With the fall festivals approaching, our minds are properly turned to the soon-coming time that we call “tomorrow’s world”—a time when the nations will neither learn nor practice war anymore, and people will enjoy peace and security the world over. At this season of the year we frequently read, and hear commented upon, scriptures describing the peaceful and abundant world that will be ruled over by the Kingdom of God.
Often, however, we fail to stop and think about how this wonderful world will actually be brought about. Will the returning Christ simply snap His fingers, after which everyone will immediately start thinking peaceful thoughts? Or will people the world over need to be reeducated, learning a different way to deal with others? Will there need to be detailed teaching to help people understand the practical applications of how to truly love one another?
The prophet Isaiah tells us that in the future time of the Messiah’s kingdom, the law of God will go forth from Mount Zion (Isaiah 2:3). The reading and expounding of the law was anciently associated with the Feast of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 31:9–11; Nehemiah 8:18). While many professing Christians believe that Jesus replaced Old Testament law with New Testament grace, the reality is that Jesus amplified the law and explained it in its full spiritual intent. Many would readily recognize that Jesus taught His listeners to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19), but would be quite surprised to learn that in so doing He was quoting directly from the Torah (Leviticus 19:18)!
James, the brother of Jesus, called this principle—to love our neighbors as we love ourselves—“the royal law” (James 2:8). This principle underlies the way of peace that will be practiced in tomorrow’s world. And it is far more than a nice-sounding platitude. It has very practical applications to a wide variety of human relationships and problems. Specific applications of how to apply this principle are brought out in Leviticus 19, where we are directly commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus expounded upon these scriptures as He brought the good news of God’s coming Kingdom. He emphasized the importance of His disciples practicing these principles in all of their activities. This certainly makes sense, for how can we teach the way of peace to others in tomorrow’s world if we do not first learn it ourselves?
We need to put the way of peace into practice in our lives today and anticipate teaching it in tomorrow’s world. Let us examine more closely what the Bible defines as the “way of peace.”
The Origins of War
The Apostle James, early leader of the Jerusalem Church, explained one of the main causes of war. War comes from lust and covetousness, he declared (James 4:1–4). Mankind has a self-centered desire to get and to possess. People notice that someone else has what they want, and they begin to scheme how to get it for themselves. In Genesis 14, we read of an alliance of kings that invaded the ancient land of Canaan and carried off wealth and captives (including Lot and his family) from the cities of the plains. Desire for riches has led to many wars and conflicts throughout history.
Revenge has also been a powerful motive for warfare. Old grudges are nursed from generation to generation, and indulged whenever the opportunity presents itself. Scripture rebukes the descendants of Edom for nursing a perpetual resentment against the children of Israel. They are noted for their desire for revenge and their unwillingness to turn loose of old hatreds (Ezekiel 35:5).
Misunderstandings that are not properly resolved have been yet another cause of warfare and conflict. Joshua 22 gives an example of a misunderstanding that almost led to war. When the conquest of Canaan was completed, six years after the Israelites’ entry into the land, the men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh were allowed to return east of the Jordan River to their farms and families. Word soon reached the rest of the Israelites that they had built an altar just like the one at the tabernacle at Shiloh! Assuming that their brothers were founding their own rival place of worship, the rest of the Israelite tribes prepared to go to war to punish them for this clear violation of the Covenant. However, when the Israelites east of the Jordan were asked for an explanation, it turned out that their motivation was very different. What they had built was not a rival center of worship, but rather was intended as a memorial to link them with their brothers west of the Jordan and the tabernacle at Shiloh. False assumptions about the intentions of others have led to much conflict down through time.
One particular attitude is behind many conflicts, causing them to escalate and preventing them from being resolved. That attitude, essential for conflict and warfare, is pride! Proverbs 13:10 reminds us that “by pride comes only contention.” James reminds us that God resists the proud and gives more of His grace—His freely bestowed benefits—to the humble (James 4:6).
Whether we are talking about full-scale warfare between nations, or simply conflict between family members and neighbors, the fundamental causes are similar—greed, misunderstanding and desire for revenge. This applies, as does the way of peace, both to nations and to individuals.
The Law Points the Way
God inspired Moses to exhort the people that they were to be holy, for God is holy (cf. Leviticus 19:2). The Creator wants us to share His outlook and to possess His character. Verses 9–18 contain a series of injunctions that are summed up by the statement: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But how do we apply this in a practical way, and how does it lead to peace?
The first point mentioned is generosity to those in need (vv. 9–10). When farmers harvested their crops, they were told not to reap the corners of the field or to return to pick up what was dropped. Neither were they to go back afterward to gather the last of the fruit. This was to be left for the poor and the strangers. Thus, from the very beginning, God’s people were taught the very opposite of a self-centered approach focused on getting for self.
The next point stressed is the importance of honesty in all of our dealings (vv. 11–13). Agreements are to be kept, and our word is to be our bond. Very specifically, the strong are not to take advantage of the weak. Wages are to be paid in full and when promised. To do otherwise is to defraud our neighbor, and only establishes grievances.
Verse 14 shows that we are to extend respect to all, whether they are aware of it or not. A deaf person may not know when someone is cursing him. But such an act of disrespect shows contempt for another human being. To put a stumbling block before the blind is to do harm when you think there is no chance of being discovered by the one harmed. However, the end of the verse gives us the key. We are to live our life in deep awareness of God’s presence. It is not a question of whether or not people will know how we have treated others. It is not even a matter of whether those to whom we showed contempt are aware of it. Life is to be lived before God, not simply before man.
The next verse instructs us to be fair to all. We are not to have a double standard of justice, showing favoritism either to the rich or to the poor. Regardless of social position or wealth, the person with whom we are dealing is our neighbor and is to be treated in an evenhanded way. To tilt the scale—either because we feel sorry for someone’s lowly station or because we are awed by someone’s high station—leads to a society that is unjust and inequitable. While this happens frequently in today’s world, it will not be allowed in a society governed by God’s law.
Verses 16–18 reveal how those who truly love their neighbor as themselves will respond to the sins of others. We also see that God’s law forbids the most common approaches that people today take toward conflict and disagreement.
The law reminds us that we are not to be talebearers. We are not to go about as purveyors of scandal, nor are we to talk to all who will listen to get them to agree with us in cases of conflict. Trying to gather allies, or simply putting others down, is not the way of peace. Talebearing ensures that old sins will not be forgotten, and that old conflicts will not truly be resolved. It is often motivated by a desire to gain approval at the expense of another.
Additionally, we are not to harbor grudges or seek revenge. Nursing resentments ensures that nothing from the past is ever really put to rest. Some people actively display their resentment and hostility toward other people, while others simply hold hate in their heart. Whether it involves telling “our side” to others to get them to agree with us, trying to “get even” with someone or just secretly holding on to a resentment against someone who wronged us in the past, these approaches are all equally forbidden by the law of God.
What are we to do, then? We are told to go to someone who has done wrong and point it out to him in a way that may convince him of his sin. We are not to gossip, to try to punish, or to quietly nurse a grudge. Rather, we are to actively confront the erring party and try to help him. This is, of course, often far more difficult in practice than in theory. In fact, most people dread confrontation and seek to avoid it. Yet this is one of the specific commands that are summed up by the “royal law” of loving our neighbor as ourselves. How do we go about properly applying this part of the way of peace?
Peaceful Resolution of Disputes
In Matthew 18, Christ addressed this same subject to His disciples. How should mistakes be handled so that peace rather than conflict may result? This is important to understand, because it involves not only what we need to be learning and practicing in the Church of God today, but also what we must be preparing to teach all of mankind in tomorrow’s world.
In explaining the way to peace, Jesus Christ began by emphasizing the importance of a humble, childlike spirit. Since strife and contention flow from pride, it is important that Christ’s disciples be characterized by humility. This mindset must be understood as a prerequisite for all of Christ’s teaching that follows.
The next matter that is vital to understand is that of giving and receiving offense. What does it mean, in this context, to be offended or to offend others? The Greek word skandalon is the origin of the terms translated “offend” or “offense.” In its original meaning, it refers to something that causes falling—in other words, a stumbling block or a trap. Well before New Testament times, the word primarily came to refer to that which caused someone to trip or stumble in life—something that interfered with a smooth walk through life’s journey.
