If God is a God of peace, why don’t we have peace in the world today? Isn’t He to blame for the lack of peace? This devotion looks at how peace is an attitude.
Nuggets
- Satan wants to steal our peace and blame it on God.
- God can still be in control and not be blamed for the results of sin.
- Man and Satan are to be blamed for the results of sin, not God.
- The god of this world is Satan, not God.
- God can stop this at any time — and we’ve been told He is going to do just that.
Don’t you love when Paul starts a sentence off with the word “therefore”? He not only hooks what he is going to say back with what he already said, but he also sends up a flag either saying because of this or but it is different now.
Let's Put It into Context
“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5: 1 CSB)
In this case it is but it is different now. “… since we have been declared righteous by faith …” (Rom. 5: 1 CSB) means we have been justified. Justification means the act of making something righteous before God.
If we are justified before God — made right before God — that means something was wrong. The wrongs were
- We were spiritually dead.
- We were separated from God.
- We were living a sinful life.
When we accepted salvation, we were justified, so those things were fixed. Salvation is the deliverance from the consequences of sin. This deliverance is necessitated by the original sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which made everyone sinners.
God is the God of Peace
“… we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5: 1 CSB)
Have you realized how much Paul has talked about peace? That was one of the major themes in Ephesians. Now he is talked about it to the Romans.
And we like to think the “good old days” like he was living in were a lot slower and simpler — and more peaceful.
Paul probably talks about peace so much because — regardless of the age — that is a favorite target of Satan. Satan wants to steal our peace and blame it on God.
Look what Paul says about peace here. If we don’t have the faith, we don’t have the peace.
You would think that would be a hard statement for the worldview people to argue. There is no peace in this world today. That is obvious by the brokenness of the world.
The problem as I see it is that the worldview people forget about Satan. They may acknowledge that there is a God, but they don’t think Satan is real.
We talked about this before. According to a study, even disciples have problems believing that Satan is real. That means, to many people, that the blame falls on God.
Yes, disciples are concerned about the state of the world today. But we know God is in control.
I had a reader put some comments on a previous devotion on which he wanted my opinion. One of his comments was “If you believe God controls everything you are blaming HIM for disease, accidents, murders, suicides, children to starve, children to be used as sex slaves, wars etc. See Job. 1:7, 2 Cor. 4:4, John 10:10.”
God can still be in control and not be blamed for the results of sin. Let’s look at some things.
Disease Entered After Sin
We know God created a paradise (Gen. 1). There was no disease, death, poverty — in other words, there was no sin.
The “disease, accidents, murders, suicides, children to starve, children to be used as sex slaves, wars etc.” are the results of sin. Satan said bite — Eve bit — Adam bit — sin came into the world — disease, accidents, murders, yada, yada, yada came into the world.
Man and Satan are to be blamed for the results of sin, not God.
When I hear statements like the comment, part of me thinks, “What? You want to be able to break God’s laws and commandments and have no punishment?” Because that is what the disease, accidents, murders, yada, yada, yada are: punishment for sin.
If Adam and Eve would have obeyed God, yada yada yada wouldn’t be in the world today. We can say that there is this connection because of what Jesus said when the friends brought the paralytic for healing in Luke 5: 17-26.
“Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” (Lk. 5: 22 CSB).
What Jesus was saying here was, yeah, He could heal the paralysis. But why treat the symptom without treating the disease? The disease was caused by sin.
No, all the yada, yada, yada in the world does not mean God is not in control. It means He is allowing us to suffer the punishment of our sins.
Satan Was Responsible for Job’s Troubles
“The Lord asked Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ ‘From roaming through the earth,’ Satan answered him, ‘and walking around on it’” (Job 1: 7 CSB)
I have to admit, I am a little confused by this verse reference. God and Satan talking does not mean God is not in control. To me, this verse shows Satan is ruling the earth.
Some believe, however, that Job content predates Genesis content. I got one of those read-the-Bible-chronologically lists. We read Job first.
If Job is pre-fall, God would definitely be in control because Satan would still be one of His angels. But it really doesn’t matter about timing.
“‘Very well,’ the Lord told Satan, ‘everything he owns is in your power. However, do not lay a hand on Job himself.’ So Satan left the Lord’s presence” (Job 1: 12 CSB).
God didn’t take everything away from Job. Satan did. How can you blame God for what Satan did?
