PEACE — a word with several different meanings in the Old and New Testaments.
The Old Testament meaning of peace was completeness, soundness, and well-being of the total person. This peace was considered God-given, obtained by following the Law (Ps. 119:165). Peace sometimes had a physical meaning, suggesting security (Ps. 4:8), contentment (Is. 26:3), prosperity (Ps. 122:6–7) and the absence of war (1 Sam. 7:14). The traditional Jewish greeting, shalom, means “peace” and was a wish for peace.
In the New Testament, peace often refers to the inner tranquility and poise of the Christian whose trust is in God through Christ. This understanding was originally expressed in the Old Testament writings about the coming Messiah (Is. 9:6–7). The peace that Jesus Christ spoke of was a combination of hope, trust, and quiet in the mind and soul, brought about by a reconciliation with God. Such peace was proclaimed by the host of angels at Christ’s birth (Luke 2:14), and by Christ Himself in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:9) and during His ministry. He also taught about this kind of peace at the Lord’s Supper, shortly before His death (John 14:27).
The apostle Paul later wrote that such peace and spiritual blessedness was a direct result of faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1).
Youngblood, Ronald F. ; Bruce, F. F. ; Harrison, R. K. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995
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