To those who disobey the gospel, Jesus Christ Himself was considered a skandalon (cf. 1 Peter 2:8). The disobedient figuratively tripped over God’s Word, because Jesus and His message interrupted their life’s journey and made it uncomfortable. More commonly, however, skandalon is used in a negative sense to describe behavior that hurts others in a moral or spiritual way, causing them to fall or stumble from the “straight and narrow.” While the world will provide no shortage of stumbling blocks to interfere with our Christian journey, we must take great care that our own behavior does not entice others to sin or cause them to stumble in their efforts to walk with Christ. We must also be willing to go to any length to root out attitudes from our own life that may cause us to fall into sin.
Christ, our Good Shepherd, then emphasized the importance He places on going after any of His sheep who have stumbled or gone astray (vv. 11–14). This demonstrates the great value that God attaches to each one of His sheep, and should guide our attitude in approaching those who have sinned against us. We do not go to them to vindicate the self or to make them apologize for hurting our feelings, though these motives come naturally to us as human beings. We go to our sinning brother out of a desire to help recover one who has gone astray!
This desire to save our brother is why Christ instructs us not to simply “let the matter drop.” If private one-on-one discussion is insufficient to provide the help someone needs to return to the right path, then we are to return and bring with us witnesses to our brother’s conduct, so that the facts are not in dispute. If this second attempt fails, the matter is then to be taken to the Church.
Some have mistakenly thought telling a matter “to the church” means to air it before the entire congregation. But this is not what the Bible describes. To take a matter “to the church” means to go to those in authority in the Church, as we see illustrated in Acts 11:29–30, when a collection was taken up in Antioch for the brethren in Judea. Verse 29 explains that the collection was for the brethren, but verse 30 explains that it was actually delivered into the hands of the elders, who would in turn be responsible for distribution to the brethren. The elders, as those responsible for taking care of the congregation (cf. 1 Timothy 3:4–5), act on behalf of the Church. Also, the context of Matthew 18 shows that Christ was speaking to the Twelve and giving them authority to make authoritative judgments. This clearly must be done in Christ’s name; that is, based upon His authority—not upon the ideas and whims of men.
Matthew 18 concludes by emphasizing the importance of being willing to extend forgiveness. Peter obviously thought he had really understood Christ’s point, and magnanimously offered to forgive someone who sinned against him seven times. But Christ explained to Peter that this is not nearly enough. Christ concluded by telling a parable to illustrate how we must be willing to forgive those who have sinned against us if we expect God to forgive us. The Greek word for forgive is aphiemi, literally meaning to “let go” or “to leave behind.” This must be our attitude.
One other vital aspect of the way of peace is the manner in which we go to a brother. Galatians 6:1 emphasizes that when we go to our brother, our motive must be restoration and we must approach him in an attitude of deep humility. This, of course, fits exactly with the context of Matthew 18, where the emphasis is the same: the importance of a childlike humility and the importance that God places on the restoration of the one gone astray.
Now notice something with a different slant that Christ brought out in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:23–24, He emphasized that whenever we realize that someone has something against us, we are to take the initiative in seeking reconciliation by going directly to him.
Why do we go to our brother? Because we are concerned for him! We are never told to go to vindicate ourselves or to win an argument or a dispute. When we recognize that estrangement has occurred, we go to seek reconciliation. When someone has committed a sin against us, we do not seek to “get even” or to “get him in trouble,” but rather to help restore our erring brother to the path of righteousness.
In today’s world, people seek to promote their own interests. They simply do not know, or do not deeply value, the way of peace. When people seek only their own good, this produces selfishness in the way they deal with others, promotes strife on a personal level and leads to warfare on a national level. The way of peace begins with us as individuals, but extends to all of society and the world.
Tomorrow’s world will be very different than today’s. An entire society will learn the way of peace based upon learning how to love and value their neighbors. Christ taught His disciples a message based upon the proper applications of the righteous law that He had revealed through Moses many centuries earlier. God’s way has always been the way of love, and His Word tells us how to apply that principle in a practical way in all of our dealings with others.