The God of Peace

Τὸ λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί, ὅσα ἐστὶν ἀληθῆ, ὅσα σεμνά, ὅσα δίκαια, ὅσα ἁγνά, ὅσα προσφιλῆ, ὅσα εὔφημα, εἴ τις ἀρετὴ καὶ εἴ τις ἔπαινος, ταῦτα λογίζεσθε· ἃ καὶ ἐμάθετε καὶ παρελάβετε καὶ ἠκούσατε καὶ εἴδετε ἐν ἐμοί, ταῦτα πράσσετε· καὶ ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἔσται μεθ’ ὑμῶν.

Phil 4.8-9, SBL Greek NT

In the previous post, we looked at what the peace of God will do for you (be held over and above your thoughts and emotions in protection); this time we are looking at what seem like practical instructions for ensuring that the God of peace will be with you.

And I am not suggesting that this is about “how to behave in order to win God’s favour”, because that isn’t it; rather I think Paul is helping his readers ensure that nothing unsavoury can get in and disturb their relationship with the Father.

“For the rest, brothers, whatever is…” – well, what? And why? Unlike us, Paul and his readers lived in a time when one nation held (rather brutal) sway over most of the known world; and under that power structure, all kinds of immorality and violence and injustice had to be endured at every level of society; and the news – in this case, just what your friends and neighbours passed on to you – could be pretty distressing.

And yet Paul doesn’t suggest that as believers it was our job to sort it out; he apparently has no mandate to take dominion over society, or fix what is wrong in the world; he just wants his brothers and sisters to walk with the God of peace. So they are to λογίζεσθε – count or reckon upon, properly a term applying to numerical calculations – upon whatever is:

ἀληθῆ – “true” is the watered down option, fine for a first year Greek class but not really what it means. “Transparent” or “without anything concealed” would be better, because the word literally means “without forgetfulness”, a-privative plus lanthanw / lethw, as in “the River Lethe”. It is what is true, no matter how much you walk around it and examine it. (Not “true” because someone from a troll farm posted it on Facebook or Reddit.)

σεμνά – “worthy of reverence”; this word was used extensively of the Greek and Roman gods, and of their temples and rites, and by extension of the august within society. “Noble” loses the sense of divine awe.

δίκαια – “observant of rules and norms”, which in this case I think we should assume are the laws of the Kingdom and how it operates – Paul was not there to promote Roman laws and customs. “Right” is way too flattened out to convey this.

ἁγνά – “pure, chaste, undefiled” – and, in those senses, “holy”

προσφιλῆ – “dear or beloved”; the associated verb means to approach so as to kiss.

εὔφημα – the word means “uttering sounds of good omen” which in practical application usually meant “abstaining from saying inauspicious things”; in other words, not saying things that would bring the house down around your ears. If you have been following this blog for long, you will know how much Jesus majored on this subject.

“And if something is ἀρετὴ” – goodness, excellence and even prosperity

“And if something is ἔπαινος – praise or commendation

“… reckon with these things.”

“And whatever you learned from, received from, heard from and saw in me, do all these things. And the God of peace will be with you.”

I mean, this is Paul, in two short verses, summarising how to have a truly Good life; personally I find this both challenging, but also – full of the peace of God.

And enjoying the constant presence of the God of peace seems far, far better than inviting in the demons of anxiety and fear and offence and FOMO – no matter how broken, oppressed or unfair society seems to have become.