The term "peace" today is understood to refer to the absence of war. Says the dictionary, Peace is "a state of tranquility or quiet: as freedom from civil disturbance."

The Scriptural meaning of the term "peace" differs from today's understanding of the word. In fact, this one word captures the gospel of salvation in a nutshell.

In the Old Testament, the term 'peace' described a state of bounty, of well-being, it denoted harmony, security, prosperity. One may think of Ezekiel's words in chapter 34: God's covenant of peace implies that Israel will live without the threat of wild beasts, will be able to dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest. More, Israel will enjoy showers in their season, the trees will yield their fruit, the dearth shall yield its increase, there shall be security in the land and none shall make them afraid. That's peace: security, prosperity.

Yet those two words 'security' and 'prosperity' do not exhaust the Old Testament concept of peace. For this security and prosperity have a cause. Here we can go back to what is recorded in the first chapters of Genesis. Adam and Eve in Paradise enjoyed security and prosperity, enjoyed it until their fall into sin. Because of their fall into sin they lost all security, with as result that when they heard God coming to them in the cool of the day they fled to hide themselves; they lost all prosperity too, for God sent them out of the Garden into a world of thorns and thistles, of tears and sweat.

Why, though, should that fall into sin result in a loss of security and prosperity? It resulted in this loss because the fall into sin meant that they brought upon themselves God's holy wrath; the love they experienced in Paradise was replaced by fury, a fury that received expression in the thorns and thistles of life outside Paradise.

That leads us to the root meaning of the Old Testament concept of peace. Peace in the Old Testament is first and foremost a warm relation with God, a relation not touched in any way by sin. That in turn means that any true peace after the fall into sin is a miracle, a miracle because there can be no peace with God unless there come atonement for sins, reconciliation with God.

As it turned out, it is precisely reconciliation with God that the Old Testament taught. All those sacrifices and ceremonies of the law, all those offerings and washings did but one thing: they drew a picture for the people about how sins could be washed away, how they could be reconciled to God. That is the heart of the Old Testament: how can peace be restored with the God offended in Paradise? In other words: how can those sinners exiled from a Garden of plenty into a wilderness of thorns and thistles again have peace in the loaded sense of the word?

Yet the sacrifices and ceremonies of the Old Testament did more than announce how peace could to be restored. They also proclaimed that this peace in fact was restored. So it was that the High Priest was charged to say this to the people of Israel: "the Lord blesses you and keeps you; the Lord makes His face to shine upon you, and is gracious to you; the Lord lifts up His countenance upon you, and gives you peace." (Numbers 6:26).

As concrete evidence that God truly gave peace to His people, the Lord was pleased to bless His own with security and prosperity, with peace on earth (Leviticus 26). Peace: that one word captures the whole gospel; peace is Paradise Restored.

Israel did not want that peace. Instead of praising this God who restored peace with His people on earth, this covenant nation turned from God to serve other gods. The sacrifices of the law they rejected, and so rejected too the gospel of these sacrifices, that gospel of peace. So it was that God withdrew His blessings from this people, no longer per­mitted them to enjoy prosperity and security. Instead they experienced hunger and sick­ness, experienced oppression from foreign peoples, were even taken into exile. Because of their unbelief there was no peace for them, there was instead war and affliction, discon­tent and insecurity. In fact, they were not able to experience peace in their lives because there was no peace in their relation with God.

That in turn makes it such a wealth that the prophets in the days of Israel's exile again spoke of peace! Says Isaiah: a Child is going to be born, "and His name shall be called...Prince of Peace" (9:6). In a word: it's perfect reconciliation between sinners and God that this Child will bring, sins will be atoned for and there shall be no more wrath from God on God's people. It's a new era that's coming, a time when "My people shall dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." (Isaiah 32:18) Not, the prophets added, that this peace would come easily. Isaiah speaks about the Suffering Servant, that Man from God who would be "despised and rejected by men," who would be "a man of sorrows, and ac­quainted with grief." That Man, said Isaiah, would be "wounded for our transgressions," would be "bruised for our iniquities." More, upon Him would be laid the chastisements, the afflictions that would restore peace to us (53:5). Yes, peace comes, but it's peace for sinners through the sufferings of Another.

And listen now to the words of the resur­rected Christ! Says He to His disciples "Peace to you!" What He means by that? That the warm and wholesome relation with God once enjoyed in Paradise and later destroyed by the fall into sin has been restored! Jesus speaks of peace, and His contention is that the enviable condition foreshadowed by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law, rejected by Israel, proclaimed again by the prophets, has now come to pass. With His announcement of peace Jesus preaches the gospel of reconciliation.

What gave to Jesus Christ the right to proclaim this gospel of peace? Jesus could do it because He had on that very same day arisen from the dead. And Christ could not have arisen from the dead if He had not first paid for all the sins that had been piled onto Him. The wages of sin, Scriptures declare, is death. If the Christ who on Calvary had been made sin would have failed to pay for the sins heaped onto Him, He would have had to suf­fer the wages of sin, would have had to stay in the grave forever, dead. But as it was, Christ did not stay in the grave, did not stay dead because He had atoned for every sin laid on Him. So it is that Christ's resurrection on Easter is proof of His triumph on Good Friday. That reality in turn gave to the Saviour the right to utter those glorious words: "Peace is to you."

The apostle Paul has picked up on this gospel of peace as heralded on Easter Sunday. Writes he in his letter to the Ephesians: Christ "is our peace," He has "reconciled us ... to God ... through the cross, thereby bring­ing the hostility to an end." Christ "came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for thru Him we ... have access in one Spirit to the Father." (Ephesians 2:14ff)

"Father," says Paul. And so it is. Because of Christ's successful struggle on the cross has the God we offended in Paradise become again our Father, A father who speaks to us by His Word and Spirit, a Father to whom we may speak in prayer. And He's not far removed from us; Paul hastens to remind His readers that each believer, each child of God, is built into "a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (vs. 22).

"...and gives you peace," the High Priest of old was to say to Israel. "Peace is to you," the Saviour declared on the day of His resurrec­tion. The Spirit of Christ says the same to the church of all ages: "Grace to you and peace" (Revelation 1:4).