Exegetical Paper on Biblical Love and Peace - Report Example

Exegetical Paper on Biblical Love and Peace Living in peace is the inherent meaning of life for which man struggles tirelessly toachieve. According to Howard Thurman, “there may be a life of mankind which is more than individual’s, and groups”1. In this respect, despite the fact that man could live for his own interest or that of his group, man will never find ultimate peace and satisfaction, until he has been able to establish peace with everyone. This is the same concept that has been echoed in Romans 12:18, which also states that “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”2. Therefore, leaving in peace with others, not only with the groups that an individual is attributed to, forms the ultimate meaning of life, for which man can derive ultimate satisfaction. Nevertheless, building the meaning of life is a process that entails the pursuit of the built-in purpose, aim and objective of life3. However, man has always set on the path of pursuing goals that can never be achieved and ends that can never be fulfilled, which is the ultimate source of much struggles that man goes through in life. However, with the understanding of the in-built purpose for which God has given life, man should always set on the path of ensuring to live in peace with others as much as it could be possible. The essence and meaning of life can be drawn from the initial creation of man, where “the setting is the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are the central figures in an idyllic surrounding. All is peaceful, all is innocent”4. Therefore when God initially created the world, he had intended of man to live a peaceful and innocent life. Thus, at the beginning, neither was there any quarrel between the human creations that God had made in Adam and Eve, and neither was there any conflict between God and man. However, it is only after man had committed sin that the conflict arose, which means that man has always to struggle to bring everything back to the equilibrium point of peace that was initially established. Thus, simply put, it is the transition from innocence to knowledge that has finally put man in the perilous position that makes God drive him from the garden where he was completely provided for, to the world where he was to live on his own5. The only thing that was essential in this respect is love, for with love, man would not have chosen to go against the word that was given regarding eating everything else, but the single fruit tree that was prohibited. Therefore, through lack of love, man created a long-lasting conflict between men themselves and between man and God, and within this conflict, even the innocent have ended up suffering, where they may not have deserved to suffer. Due to lack of love, and due to the failure of man to value the peace that God had initially wanted for man, a strange restlessness comes into play in the life of man, and “struggles emerge as the way of life”6. The failure to value the peace that had been intended for the life of man in turn results in the creation of an appetite that can never be satisfied. Through the strange restlessness and the insatiable appetite that man has developed, the outward meaning of life for which man was supposed to love the creator and love the fellow humans now turns into the pursuit for self-love, which is created by self-judgment, arising from the perilous knowledge that man derived from eating the prohibited fruit. In this respect, while God had initially intended that man shall always pursue love for God and love for the fellow humans that God created, the exchange of value by man, which resulted in man valuing knowledge more than peace, set man on a life of persistent struggle7. The major problem in the shift from valuing peace and innocence by man to valuing knowledge was not initiated by God, but by man himself. The consequence is that the transition from innocence to knowledge was never completed, and for this reason, man can never stop and get contended with life, but will forever continue with the pursuit of the knowledge to fill the gap. In this pursuit, man no longer values peace or love for God and the love for fellow humans. Rather, man only the values self-determination. With the self-determination to pursue the existing knowledge gap existing between the transformation from innocence to a state of full knowledge, man has consistently deviated from the right path of peace and love. However, there is an “area of innocence untouched by knowledge”8. This untouched area of innocence is the one that has always pulled man back to the essence and meaning of life; peace and love. Therefore, regardless of the struggle applied by man in the pursuit of knowledge, which does not help but create weariness in man, there is that dimension of peace and love that man will always find a refuge in. Thus, if man could stop honoring the strange restlessness that was created by the knowledge arising from the consumption of the prohibited fruit in the Garden of Eden, and start pursuing peace and love as the inherent meaning of life, man can go back to the peaceful equilibrium. At the equilibrium, there is value in loving God and in relating peacefully with others, as opposed to the pursuit of self-determination. This then becomes the essence of Psalm 86:15 that states “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”9. Therefore, God is still willing to accept and restore man back to the initial state of innocence and peace, if man was willing to focus both the mind and the heart upon God, as the sole external source of goal and life for which man lives10. The search for peace between an individual and others is not a matter of doing it for the sake of others, but also for the sake of oneself. Romans 12:18 puts it in very straightforward terms “If it is possible”, as a recognition of the fact that the attempt for an individual to keep at peace with everyone will be faced by numerous hurdles11. On the other hand, a man cannot have conflicts with others, without having his peace of mind completely disturbed. Therefore, man must be happy to be at peace with everyone, regardless of whether the rest of the individuals are happy or at peace with the man. This now is what defines the essence of love. Love does not mean the replication of the good deeds that other individuals have performed towards a person, but the extension of good deeds by an individual irrespective of whether the other individuals have done any good to the man, or whether they have wronged him12. In this respect, there can never be any peace without love first abounding. This is because; it is through love that all the hurdles towards sustaining peace with