Shalom, eirēnē, and wholeness
he himself is our peace
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, - Ephesians 2:13-19
In the New Testament Greek, eirēnē is translated as peace; in the Old Testament Hebrew, it is šālôm (shalom). I remember doing a word study on shalom as a part of a Bible study and learning the depths to that word, and eirēnē carries the same expansion of meaning.
The peace in these two words is broader than an absence of conflict. This peace is a blessing: a wish for the other for wholeness, for restoration, for healing into perfect health, for tranquility and contentment. I wrote about the broader meaning of exchanging the peace a bit ago (Peace be with you), but this passage from Ephesians reminds us that the fulfillment of this peace is through Jesus. He himself is our peace and wholeness. He erases the divisions between peoples, the division between us and God, and the need for salvation through the law.
It’s through Christ that the ultimate wholeness, the ultimate peace, of shalom and eirēnē can be realized. It’s in this wholeness that those who were once far off are brought near, and we become members of God’s household with all those who came before us and those who come after. It’s in a relationship with him that we can cease our striving and find rest and restoration, the ultimate peace.
So, peace be with you. Through Christ may you find wholeness, restoration, healing, tranquility and contentment. May you find yourself in a deepening relationship with God and experience the expansive peace that comes as a result.