Peace with God: Ending the Tug of War

Image: Rob Wingate via Unsplash

Remember how much fun it was playing tug of war as a kid with your friends? Both sides dug their heels in, pulling until they were red in the face and exhausted. Finally, the ribbon left its neutral zone and dropped to one side. There was a clear winner and a loser. It was good fun.

But as adults, we’ve left those games behind. Or have we?

Tug of War with the World

As Christians, we expect to face a daily tug of war with the world. We square off against the enemy and his schemes. Sometimes, we lovingly grab the rope in hopes of pulling someone from the other side to Jesus’ side. But often the ribbon doesn’t move. People choose their ground and stay there.

That’s okay. We’re not responsible for saving souls—God is. Our call is simply to pick up the rope, shoulder the cross, and stand with the team that ultimately wins.

Tug of War with Fellow Believers

But what about when the tug of war isn’t with the world, but with fellow believers? Too often, Christians line up across from each other—denomination against denomination, “conservative” against “progressive,” tongues-speakers against non-tongues-speakers.

Even within households, the rope is stretched—brother against brother, father against son. To me, this is the most exhausting match of all. It’s friendly fire. And no soldier wants to read “Shot in the back by a brother” on his headstone. Notice—there’s no backplate in the armor of God.

Paul pleads with us:

“Now I plead with you, brethren… that there be no divisions among you, but that you be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10, NKJV).

And again to the Ephesians:

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you… and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31–32, NKJV).

Peace with God

Here’s the heart of it:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, NKJV).

If Jesus has already secured our peace with God, why keep pulling against each other? The rope is down. The match is over.

The Challenge

When the tug of war comes from the world, grab the rope and stand firm:

“Always be prepared to make a defense… yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15, ESV).

But when the tug comes from fellow believers? Maybe the holiest thing you can do is drop the rope. Peace with God should overflow into peace with one another. Let’s stop pulling and start walking side by side.