Peace as a substance

Where did Paul get the peace he conferred upon Timothy? Let's trace its origins.

In exchange for his going away, Jesus told his disciples he would give them two things.

One was the Holy Spirit: after he departs, the Holy Spirit will come to teach his followers not only "all things," but will also remind them of what he had already told them.

The second thing was peace: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled ..."

So we are left with these two things: the Holy Spirit and peace.

This is where Paul got the peace he conferred upon Timothy.

Now the Scriptures also say that peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit. So these two gifts are intimately connected: the one is the fruit of the Other.

And as with any fruit, its emergence and growth is motivated by a life of its own. The Spirit is that life. So the peace left to us is a living peace. It is not by external contract -- as with something like "The Camp David Peace Accords." That one was by contract. That one didn't last because it was not motivated by life from within, but by contract from without.

Hence the peace of the Spirit is not a peace "as the world gives..."

But fruit also benefit from cultivation. And so we must not let our hearts be troubled. In other words, without cultivating peace, we can let our hearts be troubled. Below, the lexicon definition of peace, εἰρήνη, tells us what to cultivate.

Peace was the third substance Paul conferred on Timothy.

Logos2Go

1 Timothy 1.1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 14.25-27 "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid ..."

Galatians 5.22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness ...

εἰρήνη - Strongs G1514 - arana: 1) a state of national tranquility; 2) peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord; 3) security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous); 4) of the Messiah's peace; 5) of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is; 6) the blessed state of devout and upright men after death.