Righteousness is a Fruit Sown in Peace

James 3:18

18 And the FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUNESS is sown in peace of them that make peace.(KJV)

Mark 9:50b

50 ....Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.(KJV)

John 14:27

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.(KJV)

Rom 14:17

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but RIGHTEOUSNESS, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.(KJV)

Heb 12:11

11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.(NAS)

Starting with James 3:18, we notice that righteousness is a fruit. Looking further into the subject of the fruit of righteousness as well as other aspects of righteousness, I discovered that righteousness is both a fruit and a gift. But James here is speaking only in terms of it being a fruit.

So today we want to limit ourselves to righteousness as a fruit, and the result which is peace sown between and by individuals. Remember that verse that says ‘speak the truth in love’? Those of us who are righteous by faith in the blood shed for us have always the need to remember that when we speak to others, we need to try as best we can to speak with peaceful loving spirits. We want to sow peace. Now I am not saying peace at any cost, but where it is possible to speak peaceful words to someone, we need to. The exceptions are when we are confronting someone with truth they do not want to hear. Such as the fact that they could be heading to hell or they could have said something that offended us. Those are just a couple of exceptions. Peter certainly was not sowing peace when he told the religious leaders of his day, "I am serving God, not man". For as you know he had been told to quit preaching the gospel and Jesus Himself said "I come not to bring peace but a sword." For as you know, the truth that Jesus taught often brings division between people. But the kind of peace that James is talking about here is the kind of peace that needs to exist between believers and believers besides between believers and God.

Notice in Mark 9:50b and John 14:27-Jesus is talking about living a peaceful life and that peace from Him is the reason anyone can live at peace with others. You can have no peace around you and yet have it within yourself. It is those who have the peace of God within (see also Rom 5:1) who are able to sow peace. They have the salt of God, and so they are able to share it. Righteousness will always result when God’s peace is within you, so as Jesus said, "abide in the vine and you will bear much fruit".

Another way you receive the fruit of righteousness is by training, going under God’s discipline. And it yields a righteouness that has peace within it. How is that? Because in the training you learn more of God’s ways, and it gives you peace as you see the changes being made in you. His peace results from the righteous behavior He is teaching you.

That’s it for today, folks. Have a peaceful and righteousness filled weekend. The Good News Lady