Peace and security are two words that nowadays are always mentioned in the news. They are among the most often mentioned concerns of all people, especially at this time of terroristic attacks and conflicts around the world. Everyone is frightened about their future, safety, and peace. We can’t blame them: wars, violence and crime rates are rising every day, we are losing our peace. But the Bible says something about the future that may ease our minds: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
While we in the modern world might regard peace and security as a state of being, the reality is that this is not the case in scriptural times. There are some interesting Bible verses that may indicate to us how peace and security were viewed, or at least how they were struggled for.
The bible depicts a peaceful world in the heavenlies, and peace is a must have in order to have as much freedom as possible. This peace includes security. Sure, this world is a mess right now, but if you look forward to the next world, and how it will be so much better, you will be able to get through the mess of this world with a smile on your face.
Peace and security are two of the most important aspects of being a human. This is why many people search for peace and security in the Bible.
Peace can be defined as “a state of tranquility or harmony, as of mind or body.” This can be accomplished by understanding the message of love and forgiveness that is found throughout the Bible. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:26). In this passage, he explains that when Christians love one another, they will not have any reason to provoke or envy each other. Love is an important part of achieving peace in our lives.
Security can be defined as “freedom from fear or anxiety; safety.” Security can only come from God; earthly security will never satisfy our deepest desires for peace and tranquility. We must remember that no matter what happens in our lives or around us, God will always be with us and provide us with everything we need through His grace and mercy (Matthew 6:33).
Peace and security are important themes throughout the Bible. In fact, the Bible shows that peace and security are interconnected with each other, and with faith.
In the Old Testament, God promises his people that he will give them “peace” if they obey him (Leviticus 26:6-9). Peace is a state of well-being where there is no fear or anxiety. The Israelites were promised this because they were living in a time when there was constant war in the region around them. They were also living in a time when there was much oppression by their own government, who forced them to follow strict laws about how to worship God (like sacrificing animals) or else be killed by their own countrymen. The Israelites were promised this because they had faith that God would protect them from their enemies’ attacks on them if they followed his rules for living well together as a society.
In the New Testament, Jesus says that we can have peace within ourselves when we stop worrying about our problems because “what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). When we worry about things like money or family problems or schoolwork—all of which can cause stress and anxiety—then we won’t be
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Peace and security in the bible
Peace and violence in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, peace and security are often mentioned as ideal states.
There is a lot of violence in the Old Testament. Ancient Israel went from being a peaceful country to a violent one.
Peace and violence in the New Testament
[This section is organized into subtopics and written in a bullet-point style.]
- Jesus taught about peace.
- Jesus was a pacifist, he advocated for nonviolence and taught that violence would not have a place in the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Paul’s teachings about peace.
- In contrast to Jesus’ teachings, Paul seemed to advocate for violent means of spreading his message as seen in 1 Corinthians 10:32-33 where Paul stated that Christians were free to ‘defend themselves’ if they were being persecuted by pagans or even fellow Christians who did not believe in Christ. The early churches were often attacked by mobs made up of pagans who hated them because they believed Jesus was sent from God (Acts 17:5). While it seems unlikely that these attacks would have been met with the same level of violence that ISIS uses today, we do see evidence from other sources such as Pliny’s letter about Christians being killed during this time period which indicates that there may have been some kind of violent response done by some members within the church when faced with persecution from outsiders.
How peace and security are viewed in modern times
Peace and security are two terms that are widely used in modern discourse, whether it be political, religious, academic or otherwise.
Some examples of how peace and security are used in popular culture include:
- “Peace is an early step toward the end of war.” -Ronald Reagan
- “I have no peace because I don’t know who needs peace more than anyone else.” -John Lennon
- “One man can do nothing alone; he must share his time with others if he is to accomplish anything at all.” -Thomas Carlyle (1840)
How those views can affect relations between Christians, Jews and Muslims
As you can see, there are many ways that Christians, Jews and Muslims view peace and security. These differences in perspective can have a strong effect on how people interact with each other—both personally and politically.
Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. He came to Earth as God’s Son to die for man’s sins, so that we could be forgiven and live eternally with him in heaven. For Christians, this means living a life of faithfulness to God through Jesus Christ; they believe that all others will go to hell when they die (Matthew 10:32-33).
Jews believe that they are the chosen people of God who were given an important mission by him when he created them (Genesis 1:1-3). They believe they should strive to follow his rules by keeping his commandments as outlined in their holy book, the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), which includes stories about Adam & Eve being cast out of Eden after eating from the tree of knowledge of good & evil; Noah saving himself & his family from drowning during a great flood; Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac at God’s command before God stopped him from going through with it; Moses leading the Israelites out into freedom after centuries spent enslaved under Egyptian rule; etcetera… Because of this belief system—which teaches about what happens according Christians’ view point–Jews may not want anything do do with Christians because they do not see them as being saved through Jesus Christ.”
What they mean to you
Peace and security are two concepts that are important in the Bible. They both have a great deal of overlap and can be difficult to separate from one another—but essentially, peace refers to an inner state of being while security refers more to relationships with others.
While it’s natural for you to want both these things in your life, it’s also important that you take steps toward achieving them on your own before reaching out too far into other people’s lives. In this way, you can begin by focusing on yourself first:
- Think about what it means when someone says “I’m at peace” or “I feel secure.” What does it mean for them? What do they look like? Do they seem happy? Content? Relaxed?
- Next ask yourself whether those feelings apply to yourself as well. If so, how do those feelings affect your daily life and relationships with family members or friends? How does having this sense of peace or security help you function better at work or school each day?
The idea of peace and security has many meanings from different times and cultures
The concept of peace and security can mean many different things to different people, so it’s not always easy to define. For example, in modern times we tend to think about peace as the absence of war and violence, but this is not always how it was defined in earlier times. In fact, in biblical times there were several different ways that “peace” could be used – some meanings have been lost over time because they are no longer relevant or because they have fallen out of favor. For example, one common way that ancient Jewish scribes used “peace” was as a greeting: when someone met another person on the street or greeted them in the marketplace (or at home), they would say hello by asking “How are you?” The response would be “I’m well” (lit., “I have peace”) followed by a hand gesture called shalom alechem! which means literally “Peace be with you.”
In addition to greeting each other as individuals who had come into contact with each other naturally within society (like neighbors), Jews also had a ritualistic way of greeting God every day through prayer known today as The Shema Yisrael prayer (“Hear O Israel”). This ritual involves reciting several verses from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 where Moses tells his people Israel how important it is for them never forget how much God has loved them since before their ancestors were born and therefore should follow His commands diligently throughout their lives even when circumstances seem difficult or unfair.”