God wants his people to live together in peace.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
God wants his people to live together in peace. In fact, he calls us to this very thing. We’re to choose to act in ways that are loving and just, seeking to experience in our relationships the wholeness that comes from Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:15 is one of those verses in the Bible that is often quoted, even loved, but generally misunderstood. When we read “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,” we’re inclined to think this refers to an experience of inner calm and wellbeing. After all, that’s the sort of peace that belongs in our hearts. Right?
Well, not exactly. Surely Christ offers that kind of peace, but that’s not the point of Colossians 3:15. We get a clue to the meaning of peace in this verse from the following clause, “to which indeed you were called in the one body.” “The one body” is quite clearly the church, the body of Christ (see Colossians 1:18). So, the peace to which we are called “in the one body” is something shared, something corporate, something relational.
This understanding actually fits perfectly with the meaning of the words in the first clause, “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Though “peace” in the Bible can mean “inner peace,” more often it represents a relational condition, a situation in which people are living together well. “Peace” in the Bible includes but is far more than the absence of conflict. It’s an experience of life as God intended it to be, filled with justice, righteousness, and wholeness.
But what about the phrase “in your hearts”? Doesn’t this point to some kind of inner tranquility? No, not necessarily. Though we think of our heart as the center of our emotions, in Scripture the heart is more than this. It is the location of our will, our choice, and fulness. So, “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” actually means something like, “Exercise your will to choose to live in the relational wholeness that comes from Christ.” (You can learn more about this kind of peace in Ephesians 2:11-22.)
This sort of corporate peace is not extra credit for Christians. It’s not something we’re free to take or leave. Rather, relational peace is something to which have been called by God. Notice that, though this calling comes to each one of us, it’s something we share together “in the one body.” God calls us as his church to peace, to a life filled with God’s love, justice, and prosperity. We’re to live in harmony with each other as we share together in God’s grace and respond together to God’s calling.
What we see in 1 Corinthians 7:15 is reiterated in Colossians 3:15. Given how challenging it can be for churches to live together in Christ’s peace.
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