Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household (Matthew 10:32-36).
The modern Church thinks thinks that peace and thus being peaceable as Christians is an imperative to be 'tolerant', not imposing the Moral Law of God on those who do not "agree" or those who disdain the Church. This is based on a false understand of what truly is peace.
Peace is the knowledge that one is being made right with God. Peace, as such can only be experienced if one is walking in the will of God for peace, is based on truth. Peace is the knowledge that one is being made right with God. Such knowledge is knowledge of that which is true, and only God is true. Let God be true and every person be a liar (Romans 3:4). He is the Great I AM (Exodus 3:14), the uncaused cause and the Truth (John 14:6) who is definer of all things true and good. Without God, there is not can there be truth. Since peace is that which is of truth, without God, there can be no peace. Thus, anything that is against the will, purpose, word character, ordinance or design of God, gives no peace nor can give peace at all.
The world, of course, argue that it has its own peace. After all, it says, hasn't religion, that is, specially referring to Christianity, been the cause of all wars, it asks, The world is deceived, in thinking that Christianity is the cause of wars for war is against Christ, wars that are fleshly, worldly, earthly, seeking only one's own worldly peace and security, and to war against one's enemies. Such is the peace of the world! The world's motto is peace be for me, and war be for my enemies. Not only does it think war be for one's enemies, but that war against one's enemies is justifiable and justice. Such is a doctrine of demons, embraced by a world which indulges its flesh, living for the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life (1 John 2:16).
The world can have no peace at all whatsoever because it knows not the Truth, but rejects the Truth, from which only true peace can come. The only peace the world knows is its own. The peace the world loves is a false peace. The peace of the world is the ability of the world to satisfy and indulge the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life (1 John 2:16).
Everything the world does is to seeks its own earthly, worldly peace. It seeks to indulge in such lust and pride by attempting to stop all that interferes or disturbs it from doing so. Since the world hates Christ, anything that loves, obeys or supports Christ, or even merely just seeks to slightly protect His Name from being blasphemed is seen by the world as such an interference or disturbance to its peace.
This is exactly why the world sees the Church as threat to its worldly peace; her righteous, holy doctrines from Christ which convict and charge the world of its abominable, vile, manifold wickedness, forcing it to acknowledge or admit such wickedness which it thinks it be "good", "moral" "ethical" and "righteous". The world thinks the Church to be a terror and this is exactly why it seeks to destroy the Church. The Church is not a peace-maker to the world, nor should it be. It should be one which causes the world to be turned upside down as the early Church did, resulting in its persecution. Acts 17:6-7 is a clear demonstration of how the Church should cause the world to react:
And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
Notice how the believers accused of being trouble-makers were accused of seeking to obey Jesus, instead of the world. Those who obey Jesus Christ will cause trouble to the world, and bring not peace to the world, that is worldly peace, but division to the world.
The peace that Christ brings is not one that brings tolerance, or the absence of conflict or division. Nothing can be further from the truth. The peace Christ brings is that which comes only from being made righteous in the sight of God, from which one has Life, and Truth. The peace of Christ is division of the world. The peace of the world is hatred of Christ.
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