THE GOSPEL OF PEACE

By Jerelyn Pearson

 

In Ephesians 6 we are instructed to put on the whole armor of God. Paul compares the physical pieces of armor that a Roman soldier would have worn to the spiritual armor that we should wear. He gives each piece of armor a spiritual attribute.

1. loins girt about with truth
2. breastplate of righteousness
3. feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
4. shield of faith
5. helmet of salvation
6. sword of the spirit

He was inspired to associate the gospel of peace with our feet.  Now Peace is an attribute that I greatly desire. I associate peace with serenity, tranquility, contentment, harmony. Feet? Not so much. I've never thought of my feet as pretty.  In fact when I was a little girl I decided that my feet were the ugliest of all my friends, to the point that I didn't want to go barefooted or wear sandals. Of course I got over that because I live in Louisiana.  

But here in Ephesians Paul links feet with peace.

Ephesians 6:14-15:
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

This is not the first time peace and feet have been associated together in the Bible.  This connection was made long before Paul was inspired to express it his letter to the Ephesians.

And you know what?  God doesn't think feet are ugly. God says feet are beautiful, more than once. And in addition to that he links feet to peace, more than once.

Isaiah 52:7:   
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Nahum 1:15:
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Zacharias prophesies that his baby son John (the Baptist) will guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:67, 76-79
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying...
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Why are feet shod with the spiritual attribute of the preparation of the gospel of peace? It is our feet that take us where we need to go to spread the gospel.

Romans 10:15:
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

I love how intricate and layered God's word is.  All of these references show me that this is an important concept. He has built a foundation for our preparation of the gospel of peace long before Ephesians 6:14-15 instruct us to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Ephesians 6:14-15:
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

So I'd like for us to look at this important concept of peace from two perspectives.

Peace with God

Romans 5:1:
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

In the beginning man had peace with God in the Garden of Eden. But through disobedience, man lost his peace with God. But God's plan included the restoration of that peace through his son Jesus Christ. When we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, we have peace with God.

The Peace of God

Philippians 4:6-7:
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

If we make our requests known unto God by prayer and thanksgiving instead of giving in to worry and anxiety, then his peace will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

His peace will not only guard our hearts, but will also guide our hearts.

Colossians 3:15:
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Isaiah 26:3-4:   
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 
4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

When we concentrate on God instead of our circumstances, we show our faith and trust in him and he keeps us in his peace.

Peace with God and the Peace of God:
This is the gospel of peace with which our beautiful feet are shod.

 

 

 

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