same miserable existence as before I got acquainted with Him, and actually it will be worse because my pride will make it harder to go back and admit my misake in leaving Him. I can't afford that.
God does talk to me. Sometimes convicting words jump out of the Bible that answer a request I had for Him. Sometimes, more and more, wonderful thoughts flow through my mind that I feel I couldn't manufacture. And I am thankful for them.
Orange Cross, you also wrote "everything good in your life comes from God," and I believe you mean that everything good that had come to me is what I translate into God--as you later wrote, "because of God's omnipresence and 'manifestation' in everything good and one's natural response to love such things." I agree with Inheritor, that beside the good, a lot of difficulties have come my way, and it was those difficult times that forced me to hope in God, like the good times couldn't. And when I responded, He opened my thoughts and let me now He was present. This was no mental gymnastics. It was unplanned and I was needing help. I was in no mood to dream up anything. It was, "God, if you're there, do something! I need your help! (please). And I'm so sorry for blowing it again." It was a deep sorrowful moment with genuine tears. I am not the crying type of person, so I wouldn't have gone through the emotional upheaval just to satisfy myself. I was trapped and I looked to "Somebody up there." He is always waiting for us to get to that point of desperation and dependence on Him before He can get through to us. Then we have real faith in Him. Before that its all imitation faith. Its faith wannabe.
You also said, "you distill the message of God with the aid of inspiration or a reliance on what naturally appeals to you." Inspiration is a strong word, which I liken to a prophet. I'm not a prophet, just a regular person, but regular people are usually the only ones God can commune with. Maybe inspiration is a good word, I guess, but it is more than just feeling good about whatever appeals to me. By the way, you use some very precise words, as if you want to know exactly what faith in God is all about. I can appreciate that, since I also spent many years looking at all this because I didn't want to be fooled by something imaginery. I'm with you, all the way, friend. I've been there and have the souvenir. Keep on searching this thing up called faith, and before you know it, you will have it. You will have Him.
You wrote, "All of the inspiration that leads you to understand God seems to be involuntary, you cannot help but love God." Yes, and no. To love and appreciate Him is involuntary once you've gotten to know Him and trust in Him. Trust and love spring from the same fountain. But I can choose to make other things have the highest priority, and then He will slowly be crowded out by all the "more important" things/people. I don't want that. I've been enough places to know they're all the same, and I've met enough people to know they are all basically self-centered, even the best of them. I need to see pure unselfishness, and then I can go on living.
You said, "it seems to me that this realization or cumpulsion would not be exclusive to those familiar with certain books." This is true, except, bear in mind that many books don't shine out in exposing our faults and weaknesses and sinfulness, our utter need of more than just human help and wisdom. Therefore, those self-help books or books that give us pleasure won't be useful tools for God, and in fact they limit Him, if not completely silent Him in their presence. The Bible is the best book for showing us sinnners what we really are. And we won't be happy until we see ourselves as we honestly are, selfish to the core.
Your last statemnet was, "is it necessary to follow a religious practice that does not seem good or appealing to one? Is there something about the not quite pleasant communication with God that trumps the whole natural inclination towards good?" No, its not right to force yourself to be involved with something bad or unappealing or unpleasant, if something better is offered. But God is a person of truth and He canno come close to His sunful human children without exposing our faultiness which may not feel very appealing to us, and some people out of ignorance have called His exposure of our fault, "bad."
I spent many years going to church but not hearing of God's love. It was a horrible experience, but I continued because I felt sooner or later I would have faith in Him and His love for me. Now and then I would hear the good word of His love. Eventually I left religion all together for 13 years. But all the time I was away and ignoring any thought of God, He kept putting reminders in my way, things that I wouldn't just dismiss without having to make a conscious choice, which also registers a memory in the memory banks. Eventually, He cornered me and I've been following up on Him ever since. Itts been real exciting too. The more I learn, the more I see Him as a reality, and His coming is drawing nearer with signs showing up all the time. Yes! This is the time to get acquainted with that "Somebody up there," before it gets real crazy in this old world, and then it gets too hard to seek Him and to go bump in the night with Him.
Orange Cross, I hope this helps. Please come again with more of your probing questions.
I'm thinking about making this a post.
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