Oh, yes. God allowed it. But all of Job’s trials came from Satan — not God. The trial was to test Job’s faith in God. Trials come from Satan; testings come from God.
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
Satan Is in Control of This World Right Now
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (II Cor. 4: 4 CSB)
The god of this world is Satan, not God. So, I don’t see how it can be used as support that God can be blamed about what is happening in the world today.
We’ve talked before about Satan blinding people from seeing God’s light. Satan, who fell from heaven because because of pride and arrogance, desires to dethrone God. He has blinded this world by pride, prejudice, and passion. He is doing this to deceive people so they do not become believers and disciples of Jesus.
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
God would not be blinding people from His gospel. He is the One “who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (I Tim. 2: 4 NIV). He would not send His Son to die this horrific death to pay the price for our sins — and then not tell us about it.
It is in our job description that we are to tell others about God’s sovereignty over the world. Why would He say “nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house” (Mt. 5: 15 ESV) if He was expecting that to happen?
God is not blinding people of this world. Satan is.
Just because God is allowing Satan to blind people right now doesn’t mean He isn’t in control. We have free will. We get to choose who we are — or are not — going to follow.
Satan Is the Thief
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn. 10: 10 NIV)
This is a really good description of Satan. He is the one who brought destruction into the world. He wanted to rule God, but He found out he wasn’t strong enough.
Because of his anger at that, Satan unleashed all of this bad stuff on us. He is the destroyer.
Jesus brought life — eternal life. We have to get our focus off this world and put it onto the new heaven and earth. That means we have to be working the process of sanctification so that we are becoming holy and righteous.
God Can Stop This at Any Time
God is in control. Why else do I believe this. I believe God can stop this at any time — and we’ve been told He is going to do just that.
- Jesus said that He was coming back, but He didn’t give us a day or time (Mt. 24: 36)
- Satan will be defeated (Rev. 19: 20)
- Satan will be punished (Rev. 20: 2, 10)
- This heaven and earth will end (Rev. 20: 11)
- A new heaven and earth will replace these (Rev. 21: 1)
Just reading Revelation clearly shows God is in control. Even with the confusing symbolism, there is no mistaking that God is in control.
We don’t have to understand what is going to happen when. Revelation clearly shows that what will happen will happen because God is making it happen.
So, yes, ultimately God is in control. When everyone has heard His gospel and all who are giving to choose Him have made that choice, He will shut this world down. Period. He can do that. He is Sovereign God.
But What About No Plan B?
Oh, yes. I see you over there waiving your arms and saying, “Chick, what about what you said in What Is the Relationship Between Righteousness and Obedience? You said Adam and Eve sinning was Plan A, not Plan B.”
I said there that God always knew we were going to be disobedient. If we were going to remain faithful (which is He would rather have happened), He wouldn’t have needed to design the plan of salvation before He made us.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Making the Connections
Okay, I am not finding it in a post. Maybe I talked with my Ladies about it, but it wasn’t in my Sunday morning Bible study notes, either.
Anyway, I remember a while back talking with someone about why God allowed man to disobey. I mean, if He knew Adam and Eve were going to bite, couldn’t He work it where they didn’t?
Somewhere I read — and no, I can’t find it — that God allowed the original sin because, while man had free will, it showed the angels what love really is. There were a couple of reasons.
- It showed the angels what true love is. We can say we love someone, but our actions make our words true.
- It showed the angels — and us — how far God would go to restore the relationship because that was what showed how deep the love was.
What does Jason Gray’s song say?
“If it’s random or providence
“Neither are a comfort to me
“Are You cruel if You planned it,
“Or weak if You allowed it to be?
If God wanted us to be disobedient, it could be argued that God is to blame.
But remember Romans 8: 28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV).
Good things come out of bad situations. It may be just what we need.
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
Okay, so this started off with peace before it morphed.
But did it?
Peace is an attitude. Our attitude is affected if we are blaming God. If we are blaming God, are we accepting the peace He wants to give us? No.
How Do We Apply This?
We can work on our attitude. Attitude is a choice. Blaming God is a choice — and not a smart one.
Instead of blaming God, we should seek Him.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
God. You are Sovereign God. You are love, and You give us peace. Forgive us when we blame You for Satan’s evil. Amen.
What do you think?
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