| The Christian Life | August 1940 |
The Gospel of Peace
“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”—Ephesians 6:15
THE sandals of peace are a part of the armor to be worn by “good soldiers of Jesus Christ.” The other parts of that armor, as enumerated by the apostle, are the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the girdle of truth, and the sword of the spirit. Each of these parts of the armor represents, in its own way, the truth of the Gospel in its relation to the Christian life. The sandals of peace indicate not only that the Truth is a gospel of peace, but also that our walk in the Truth, and with the Lord, should be in the paths of peace.
From one standpoint, the Christian life assumes the aspect of a soldier, yet at the same time the apostle would not have us get the thought that Christian soldiers are to manifest a contentious disposition. The soldier of the cross is in reality a peacemaker, and his success in the struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil depends much upon his having the peace of God in his heart to assist him over all the rough places. If he does not possess the peace of God, that peace which comes through faith in the gospel of peace, he is bound to accomplish less, and with greater difficulty.
Not only should the soldier of Jesus Christ possess the peace of God which passes all human understanding, but he should seek to follow peace with all men—that is, so far as it may be possible without compromising the Truth. In Romans 12:18, the apostle says, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” If we are wholly loyal to the gospel of peace, and are faithful in discharging the responsibilities which it imposes upon us, there will be occasions when we cannot be agreeable with all men. But even where it is necessary, in order to be loyal to the Truth, that we take a stand of opposition against the desires of those who walk in darkness, we should continue to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In our walk in life we are not to go hunting trouble; if we do, we are almost certain to find little else.
The fact that the apostle designates a portion of armor for the feet indicates that the Christian is one who must expect to be on his feet; that is, he is to be alert, moving about among his fellow men, seeking and using opportunities which the Holy Spirit has entrusted to him as an ambassador of Christ. In II Corinthians 6:3-10, the apostle outlines many of the qualifications of those who are workers together with God, and indicates that it is necessary to comply with these qualifications in order that “the ministry he not blamed.”
Among these qualifications are specified the graces of patience and kindness, and of “love unfeigned.” Undoubtedly it is the possession and manifestation of these and kindred qualities of heart and character which is implied in the matter of having our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” And what blessed qualities these are! What a different world it will be when they are possessed and manifested by all—when “love welling up from each heart meets a kindred response in every other heart, and benevolence marks every act.”
That will be the blessed condition that will obtain world-wide when the righteous influences of the Kingdom have wrought their miraculous work in the lives of all mankind. But, as Christians, we are to walk even now as though we were in that daytime of divine favor, when the law of God shall have been written in the hearts of all mankind. Our lives, therefore, should even now radiate benevolence, peace and goodwill. If the gospel of peace has truly shined into our hearts, and is having the proper effect upon our lives, we will, in fact, be among that class mentioned by the Master when He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for thy shall be called the children of God.”
“INTO WHATSOEVER HOUSE YE ENTER, FIRST SAY, PEACE BE TO THIS HOUSE. AND IF THE SON OF PEACE BE THERE, YOUR PEACE SHALL REST UPON IT; IF NOT, IT SHALL TURN TO YOU AGAIN.”—LUKE 10:5,6
“Each laborer in the present harvest should note well the Lord’s instructions in this passage. Wherever the Lord’s representatives go, peace should go, not strife, confusion, turmoil, quarreling. True, the truth will prove to be a sword that will arouse opposition, yet it should be the truth that causes the opposition and division, and not any rudeness or unkindness, of word or action on the part of the Lord’s representatives. There are plenty of things to aggravate mankind in this, our busy day, and all who have received the truth should receive also its spirit, ‘speaking peace through Jesus Christ.’ The peace of God which passeth all understanding should have control of each one who would represent the Lord and His message, that a hallowing influence should go with each, especially in every service and word spoken in the name of the Prince of Peace. The true character of His people is described by our Lord; they who would be properly termed the children of God should be peacemakers and not peace disturbers.
“According to the customs of our day, it might be considered extreme if we were to apply the Lord’s words literally and say, ‘Peace be to this house,’ before entering; and so also it would be considered extreme if, not being welcomed, we were to stamp the dust from our shoes in departing from the house. However, the spirit of both these matters should be with us. On entering any house our thought should be to do good, to carry blessing, to exercise a favorable influence for peace, joy and blessing to those within; and if we, as the Lord’s ministers, were rebuffed and disdained, not wanted, we should be careful not to intrude ourselves further, and, in that figurative sense of the word, we should wipe off the very dust.
“If a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him. If at any place we find one having the same spirit of the Lord, desirous of knowing and doing the Lord’s will, we should rejoice to meet him as a brother, and communicate to him the harvest message as he might have ears to hear it, and thus a blessing would be his; otherwise, we should not remain. The Lord’s people should never intrude themselves further than to make known briefly their message and work. If these be properly presented and meet with no response, the Lord would not have us violate the proprieties of courtesy by imposing ourselves or our teachings upon those who are unappreciative. Our Lord set us a good example in this matter.
“The Lord would have us know that when sent out with His message and under His direction, we fully represent Him, so that he that heareth us, heareth Him. What a wonderful honor is thus conferred upon the most humble of the Lord’s mouthpieces! ‘He that dispiseth you, despiseth Me, and he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me.’ If, as the Lord’s people, we could always have this thought with us, it would certainly be a blessing to us in two ways:
“(1) It would help us to feel the dignity of the smallest service rendered to the Lord’s cause. It would banish fear of man and all feelings of weakness and degradation. Recognizing our selves as the Lord’s representatives, we would be courageous to go anywhere, to do any service called for in His commission and providential leading.
“(2) This thought would bring to us such a sense of our responsibility that all the affairs of the present life would seem trivial and insignificant in comparison to the one great thing that we do—our heavenly mission and commission. We would be more dignified in manner, more earnest in our service, as well as less careful of what man might say of us. Our whole concern would be that we might please Him who hath chosen us to be soldiers in His royal legions, to be ambassadors and heralds of His kingdom and of its terms and conditions.”—Watch Tower, April 1st, 1904
WE PREACH NOT OURSELVES
In 2nd Corinthians 4:1-4, St. Paul gives us much valuable information concerning the ministry of the truth to which all the consecrated are invited. Here he makes it plain that our participation in this ministry is because God has shined into our hearts with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of peace. It is because of this that the apostle reminds us that we “preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord.” This is of fundamental importance if we are to be acceptable ministers of Christ. If we use the truth merely as a means of getting a hearing, and then proceed to proclaim our own views in order to display what great Bible students we think we are, we certainly cannot expect to have the Lord’s blessing upon our ministry.
And if this gospel of peace has truly shined into our hearts, and not merely into our heads, the results thereof will be apparent by the manner in which we conduct ourselves in the ministry. As outlined foregoing by Brother Russell, the gospel of peace should make us peacemakers, not strife-breeders. We might suppose, without due consideration, that receiving the truth could have no other than this wholesome effect upon our lives. However, it has been demonstrated over and over again that it is quite possible merely to attain an intellectual grasp of the truth, and without its taking proper effect upon our hearts and lives, to use it as a club over others rather than to seek their blessing by imparting to them this blessed knowledge.
WE SHOULD CONTEND FOR THE FAITH
In following the apostle’s advice to live peaceably with all men, we should remember the limitations which he puts upon this admonition, namely, “so far as is possible.” The Apostle James tells us that the wisdom which is from above is peaceable, and indeed it is. But he nevertheless reminds us that the heavenly wisdom which is to guide us in our ministry of the truth is “first pure.”
“It is ‘peaceable.’ (So far from being a quarrelsome, bickering disposition, the new mind desires peace—it will contend earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints, but it will not contend simply from a love of contention, a love of strife; on the contrary, the new mind is peaceably inclined, would prefer, so far as possible, to yield a non-essential point in a controversy; it loves its opponents and sympathizes with their difficulties.)
“It is ‘gentle’ (not rude nor coarse, not rough, in action or word or tone; and if the earthen vessel through which it speaks has these rudenesses by nature ingrained the ‘new nature’ regrets them, strives against them, and seeks to conquer them; and where they do injury to others is ready, willing, glad to apologize, and to remove the smart).
“It is ‘easy to be entreated’ (easy of approach, not haughty, not disdainful, not hard or cruel; yet it is firm on matters of principle—principles cannot be bended or modified; they belong to God. But while affirming the principles, the spirit of wisdom points out its own willingness to moderation, by acknowledging any good features in its opponents, and by pointing out the reason why no modification is possible in relation to divine laws and principles).
“It is ‘full of mercy and good fruits.’ (It delights in all things prompted by love and kindness; it takes pleasure in doing for others; it takes pleasure, not only in showing mercy to dumb animals under its care, but it delights in mercy in dealing with brethren in respect to their faults. It is merciful also in the family—not over-exacting, but generous, kind, benevolent. It is generous also with opponents, and those who are contentious—not wishing to push a victory, even for the truth, to such a point as would be injurious, hurtful, unmerciful to the antagonist.)
“It is ‘without partiality.’ (It loves the good, the true, where these are found; and opposes the untrue, the impure and the unholy, whether found among friends or enemies. Its justice is of the strictest kind, tempered with mercy; it will not approve a fault in a brother, because he is a brother, but would reprove the same with gentleness and meekness, remembering the liability of all to the assaults of the world, the flesh and the devil. It will not fail to see a virtue in an enemy, nor hesitate to acknowledge it. Truth is its standard, not prejudice, not partyism, not sectarianism.)
“It is ‘without hypocrisy.’ (It is fairly candid; it needs not to feign love, because it is love; it needs not to put on a kindly exterior and to smother feelings of wrath and envy and strife, for it is without envy, without strife. Such works of the flesh and of the devil have, by the grace of God, been seen to be. earthly, sensual, devilish, and have been repudiated, and the heart has been justified, cleansed, sanctified to God, renewed in thought, intention, will, and is now full of the treasures of the Holy Spirit.)”—Watch Tower, April 1st, 1899
“DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE.”—PROVERBS 18:21
What life-giving powers our tongues are able to impart to others if they are moved by a heart filled and controlled by the gospel of peace. Indeed, when this gospel of peace which has shined into our own hearts shines out to others through the medium of the tongue, it becomes what the apostle describes as the “power of God unto salvation.” (Rom. 1:16) But on the other hand, if our hearts have failed to yield to these sweet influences of the gospel of peace, and our ministry of the gospel is not prompted and controlled by the spirit of love, our words may have a death-dealing effect upon those to whom we minister.
“With these thoughts before our minds, let us all more earnestly than ever guard against the old nature and its insidious attempts to gain control over our tongues. Let us, more and more, seek to appreciate in ourselves and in others this heavenly wisdom, whose operation is so forcibly represented by the apostle.
“The more important our members, the more influential, the more earnestly ought we to strive to keep them in full subjection to the Lord, as His servants. Our feet are useful members, consecrated to the Lord; we may use them in many errands of mercy, to the glory of His name and to the profit of His people. Our hands are likewise, useful, if thoroughly consecrated to the Lord’s service. Our ears are also useful in His service, to hear for Him, to refuse to hear the evil, and thus to reprove evil, and to set a good example for others. Our eyes are a great blessing from the Lord, and they also are to be kept from evil, from the lust of the eye and the pride of life, and are to be instruments or servants of righteousness, in seeing the good, in appreciating the good, and in assisting the good, and in helping us to know the will of our God.
“But of all our members, the most influential is the tongue. The tongue’s influence exceeds that of all our other members combined; to control it, therefore, in the Lord’s service, is the most important work for the Lord’s people in respect to their mortal bodies and the service of these rendered to the Lord. A few words of love, kindness, helpfulness—how often have such changed the entire course of a human life! Nay, how much they have had to do with molding the destiny of nations! And how often have evil words, unkind words, slanderous words, done gross injustice, assassinated reputations, etc.! Or, as the apostle declares, ‘set on fire the course of nature’—awakening passions, strifes, enmities, and thirst for battle. No wonder he declares such tongues are ‘set on fire of Gehenna’—the second death!
“The public servants of the church are to some extent specially its ‘tongues,’ and what an influence they wield for good or for their injury—cursing! How necessary that all the tongue-servants of the Lord’s body be such, and such only, as are of His spirit! Their influence not only extends to those who are in the church, but in considerable measure they are mouthpieces heard outside.
“And the same principle applies to every individual member of the church, in his use of his member, his tongue. He may use it wisely, or unwisely, with heavenly wisdom or with earthly wisdom. He may use it for strife, in tearing down the faith and character of the brethren, in overthrowing love and confidence, or he may use it in building up these graces of the spirit. How many have proved the truth of the apostle’s words, that the tongue has great possibilities, either for defiling the whole body, the church, and setting on fire the course of nature, by stirring up the evil, poisons and propensities of the fallen nature!
“How few amongst the Lord’s people have conquered the tongue to the extent of bringing it unto subjection to, the will of God, that they may minister good, and only good, to all with whom they come in contact! Let us, dearly beloved, be fully resolved, that by divine grace, (promised to assist us) the present year shall witness great progress in our control of this most important member of our bodies, bringing the same into full subjection and obedience and service to the King of kings and Lord of lords—to Him who lath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.”—Watch Tower, April 1st, 1899
How wholesome, yea, important, are the foregoing admonitions, and what a close relationship they bear to the manner in which we minister to others the gospel of peace which has shined into our hearts. If our hearts are filled with bitterness and animosity toward others, and this bitterness is manifested either in direct attacks upon our supposed enemies, or else influences our ministry of the truth so that it ceases to be one of of kindness and mercy and refreshing to those who hear, certainly we would have good reason to believe that we had either taken off the sandals of peace, or else had never properly had our feet shod with them.
As co-workers with our Heavenly Father in the ministry of His glorious truth, we will want to be diligent about our Father’s business. We will want to maintain the same spirit of devotion and enthusiasm as was always manifested in the Master Himself, even at the early age of twelve, when He made that meaningful statement, “Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business.” Yes, we will want to be about the things which the Father has given us to do. Having entered into partnership with God, our whole concern should be that of enthusiastically participating in the business of this wondrous partnership. Then let us remember that the terms of this partnership not only call for zeal in the work to be accomplished, but outline and determine for us the manner in which that work is to be done. The manner in which the service is to be accomplished and the zeal with which we undertake it are both important, both necessary, if we are to have the Father’s approval. So let us remember the great privilege that we have as the ministers of the gospel, and let us remember, furthermore, that the gospel we minister is the gospel of peace to be ministered in a peaceful, kindly manner.