How often do I start condemning myself when my faith at work is faltering? Way too often. The enemy loves to get me down this way. I start believing a lie about God and Jesus. They love me because I am such a mess. It is a lie because by the love of God, I am a new person. I have died and been resurrected with Jesus. Again, good news and not condemnation.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in the Messiah Jesus. 

Romans 8:1

This is a stunning statement from the Apostle Paul. I need to come back to it time and time again. Is God against me? Does Jesus condemn me? The answer is a resounding NO! Nothing can separate me from the love of God.

Peace in a believer’s relationship with Jesus

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? The Messiah Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in the Messiah Jesus our Master.

|Romans 8:31–39

And so … Peace is ours at work. That is the promise and that is the truth. It is a gift from our heavenly Father.

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in the Messiah Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Master Jesus the Messiah, their Master and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Master Jesus the Messiah.

1 Corinthians 1:2–3

What does the teachings of Jesus tell us about peace at work? In Romans 12:18, Paul exhorts, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men [co-workers].” What a perfect example of my role in the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. I am to submit my will to God’s leading at work and my actions to God’s Word, but the actual results are up to Him.

Only God can create peace through the work of the Holy Spirit. Especially the peace mentioned in Galatians 5—the peace of a harmonious relationship with God.

• Acts 10:36 — The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus the Messiah (He is Master of all).
• John 16:33 — “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
• John 14:23–27 — Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
• John 15:3 — “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”

There is good news! We have peace with God through the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. We were estranged from God. We did not know Him and were separated from Him. We were an enemy of God. We need Jesus. Jesus brings peace and reconciliation at work.

How can a holy God ever be reconciled with sinful man? Can God lower His standards, close His eyes to sin, and compromise with man? If He did, the universe would fall to pieces! God must be consistent with Himself and maintain His own holy Law.

Perhaps man could somehow please God. But by nature, man is separated from God; and by his deeds, he is alienated from God. The sinner is “dead in trespasses and sins”, and therefore is unable to do anything to save himself or to please God.

Reconciliation with Jesus If there is to be reconciliation between man and God, the initiative and action must come from God. It is in the Messiah Jesus that God was reconciled to man. But it was not the incarnation of Jesus that accomplished this reconciliation, nor was it His example as He lived among men. It was through His death that peace was made between God and man. He “made peace through the blood of His cross”.

• Colossians 1:19–20 (NASB) —For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
• Isaiah 53:5 —But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

Jesus is our peace and brings unity with God

• Matthew 26:26–28 —While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
• Galatians 6:14–16 —But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Master Jesus the Messiah, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
• Ephesians 2:13–17 —But now in the Messiah Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity,

Application

• What does it mean to be a peacemaker?
• Why is being a peacemaker important?
• How can we improve our skills at peacemaking?
• What are some things we can do, at work, to be more of a peacemaker in the next 7 days?

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