What the Bible says about Enemies at Peace with Us
(From Forerunner Commentary)

1 Peter 2:9 Peter refers to the church by several descriptors, including “a royal priesthood” and “a holy nation.” Consider the latter for a moment. God's holy nation stands in contrast to the nations of our birth. As called children of God, we are not entirely removed from our birth nations, even as Paul calls Judah “my nation” (Acts 24:17; 28:19; see Acts 26:4; Galatians 1:14). But the spiritual, holy nation carries far more significance than our physical nations. The holy nation stands in a privileged state before the Most High God, and He bestows far greater favor on His spiritual nation than on the physical nations that oppose Him. Though He sends rain on the just and the unjust, He also acts to benefit those who are in Christ in ways that He does not act for those in the world. The heavenly citizenship we have because God conveyed us into Christ's Kingdom is one of the most precious gifts He has given. If we truly value it, we will prioritize the holy nation and its peace far above our opinions of what is happening in our birth nations. However, because we still have connections to our physical nations, we have concerns about their well-being and direction. Thus, Paul says we should make supplications, prayers, and intercessions for kings and all who are in authority (I Timothy 2:1-2). Admittedly, our human nature may resist his advice, depending on who is in power. But the reason for those prayers, the apostle says, is so that “we [the holy nation] may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” We can combine his instruction with the reality to which God opened Solomon's eyes: “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1). Although God has not yet established His Kingdom on earth, He is still sovereign, and He intervenes to direct events according to His purpose. We should pray for the authorities because God can work through them to provide us with a peaceful environment. Interestingly, Paul does not say to pray about who will be in authority but that we pray for whoever is in authority. God can easily direct any king's heart to do things for His holy nation. God stirred the heart of Cyrus, a pagan king, to command the exiled Jews to return to Judea and rebuild the Temple (II Chronicles 36:22; Ezra 1:1). His sovereign dominion includes even the most carnal of those in authority. But His focus is the apple of His eye, and He wants us to bring our concerns to Him in prayers of faith and not draw back in fear of what men can do. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego feared God more than the Babylonian government, and God responded to their faith by standing with them in the furnace, defying the heat and smoke. Daniel feared God more than the laws of Medo-Persia, and God responded to his faith by closing the lions' mouths until they could devour the schemers. The machinations of mere men mean less than nothing to Him. Instead, He wants to see whether we trust Him. Before Cyrus, God raised another pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar, to chasten His people, yet He also humbled him when his pride reached a tipping point. God says He did that “in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Daniel 4:17). In another striking example of God's power over human hearts, He transformed the worst human persecutor of the early church—Saul of Tarsus—into the church's most prominent advocate and supporter. Is anything too hard for God? God also inspired Solomon to write that “when a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7). This proverb teaches us to pay more attention to our own ways than to the actions of those who oppose our way of life because God determines how and even if their opposition affects us. David C. Grabbe Implications of the Gospel of the Kingdom Related Topics: Accepting God's Sovereignty | Authority, Submission to | Cyrus | Enemies at Peace with Us | Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty | God's Sovereignty | Holy Nation | Israel of God | Nebuchadnezzar | Our Heavenly Citizenship | Royal Priesthood | Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego | Spiritual Israel | Spiritual Israelite

1 Peter 3:1-2 Quite a number of translators and commentators read into this verse that the example of the godly wife wins the husband to Christ. But Peter makes no mention of Jesus in these verses, nor is he saying that a godly wife has the ability to call (see John 6:44), let alone convert, an unbelieving husband. God alone retains the power to open a person's mind and give him the faith that produces spiritual salvation. This is not to denigrate the power of a good example in the least. Our example is a large part of whether we are upholding the holiness of God's name or bearing it in vain. Our example gives evidence of our spiritual paternity, for either we will resemble Satan or we will resemble God. When we display the same characteristics as our heavenly Father, He is glorified, and those who observe our good example can see that God's way of life produces good results. However, even the very best example will not convert another unless God is also calling him or her. Even after 3½ years of walking and preaching on earth, the perfect witness of the Son of God did not convert everyone He encountered. If a good example were all that was needed, we could expect that everyone who observed Jesus would come to Him—but that is not what happened at all! After His death, there were only about 120 disciples (or perhaps 120 families; Acts 1:15). Obviously, God did not call every person who encountered Jesus—He will call them when they are resurrected. Clearly, the conduct of a child of God is of utmost importance, particularly in the case of one spouse being called and converted while the other is not. Yet, even if the believing spouse sets a perfect example, “chaste conduct accompanied by fear” will not win the unbelieving spouse for Christ. Instead, the “winning” or the “gaining” in I Peter 3:1 is similar to the gaining of our brother in Matthew 18:15. Just as it may be possible (through our efforts) to have a more profitable relationship with a brother who sinned against us, so it may also be possible for a godly wife to gain the heart of an unbelieving husband, so that he respects her more and begins to let go of his animosity. This is similar to Proverbs 16:7: “When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” God can cause an enemy to begin looking favorably on one of His children, and thus the former foe is gained. By our efforts, though, we can only gain a person in terms of the human relationship. We cannot cause a relationship to occur between man and God—only God can initiate that. In the same way, the winning or gaining that Paul is striving for in I Corinthians 9:19-22 is simply protecting or improving the connection he had with the people he encountered. His gaining of these people was not the same thing as converting them or of opening their minds to the reality of God. He was trying not to be unnecessarily offensive, but the scope of his behavior was entirely on the level of human interaction, not on getting people saved in a spiritual or eternal sense. David C. Grabbe Can We Win People For Christ? Related Topics: Being an Example | Calling is God's Prerogative | Enemies at Peace with Us | God's Calling | Human Relationships | Taking God's Name in Vain | Winning People for Christ?

 

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