Letting the Peace of Christ Rule in Our Hearts VS Christ as the Arbiter
- Col 3:15: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts"
- Rom 5:1: "Justified by faith, we have peace with God"
- Eph 4:3: "Keep the unity of the Spirit"
- Phil 4:7: "Peace of God will guard your hearts"
Comparative Aspect |
Letting the Peace of Christ Rule in Our Hearts |
Christ as the Arbiter |
Biblical References |
Practical Applications |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essential Definition |
Subjective experience of resolving conflicts through Christ's peace in one's heart |
Objective spiritual reality of Christ personally serving as mediator and judge |
- 1 Tim 2:5: "Christ is the mediator between God and mankind" |
- Inner reconciliation - Relationship harmony |
Operational Mechanism |
- Peace as an inner mediator - Eliminating personal inner conflicts - Active response of believer's submission |
- Christ's direct intervention - Acting as supreme judge - Exercising spiritual authority |
- Eph 2:14: "Making both groups one" - Isa 9:6-7: "Government on His shoulders" |
- Spiritual warfare - Relationship restoration - Life renewal |
Operational Level |
- Primarily at personal inner level - Choices of mind, emotion, and will |
- Covering personal, interpersonal, and spiritual levels - Implementation of spiritual authority and divine order |
- Col 2:14-18: Spiritual warfare - Matt 18:15-20: Resolving interpersonal conflicts - Eph 4:2-3: Practice of unity |
- Personal growth - Church building - Community harmony |
Believer's Role |
- Active yielding - Surrender - Obedience to inner peace |
- Accepting Christ's lordship - Acknowledging His judgment - Submitting to His authority |
- James 4:7: "Submit to God" - Eph 5:21: "Submit to one another" - Phil 2:5-8: "Mind of Christ" |
- Self-denial - Service - Acts of forgiveness |
Inner Conflict Resolution |
- Mediating three factions within - Letting peace replace discord - Quietly listening to the Lord's voice |
- Christ mediating between parties - Establishing divine order - Executing ultimate judgment |
- Col 3:12-15: "Peace at the center" - Matt 18:21-35: Parable of forgiveness - John 14:27: "My peace I give you" |
- Emotional management - Spiritual discernment - Conflict resolution |
Temporal Dimension |
- Ongoing experience in daily life - Immediate choices and responses |
- Eternal and unchanging spiritual fact - Authority beyond time and space |
- John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you" - John 16:33: "I have overcome the world" - Heb 13:8: "Same yesterday, today, and forever" |
- Continuous practice - Stable trust - Constant obedience |
Mutual Relationship |
- Christ's peace as arbiter tool - Subjective experience reflecting objective reality - Decision of submission |
- Christ as the ultimate arbiter - Objective reality manifested through subjective experience - Realization of authority |
- Gal 3:28: "All one in Christ" - 2 Cor 5:18: "Reconciled to God" - Rom 8:6: "Mind controlled by Spirit is life and peace" |
- Complementary - Inseparable - Dialectical unity |
Spiritual Effects |
- Inner harmony - Personal surrender - Open communion with God |
- Comprehensive restoration - Establishing reconciled relationships - Life reconstruction |
- Rom 12:18: "Live at peace with everyone" - Ps 133:1: "How good when brothers live in unity" |
- Life renewal - Spiritual growth - Church unity |
Practical Path |
- Exercising the spirit - Regularly waiting quietly - Yielding personal will |
- Respecting Christ's authority - Following the Spirit's guidance - Practicing body life |
- Col 3:16: "Teaching and admonishing one another" - 1 John 1:7: "Walking in the light" |
- Prayer life - Word nourishment - Fellowship |
Key Spiritual Insights:
- 1. Subjective-Objective Dialectical Relationship: "Letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts" and "Christ as the Arbiter" are like the subjective experience and objective reality of faith – complementary and inseparable.
- 2. Implementation Mechanism: Christ's peace is the concrete manifestation of Christ Himself acting as arbiter, the expression of His authority in the believer's heart.
- 3. Three Dimensions of Peace:
- * Vertical peace with God (justified by faith)
- * Horizontal peace with others (mutual forgiveness)
- * Inner peace of heart (emotional and mental rest)
- 4. Practical Steps:
- * Recognizing the objective fact of Christ as Arbiter
- * Choosing to let Christ's peace rule in one's heart
- * Obeying the guidance of peace in specific situations
- * Building Christ-centered relationships and community
- 5. Ultimate Goal: Christ having preeminence in all things, believers experiencing inner life renewal and the building up of Christ's Body.
*Please refer to the July 2024 Anaheim, California, USA training Experiencing, Enjoying and Manifesting Christ (II) Week 22 A New Man—the Creator of God’s Masterpiece