Carlos De Guzman

02/02/16
121188

TH

151 J
Vandalism of Shalom
In the Bible, shalom is meant as a state of universal flourishing,
wholeness, and delight. What the Bible refers to as shalom is essentially
what we today refer to as peace. Peace or shalom however, is a much
more intricate concept than it would seem. In our world today, sin takes
form in a multitude of different ways, and pervades almost every aspect of
human life. In contrast, shalom offers a glimpse at a world where all
creations of God are in agreement through justice, fulfillment, and
delight.

As Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. states in his article, shalom is the

way things ought to be, a state wherein each individual would have its
own integrity and wholeness, but is capable of building enlightening
relations with other beings of creation. In this state of peace, each
individual becomes capable of appropriate thoughts and actions. In what
is ought to be, God rules above of all beings, and we as children of God
praise and believe in His word.
In contrast to the articles expression of shalom, sin is defined as
having broken a covenant or a promise with God Himself. In committing
sin, our personal relationship with God is damaged and tainted, for we do
wrong upon Him and go against His plans for us. The way things ought to
be suddenly and abruptly become clouded and obscure, as sin becomes
a loathsome disruption to the wholeness and fulfillment of shalom. In a

commitment to sin, Gods creation and idea of shalom becomes

vandalized,

what

good

God

has

created

becomes

corrupted

and

destroyed, the same good that He had meant for us. As beings of Gods
creation, and as beings in covenant with God, we must always see the
genuine goodness and virtue in shalom, and constantly strive to make it a
reality.