everyone can be overcome. The attempt by an individual to establish peace with the rest without being first preceded by loving them will not pay off, because sustaining peace with everyone is something that an individual has to labor for, and it can never be expected to come about easy. This is the same concept that is advocated for by Howard Thurman, who observes that to be at peace with God, is “to do justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly”13. Therefore, peace can only be attained when an individual is humble and just, an indication that peace is a function of many other factors, but most importantly internal factors. These factors work towards ensuring that an individual will interact with the others in a manner that is not offensive. For this reason, even when the others are not willing to establish peace with an individual, the individual is still in a position to keep peace, if the drive is coming from within14. The concept of humbleness is similarly the one that has been demonstrated by Psalm 86:15, which starts with the words “But thou, O Lord”15. This is an actual deviation from the blustering pride of men, to a meek and humble submission to God, with the same qualities of God; grace and mercy being manifested once more, as the ultimate means through which man can be restored back to peace and innocence. Therefore, this verse recognizes that man is not deserving of the peace and mercies being sought from God, but pitches his hope on the grace and mercy of God to achieve the restoration. This is the same principle that is advocated for in Romans 12:18, which requires man to labor for the attainment of peace with everyone, because it cannot come easy16. The connection between these two verses is the recognition that not everyone is deserving of both love and mercy from God or from an individual, but these elements are necessary for the establishment of peace. Thus, the human spirit is consistently seeking for peace and restoration to the initial state of innocence with which man was created, but the same can only be attained through sustaining peace with both God and other men. Therefore, the experience of deeper peace for an individual will result from the establishment of a loving relationship with all the other men, coupled with striving for “Rest in the Lord”17. The life of man is unfulfilling without peace. Pride and anger are the most inhibitive factors to the attainment of peace, either between man and God, or between man and the rest. However, through humbleness and meek supplication, man can be able to establish peace with God, while also being able to conquer the rest of humans, through mercy and lack of pride18. However, with pride and anger, the peace of man is always disturbed, and without mercy and grace, man cannot be able to love or even establish peace with his enemies, considering that pride and anger would seek for the destruction of the enemies, instead of establishing peace. However, through upholding mercy and humbleness, man will be able to live with the rest in peace and his souls and spirit will also be at peace even with God. The attainment of the quietness of the spirit, so that the strange restlessness elicited by the break away from innocence that happened in the Garden of Eden is a “process that brings deep rest that refreshes the body and clears the mind”19. Therefore, the struggles of the mind and the struggles of the spirit are entirely different, where the mind is constantly struggling to fill in the gap of knowledge that still exists. The consequence is that even within an individual, there is hardly any peace, and thus an individual must always struggle to establish peace within himself, as he struggles to establish peace with everyone else. The establishment of peace from within can be achieved through the process of great silence, which entails experiencing the wholeness of life through a still and undisturbed moment, which takes man back to connection with innocence that God initially intended for man. This great silence allows man to move away from the striving and struggles of daily life, and establish a moment of close relationship with God. This allows an individual to dwell in innocence, which is to “inhabit a place where storms do not come and where all the breezes are gentle and balm”20. This state of living allows an individual to free from all the other demands of life, and in turn experience a moment of initially intended peace, which was meant to cause no demands on man, other than simply for him to be. However, the attainment of this state is only through love of God for man that is consistent and sustainable21. What the is the major hindrance towards man achieving peace within himself and with everyone else, which is the inherent meaning of life as initially intended by God? The self-love and the self-determination, which in turn develops into pride, anger and hate becomes a major factor that impends man’s reversal to the state of peace and innocence. Man has very much held onto life as a private possession, such that a great silence moment that restores man to the peace of innocence makes him feel “invaded by the Eternal”22. However, the goal of this peace is not to invade the personal space, but to turn hate into love and to change foes into friends, so that man and everyone else can become complete and in one peace, through maintaining a state of peace even amidst the difficulties that have been recognized in Roman 12:18. This scripture requires that whenever possible, and whenever it depends on an individual, the individual should maintain peace with everyone23. Peace creates completeness within and without an individual, and it rekindles love, which is the “Light, the Truth, that is within”24. Through the tools of peace and love, it is possible for man to transform the world into what God had initially intended for man, when He created man in innocence. Through peace and love, it is possible for man to realize the wholeness of both the mind and the spirit, and in this way, to transform the world, and make “make Heaven where Hell is found”25. Bibliography 1. Howard Thurman, The Inward Journey (Richmond, Indiana: Friends United Press, 1961), 112. 2. Ash, Christopher, Teaching Romans, Volume 2 (London: Proclamation of Trust, 2009), 164. 3. Hultgren, Arland J. Paul’s Letter to the Romans: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011), 454. 4. Pittman, James, What Do You Do With A Broken Relationship (Grand Rapids: Radio Bible Class, 1987), 22-24. 5. Lockyer, Herbert, The Psalms: A Devotional Commentary. (Grand Rapids, Mich: Kregel, 1992) 6. Phillips, John, Exploring Psalms: An Expository Commentary. (Grand Rapids, Mich: Kregel Publications, 2002)707 Read More