![]() ![]() For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility through it. In order to fix what is wrong with us, the process of restitution required something on a greater level than animal sacrifice or paying some money.īut now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. If you want to fix something that’s broken, missing, or stolen, God requires restitution ( shalem in Hebrew) in order to satisfy the requirements of law ( Ex. We’re not whole or complete, and the covenants that people of the past made with God are broken by humanity’s sin. Sin is something we’re all guilty of, and it’s something that causes brokenness. ![]() 38:3, Hebrew word added, all quotes from WEB translation) There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation, neither is there any shalom in my bones because of my sin. God created us perfect, but we’re now fallen people living in a fallen world. It is a state that humans don’t end up in naturally. Shalom is wholeness - nothing missing, nothing broken. It’s a much more nuanced word than we give it credit for in English translations. Also wrapped up in this concept is the implicit “idea of unimpaired relationships with others and fulfillment of one’s undertakings ( Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, by Harris, Archer, and Waltke, entry 2401a). The Hebrew word shalom comes from the root verb shalem, which means “completeness, wholeness, harmony, fulfillment.” That’s all included in shalom as well, along with the English meaning of “peace” as an absence of strife. 25:5), and in reference to someone’s welfare ( Gen. 41:3), using shalom as a salutation or greeting ( Judg. It’s most often translated “peace,” though the King James Version uses about 30 different English words. It occurs over 250 timed in the Old Testament, and that’s not counting related words like shalem. We can dive deeper into what “peace” means - and gain a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and what He is doing - by studying into the Hebrew word shalom. ![]() Those are definitely part of what’s going on, but there’s also a whole lot more. We picture Him setting up a world without war and fixing the strife between human beings and God. I think that when we hear Jesus talked about as “Prince of Peace” or “Our Peace,” we usually think of Him making strife cease. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |