{"id":1205,"date":"2010-08-03T01:29:54","date_gmt":"2010-08-03T01:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/08\/peacemaking-in-the-world-part-2.html"},"modified":"2010-08-03T01:29:54","modified_gmt":"2010-08-03T01:29:54","slug":"peacemaking-in-the-world-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/08\/peacemaking-in-the-world-part-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Peacemaking in the World, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I suggested that we make peace in the world, first of all, by announcing the peacemaking work of Christ on the cross. Second, we bring God’s peace to the world by holding up the cross of Christ as an example to emulated. Today I’ll offer two additional aspects of peacemaking in the world. <\/p>\n

Third, we extend divine peace into the world by living peaceably each day: “Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible” (Rom 12:18). Notice that we are to live peaceably with “everyone,” those inside the church and outside of the church, those in our families and those at our workplace, the servers who wait on our tables with extra consideration and the “stupid idiots” who cut us off in the parking lot. <\/p>\n

This is, of course, much easier said than done. It’s not all that demanding to tell others, especially if they’re geographically far away from us, what they need to do to live in peace. But it’s really quite challenging to live peaceably with others each and every day. <\/p>\n

Fourth, we bring God’s peace to the world by seeking his righteousness and justice. Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness\/justice” (Matt 6:33). Most translations refer only to God’s “righteousness,” but the Greek word carries both connotations. Jesus maintains the Jewish interconnection of righteousness, justice, and peace. We would expect as much from Jesus, since he is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy as the Prince of Peace who will rule forever with “justice and righteousness” (Isa 9:6-7). He is the one who brings good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom to the downtrodden (Luke 4:18).<\/p>\n

In practical terms, how do we seek God’s righteousness and justice? We treat all people with respect and dignity, even and especially those who are most helpless and defenseless. We make sure our practices and policies reflect God’s revealed values, even when we operate in “the world.” We use the power and opportunity given to us to be people of biblical justice. We don’t turn the other way when we see injustice, but invest our energies so that God’s justice and righteousness might take form in and ultimately transform our world.<\/p>\n

\"vietnam-protest-5.jpg\"<\/span>This last activity, doing justice in the world, has been the cause of considerable debate and conflict among Christians. When I was young, I watched Christians pummel each other verbally over American involvement in Vietnam. For some, a Christian commitment to peace demanded immediate withdrawal. For others, Christian values required that we free the South Vietnamese from the domination of communism. In the 1980s, I had Christian friends who protested against the American nuclear arms build-up, even to the point of being arrested in acts of civil disobedience. I had other Christian friends who committed their professional lives to helping the U.S. make nuclear weapons. They did this conscientiously, believing that their efforts would further the cause of peace in the world. Within contemporary society, some Christians focus their efforts on justice for the unborn, while others ignore this issue altogether, claiming that racial injustice deserves our primary attention. <\/p>\n

I can’t begin to resolve these complex issues here. But let me offer a few words of guidance. Even though the relationship between Christian peacemaking and political activism can be confusing, we may not forget about it. Scripture calls us to make peace in every dimension of life and to seek justice in this world. Many peacemaking actions are clearly taught in Scripture and therefore require little debate. Feeding the hungry, building a home with Habitat for Humanity, sponsoring a child through World Vision, embracing someone from an ethnic background other than your own, caring for inmates through Prison Fellowship – all of these actions and countless more are clearly biblical (see, for example, Matt 25:31-46). Invest yourself in doing that which God obviously favors, without spending all your time debating the difficult issues and doing nothing tangible.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the tricky issues, however, and we all must face them, let me urge you to seek God’s wisdom in Scripture. Many advocates of social causes, including many Christians, do not ground their efforts in God’s Word. Thus they easily go astray, either in goals or in strategies, and usually in both. Usually, when we seriously try to discover God’s will for a particular issue in Scripture, we’ll discover that our assumptions and biases and commitments need to be adjusted in light of God’s truth. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I suggested that we make peace in the world, first of all, by announcing the peacemaking work of Christ on the cross. Second, we bring God’s peace to the world by holding up the cross of Christ as an example to emulated. Today I’ll offer two additional aspects of peacemaking in the world. Third,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity-and-peacemaking"],"yoast_head":"\nPeacemaking in the World, Part 2 - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/08\/peacemaking-in-the-world-part-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Peacemaking in the World, Part 2 - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yesterday, I suggested that we make peace in the world, first of all, by announcing the peacemaking work of Christ on the cross. Second, we bring God’s peace to the world by holding up the cross of Christ as an example to emulated. Today I’ll offer two additional aspects of peacemaking in the world. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1205\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}