"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful" (Col 3:15 ESV).On occasion, I have heard that Colossians 3:15 teaches that we should let the peace of God "umpire" in our lives. This is taken to mean that we should seek or check for a subjective "peace" (ostensibly a good feeling or positive disposition) when we face a decision.
Unfortunately, the context of the verse clearly precludes such an interpretation. This passage is talking about the unity and love of the body. A local fellowship of believers should be marked by kindness, forgiveness, forbearance, patience, and a desire for unity. In a difficult situation, the desire to keep that peace among brothers and sisters in Christ "rules" and helps make the right decision.
In that way, this verse is a parallel thought to Romans 14:19, which says, "So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding." In our churches, we ought to pursue things that create and maintain unity as opposed to "pushing something through" that will jeoparadize that peace.
I was thinking about this today because of the outstanding example of our deacons. Last night, they began to tackle a gargantuan project relating to the appearance and functionality of our building. They took very deliberate measures to "pursue peace," even though strictly speaking, it is a matter of little or no spiritual consequence. They understand that even a physical/mechanical change could endanger the peaceful unity that our fellowship enjoys.
I thank the Lord for these godly men and their constant focus on the spiritual ministry of overseeing physical resources and meeting physical needs. They have demonstrated what it means to allow the peace of God to "umpire" in the life of our fellowship.
Comments
I feel a great deal of inner peace, and thus, it is my subjective opinion that you handled the text well. :-)
I finally found your site & will look forward to more good insights from Columbus. FWIW, we are facing a similar need with our leaders at TCBC. We had what could have been a difficult discussion Tuesday night about the possibility of relocating from the high school where we have met for 7 years to another location. By God's grace, "peace ruled." I, too, am thankful for godly leadeship, especially as a young pastor!