LET us look at the other passages in the Epistle to the Romans where the word peace occurs.
“To be spiritually-minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:66For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)); this is the happy contrast to the solemn statement, “To be carnally minded is death.” In the previous verses the human family had been divided into two classes― “after the flesh,” “after the Spirit”; and the characteristics of each had been stated―minding “the things of the flesh,” and minding “the things of the Spirit.” Now the end of the carnal, and of the spiritual courses is given; in the one case, death; in the other, life and peace. Life and peace are the sequence of being spiritually-minded. Fire ascends, since it is its nature so to do; so life and peace are attached to being spiritually-minded. The verse does not lead us to inquire how spiritual our minds are; it teaches us what belongs to spiritual mindedness―minding the things of the Holy Spirit.
In the verse, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (14:17), we have again a broad and general statement. God’s kingdom does not consist of external things, but of spiritual. If it consisted in what men eat and drink, any godless soul might be of it. But its foundation is laid in righteousness, and peace with God is our portion on the foundation of the righteousness He has established. After peace comes joy in the Holy Ghost. The character of God’s kingdom is joy; even as in the domain of evil grief and misery are found.
As we consider the kingdom of God, we delight in the beauty of the desire expressed in these words, “The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (15:13). Our God has given us exceeding great and precious promises; He has bidden us look on to the glory. Not one prospect He has given us shall ever fail. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And our God of hope fills us with joy in the prospect of what so soon shall arise, and with present peace, despite the roughness of the journey and the weariness of the circumstances. He fills us with these blessed things as, through grace, we believe His word.
We have our responsibilities as to peace as well as our privileges; we are to “follow after the things which make for peace” (14:19). This is not faith in God as to the glorious future, but patient work among men during the present hour; and, unless we do really follow such things, we shall be in a disturbed state of soul, and not in a peaceful condition. It will avail us little for our walk to know the certainty of the future if we do not devote ourselves to following after, with steady earnestness, the things which make for peace this very hour amongst our fellow-men. Fault-finding and judging one another must be abhorred, and, instead, we must seek to be like our Master, who pleased not Himself. We shall all be like Christ in glory by-and-by; let us seek to have Him, at He was on earth, as our daily example.
In the tenth chapter (vs. 15) we have this verse, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.” The swift messenger hastening to bring the glad tidings is presented to us. Beautiful, indeed, are such willing feet. The slow, heavy tread of him who works only because it is his duty has no beauty in it. When we rejoice in peace with God―are filled with the sense of what the life and the peace, which are ours by grace, really are―are living in the power of God’s kingdom, and in the prospect of the glory―are in communion with our God, following after the things which make for peace; we shall be ready and glad messengers of God’s peace to our fellow-men. May this be the way of the feet of each one of us!
As God’s messengers bring into the enemy’s land the word of peace from God to their fellow-men they rejoice in this triumphant word, “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (16:20). At the first God said that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head; now He says He will bruise the adversary under our feet. He, the God of peace, who gave His Son to die for us, whose blood has made peace, will do this great work. The God of peace shall display His power by giving weak man, whom He has delivered from Satan’s power, to tread the might of the enemy down. Until that day of victory may our feet be beautiful in bringing the message of peace to the weary sons of men.