Forethought of Jesus as Preparedness for Peace

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

The concept of developing forethought is nothing new. When rightly done initially by parents with reinforcement by the Christian church it can be a stabilizing force in society for peace. One of the most important and profound things a parent can do is to raise their children up in the Christian faith because in doing so they are making for the possibility of what the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:1-3 in the Bible:

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit (side note: to understand what the Spirit produces in the life of believers in Jesus see my profile on this HubPage) in the bond of peace.”

Among Christians, Christ has bonded believers by bringing peace between two opposing groups of people in ancient Israel and it still happens today. The division was and is between Jews (circumcised in the flesh) and Gentiles (uncircumcised in the flesh). Here is how Jesus produced peace between these groups described by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:11-18:

“Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, [i]excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off [j]have been brought near [k]by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the [l]barrier of the dividing wall, [m]by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might [n]make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, [o]by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

The Jewish Law contained in ordinances was cause for the division between Jew (circumcised in the flesh) and Gentile (uncircumcised in the flesh) but Christ, as being a sacrifice for sin to please God through dying on the cross ended the division between Jews and Gentiles. The death of Jesus on the cross was the final sacrifice for all of mankind that gives both Jew and Gentile access to one Spirit (again, to gain more knowledge of the Spirit, see my profile on this HubPage). This did away with the division caused by the Law."

The life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ bring tremendous hope for peace in disjointed world as Jesus is a living hope. He is resurrected and brings tremendous peace between Christians (formerly Jew and Gentile) who in faith live out their lives by trusting in Him for all He promised with one of those things being peace. If you have not already, will you consider becoming a believer in Christ for yourself to relieve you of the consequences of sin and in doing so, promote peace?

• Ephesians 2:14 Lit the dividing wall of the barrier
• Ephesians 2:15 Or the enmity, by abolishing in His flesh the Law
• Ephesians 2:15 Lit create
• Ephesians 2:16 Or in Himself
• Ephesians 2:19 Or holy ones
• Ephesians 2:21 Or sanctuary