Post by tomdurst on Jan 21, 2015 10:38:35 GMT -5
DID JESUS COME TO BRING PEACE OR A SWORD?
Jesus is called the Prince of Peace and yet on one occasion He said "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34 Amplified). The truth of the gospel brings peace for those who accept it and surrender their life to God but greatly troubles the consciences of those who reject or neglect it in favor of other life pursuits. Indeed, "the wicked [those who reject the Savior] are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt” (Isaiah 57:20 KJV--brackets are my comment). “ . . . the way of transgressors is hard” (Proverbs 13:15 KJV). The Word of God (His truth) is indeed as "a two-edged sword" and "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (see Hebrews 4:12; 10:31). So the gospel [the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom] brings peace to some and a sword to others. This isn’t because God is being arbitrary but simply because rejecting or even neglecting Him is choosing death. So all of us have the choice of accepting God’s plan or experiencing the emptiness that self-centered living inevitably brings. There is simply NO escaping this (see Hebrews 2:3). Eventually every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (see Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10-11). I’m not wishing to speculate as to just how that will take place but believe that it will in God’s own way and timing. My conjectures will not be able to add to or take from the plan of God.
I invite you to read more QUESTIONS on the link below:
QUESTIONS