And On Earth, Peace

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Luke 2:13-14

This Christmas season, if you keep one thing in mind, may it be love.

All of this—all that God has been doing since the Garden of Eden—has been about love. More specifically, it’s been about God’s love-relationship with us.

But also this Christmas, keep in mind peace. When you and I come to believe the love of God for us in Christ Jesus, we experience profound peace. At the end of the day, love and peace are inextricably intertwined. (Rom. 5:1)

TO BE HUMAN

Simply put, to be human is to be wired for perfect love. (Gen. 1:26)

To be human is to be perfectly loved by God. (John 3:16, 1 John 4:16)

To be human is to also have lost the intrinsic knowledge that we’re perfectly loved by God. (Rom. 3:23)

To be human is to not know what we no longer know. (Rev. 3:17)

SO LAW CAME IN

Therefore, law came in so that sin would “increase.” (Rom. 5:20)

Law literally came in so that people would feel more unloved.

Hear me out.

Sin is anything we do from doubt that we’re perfectly loved. The enemy (the sin in our flesh) takes advantage of us through the law. He deceives us into doubting God’s love and, in this way, looking to man for approval. We end up comparing ourselves with each other… to find validation… to find love.  We end up seeking to earn perfect love from man… something no human is capable of giving us (Rom. 7:7-25).

Which drives us to

finally

look vertically

for perfect love.

BUT GOD SENT US CHRIST

The thing is, God knows us. And he loves us so much.

He knows that we are enslaved to looking horizontally, to man, for love.

So he came into our horizontal view plane.

He came to be the singular human in all of history who could make another human realize perfect love. (Rom. 8:3)

And in this way, mankind finally found her peace.

AND ON EARTH, PEACE

Christmas is so much more than ever we ever realized, isn’t it?!

Friend, this Christmas season, do you know you’re loved? And if so, do you believe it? And if so, do you live perpetually in faith that you’re perfectly loved? Do you live in perfect peace?

Never forget, you’re human. Struggling with this is part of our journey on earth.

But also, remember Christmas.

Remember the one Man who came to make you realize God’s perfect love.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you…” (John 14:27)

KATIE MOON is a Biblical researcher, writer, teacher/speaker, and founder of a non-profit online ministry called In Black and Light.