The connection or plan of peace in Luke, and the last or application to us in John also, is extremely interesting. As soon as Christ is born, the unjealous angels, delighting in the glory of God and man's blessing, celebrate His birth. They pass over man's fault which put the born Savior in a manger and are filled entirely with the divine thought in it. And what was their praise? “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in men.” Such was the result in its own nature of the Savior's birth. This presence of the Lord, the fruit of infinite grace, was in itself, if received, peace and blessing—carried it necessarily in what is in itself, if received, peace and blessing—carried it necessarily in itself, and will produce it finally.
But the Lord was rejected, and, as some received Him, He had to say, “Suppose ye that I am to give peace on earth? Nay, but rather division. For, from henceforth there shall be three against two, and five shall be in one household against three.” (Luke 12)
In the end of Luke the kingdom is celebrated, which will indeed bring peace on the earth. There it is said, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” All that God had done on earth had been marred and spoiled by Satan; and as long as the wicked spirits are in heavenly places, thus it must be. But at length there is war in heaven (Rev. 12), the devil and his angels are cast out, and there is no more place for them. Then peace comes, and in due time Satan is hound. Peace follows on earth, and this under the Lord's rule for a thousand years. Between these two we stand.
In the same Gospel of Luke the Lord comes after His resurrection, and pronounced peace of a far deeper and fuller character; not peace on earth, governmental peace, but peace made with God. He had made peace, perfect peace; so that the soul might enjoy cloudless communion with Him, all that is of this world or of this scene, as alive in it, being shut out. He had brought them, or had done what brought them, into this peace by His death; and now He pronounced it. And if we turn to John, this will shine out with the brightest evidence. The Lord had warned His disciples that He did not come to bring peace but a sword; so that the peace on earth was not there, but the fire already kindled. But He had ineffable peace of soul as not of the world; His soul was in the unclouded light of His Father's countenance. It was a link between man and God, infinite in blessing (in Him in every sense infinite, and in us objectively and as regards the power of the Holy Ghost, and as being in Him and so in cloudless light with God), no matter what the circumstances. Now Jesus through His death brings us (as being in Him and He in us) into this blessing: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth give I unto you.” This is unspeakably blessed.
The peace of the Christian is not the same as being justified: “being justified by faith, we have peace with God.” This must be according to His nature—hence completely what He is. This makes it very blessed, and though in us connected with our being alienated and enemies by sin, yet in itself it is only measured by what He was before sin existed—in the outgoing of His own nature in itself before sin, and we in absolute harmony with its full display and proper nature. Sin has been the means of bringing us to know what holiness, righteousness, and love are; but they are all in God, the last is His nature. Thus, in hearing what Christ says, we learn what it is. “Peace, I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.”
Now this peace was consonance in every way with the divine nature, and the consciousness of communion with it. It rested on Him unclouded, but that was not by sins put away. It was in itself divine and, though now in man, eternal consonance. But for us it had of course to be made. He “made peace by the blood of the cross.” And this was to perfect us to the whole nature and character of God, that He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, and is glorified with God in virtue of that work, in which He glorified God perfectly, and in respect of what we are as sinners; but He glorified God perfectly.
Hence we are brought into this: “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.” It is in the midst of evil no doubt, with conflict and warfare around, so that it has the character of peace. Still it is, and this makes it specially to be, “peace with God.” It is not as to circumstances: this is “peace of God” keeping our hearts, &c.—a blessed thing, but not so deep and direct as “peace with God” —peace with Himself, our secret with Him and His with us. I think it will turn to delight in His own glory in heaven, to which it ministers now. But here it has the character of peace with God.