What the Bible says about Bond of Peace
(From Forerunner Commentary)
The four examples of evil in Proverbs 8:13, which always end up doing harm, were manifested in Satan, and all of his children continue to exhibit them (see John 8:38, 41, 44). A progression is shown: Pride and arrogance are conditions of the heart, which is where it all starts. Where there is pride in the heart, it will come out in "the evil way," that is in action.
Evil also emerges in words, though it may not always be obvious. Jesus cautions in Matthew 12:34, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." When evil resides in the heart, it will be exposed in perverse speech, language contrary to the truth of God and to love. James 3:8 declares that "no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." He also says, "If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man" (James 3:2). We can only reach that perfection with God's intervention and help, which, thankfully, we have.
The apostle Paul essentially says that the foundation of good works—particularly within the church of God—is humility or lowliness:
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)
However, if works are done with pride or arrogance, or for the sake of appearance rather than truth and righteousness, they will cause harm. They may also produce some good, but the account of the Two Trees in the Garden of Eden teaches that, in the context of eternity, a mixture of good and evil is really only evil.
David C. Grabbe
Hating Evil, Fearing GodRelated Topics: Arrogance | Evil | Gentleness | Humility | Longsuffering | Lowliness | Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks | Perverse Speech | Pride | Pride and Arrogance as Evil | Taming the Tongue | Tongue, Taming the
Here, Paul is relaying God's opposition to separation and divorce because they are obviously a result of a lack of peace. It is for this very reason that God hates divorce so much. Divorce creates not peace and unity but war and division. Among us, it should be a last resort.
Why? He tells us simply that we have been called to peace (verse 15). When we divorce, we are not making peace. We are actually going to war and causing separation. But God allows it, He says, in situations in which the relationship has been so undermined by sin (like adultery) that peace is impossible. Trust has been ruined. It takes quite a person to return to a loving relationship after such divisive, perfidious things have happened. It can be done, but He allows divorce because God considers peace more important.
So, the child of God must strive to do his or her part to make and maintain peace, especially in a marriage, even if the other spouse is an unbeliever. We should endeavor to make it work because that our election binds us to do just that. We have been called to be peacemakers, not to be disruptors, not to revel in conflict, but to make peace.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The PeacemakersRelated Topics: Bond of Peace | Called to be Peacemakers | Disunity | Disunity, Causes of | Divorce | God Hates Divorce | Marriage and Divorce