Explain how Christians understand the concept of peace, as informed by their sacred text….
The Christian way of peace is spoken through passages of the New Testament. The New Testament is the customary text that all Christians follow. It declares the focus of peace within the Christian tradition, all of which began with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians are taught to live harmoniously with all humans and the belief of God. As documented in the Gospels and other writings of the New Testament, Jesus Christ taught peace and pacifism to his followers. This was at the time the Romans were the dominant force of the world, which ultimately would have made peacemaking difficult to uphold as the Romans often …show more content…
I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27)
Most of us are familiar with the Old Testament word for peace. It is shalom. For Hebrew speakers, shalom has a much richer and fuller significance than the English word “peace”. Whereas we sometimes limit the idea of peace to the absence of conflict, shalom includes far more. It comprises notions of wholeness, completeness, soundness, and prosperity. In a biblical perspective, the absence of conflict is only the bare beginning of peace.
Christians believe that to experience God’s peace they must enter into relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As we put our trust in him, Jesus not only promises us eternal life in the future, but he also invites us to experience that life right now, however incompletely. When Christians receive the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice through faith, we can have peace with God. “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Rom