“First, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace.” (Hebrews 7:2)
We can learn some profound qualities about Jesus from the life of Melchizedek. His two titles, “king of righteousness” and “king of peace” point us forward into God’s bigger story that’s all about Jesus — the greater “King of Righteousness” and “King of Peace.”
Now, we actually need righteousness to experience peace. You can’t have genuine peace without genuine righteousness. Jesus provides both. The greater King of righteousness, who is also our great high priest, sacrificed not an animal but himself to pay for our sin and to give us his righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). The King of righteousness has covered us with his righteousness and declares us “justified” (Rom. 3:24). This righteousness from Jesus leads to the peace that we’re actually looking for.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Peace begins between God and us. When our offenses and sins against God have been forgiven, and not only released, but we have also been accepted into God’s family, we have real peace!
The righteousness of Jesus leads to our peace with God. We need peace with God, so we can have peace within ourselves. When we have this kind of peace, then we can truly have peace with others. The principle is simple — you cannot give what you do not have. If you don’t have peace with God, you won’t be able to authentically experience and extend peace to those around. It might look or feel like peace, but how long does it last? Peace outside of our relationship with God is really an incomplete version of peace. We can try to cover up the noise within by taking a day off from work, or relaxing at the beach, but it won’t calm our soul the way God can. We need Jesus, the King of Righteousness, and the King of Peace.