World Peace?

An oxymoron is a "combination of contradictory or incongruous words."  Some common examples are "jumbo shrimp," "seriously funny," "modern history," and "long shorts."  I visited a website which claimed to have an exhaustive list of oxymoronic statements, but from a biblical perspective they are missing at least one:  world peace.

At the end of the halftime show during the Super Bowl, the words "world peace" were emblazoned across the field.  Those are completely incongruous terms.  The world's idea of peace is a world without war or conflict, unity of heart and spirit, a place free of suffering, racism, bigotry, nepotism, or hate.  This is certainly a sublime desire.  But this idyllic life cannot be realized in a world full of sin ruled by Satan, the prince of darkness.  In scripture, the world's ways and humanistic philosophies are always at war with God's ways and perfect wisdom.  There is not a square inch of shared ground between the world and God.  There is no room for compromise because God's Laws are absolute and righteous, and the world is absolutely depraved, deceived, and doomed.

The wars, crimes, and death which ravages the globe finds its root in sin.  Government, education, and tax dollars cannot bring this peace.  Even if every mouth was fed, if everyone on the planet had clean water, proper education, and medical insurance, we would still not have peace.  In the current state, "world peace" will always be a ghostly apparition because of the unchecked sin in the hearts of people who walk this earth. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"  Even people who truly have all the world can often fight a war in their hearts every day:  fear of death, fear of man, hate, addictions, insomnia, fear of rejection, pride, violence, and lies.  How many celebrities and millionaires have killed themselves through drugs, alcohol, or with violent intent because of disillusionment, loneliness, or sorrow?  "Let me have their millions - that wouldn't happen to me."  Oh yeah?  Money can't buy you peace:  it will rob you of the benefits you believe it provides.  Murder, greed, violence among families, and hatred among people is only a symptom of the wickedness in the hearts of people when it rises to the surface.

Contrast the world with Jesus, who in scripture is called "The Prince of Peace."   Ephesians 2:12-18 explains how Jesus has brought peace to this world of sin.  "...You were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [14] For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, [15] having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, [16] and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. [17] And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. [18] For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father."  For mankind, Jesus is our Peace, our only Peace.  It is only through Him we can have peace with God through His shed blood, and only through Him we can have peace with one another.  When Jesus came to the world, what did the world do?  He was falsely accused, tortured, and crucified on the cross by those He preached peace to.  The world could not accept the love, way, truth, or the life God offered through His Son.

The beauty of the story is that Jesus rose from the dead, proving His victory over sin and death.  This is the victory He gives to all who repent and trust in Him.  Not only that, but we can be at peace with God even though our bodies still dwell upon this sin-soaked world.  The world can be in shambles all around us, but we can experience continually a peace that passes understanding.  The peace of a Christian is not dictated by outer forces at work beyond his control which he must manipulate to be happy, but a peace that comes from within through faith in Christ.  In a world where the news seems to only grow more evil and insidious, what grace that God should freely grant eternal life and peace to those who are redeemed through the blood of Jesus.

There can be no peace until there is first justice:  not justice according to man's subjective standards, but according to God's righteous standard.  The Bible says that Jesus will someday return to the earth as a conquering King, and the nations will be subdued before Him.  He will bind Satan and cast him into the bottomless pit and set up His rule over all.  Then, for the first time since Eden, there will be world peace.  Music, dancing, athletics, competition, and the best efforts of men or combined government bodies cannot usher in this peace.  Peace can only be obtained through the Prince of Peace:  Jesus Christ.