Blake Long

When our minds think of a peaceful person, we automatically think of somebody who is afraid of confrontation or isn’t willing to engage in debate. In short, we think of pacifists. However, being a peaceful Christian doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever engage in arguments or even confront others when necessary, as we just went over. Occasionally it’s your job as a fellow Christian to call out another Christian’s behavior. You should not try to be peaceful so much that you don’t follow the Spirit’s leading to confront sin. At that point you’re bordering on disobedience.

Think of Jesus, for example. He was the epitome of a peaceful person since He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). This same Jesus also called the Pharisees white-washed tombs (Matthew 23:27) and flipped tables in the temple (Matthew 21:12–13). Jesus was perfect, so logically we can conclude that peaceful people have to conduct themselves in a bolder fashion to get a point across on occasion.

In the same way, there will be moments when you have to plant your feet firmly in the ground of the gospel and confront another Christian over his or her sin. It’s not because you want to but because you need to—if you want to see that person become more like Jesus. Unchecked sin leads to dysfunction within the church and causes catastrophic problems. Many times Chris- tians do not notice they are sinning, therefore it’s up to you say something about it. Being a peaceful Christian doesn’t mean you should never get involved in difficult situations; it simply means you shouldn’t be the one causing them.

The key phrase in this verse is as far as it depends on you. You can’t truly be at peace with everybody because not everybody wants to be at peace with you. Jesus told us this. If the world hated Him, they are surely going to hate us ( John 15:18). Some people take pleasure in being at odds with others purely because they’re Christians. Believe it or not, Christians act this way too.

Being peaceable—somebody who displays the fruit of the Spirit, essentially—is very important because it makes us more like Christ (Romans 8:29). There are three main ways to exercise this peacefulness in our lives, definitely as it relates to out witness: the local church, your community, and social media.