The Wrong Peace

They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.

Jeremiah 6:14

Jeremiah’s warning reveals a recurring danger: providing a false sense of peace that comforts temporarily but fails to truly heal the soul. The prophets of his time delivered reassuring messages, overlooking sin, repentance, and God's holiness. They assured peace without confronting the core issue, which God describes as a superficial remedy. The world still loves this kind of peace.

In 1969, John Lennon sang, “All we are saying is give peace a chance.” A few years later, Coca-Cola invited the world to unity with the promise that we could “buy the world a Coke.” Modern slogans like “coexist” echo the same idea—that peace can be achieved by shared sentiment, tolerance, or ignoring what divides us.

Jeremiah reminds us that peace isn't created through optimism or goodwill. The real issue isn't a lack of harmony but a fractured relationship with God. When sin is overlooked, peace becomes this false sense. The Bible clearly states: “There is no peace…for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21).

The prophets during Jeremiah’s time offered reassurance rather than harshness. However, providing comfort without encouraging repentance leaves people unready to face a holy God. Claiming “peace” when judgment is imminent is not compassion; it’s deception.

Christ presents a profoundly different kind of peace. Jesus declared, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27). Whereas the world provides peace through distraction and denial, Christ offers peace through reconciliation. His peace is not achieved by lowering God’s standards but by fulfilling them through the cross.

Through Christ’s sacrifice, believers are no longer enemies of God. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). This peace is not temporary or emotional—it is rooted in forgiveness, righteousness, and restored fellowship with God.

Jeremiah’s warning still stands. False peace numbs the conscience and delays repentance. True peace confronts sin, points to the cross, and rests in Christ alone. Anything less is still “peace, peace”—the wrong peace.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark