The image of the peaceful God and the image of the martial God represent two contrasting approaches to the divine exercise of power and salvation.

The Divine Dichotomy: Peaceful and Martial Aspects of God

The image of the peaceful God and the image of the martial God represent two contrasting approaches to the divine exercise of power and salvation.

On one hand, the peaceful God embodies the ideals of an all-encompassing spiritual peace that fills the soul through the Word of God and Christ's commandments. For example, one source states:
"Christ’s peace is holy! Christ’s peace is all in Christ! Christ’s peace fills the soul with the Word of God, is born from cultivating the field of the heart with Christ’s commandments, - nourishes itself with this invisible, yet effortless feat, and grows from it. Such peace I ask for myself and for you, beloved brethren..." (source: link txt).

It is also emphasized that true God's peace surpasses all understanding and is achieved through the awareness of one's unworthiness and reliance on God's mercy, which entails inner humility and acceptance of His grace:
"The grace of our Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ is the only source for us of true and complete spiritual peace." (source: link txt).

On the other hand, the martial God appears as a God who champions truth and retribution, calling for active struggle for justice and the readiness to give one's life for the truth. In one of the texts, there is a firm appeal where the image of God is associated with the idea of punishment and the active defense of truth:
"'Vengeance is mine,' says the Lord. 'I will repay!' And we believe that He will repay - so He will repay, ... That is what the law of God's own justice demands. The Word of God states that truth rescues from death... The Christ-loving warrior is an earthly guardian angel of all the defenseless..." (source: link txt).

Moreover, through a philosophical analogy, the author examines the difference between peaceful and martial approaches in social order, which can serve as an addition to understanding the duality of God's images: "'Paradise on earth is communism, but which kind – peaceful or martial?

... We may or may not yet know of this paradise, but we know well the hell of martial communism.'" (source: link txt).

Thus, the difference between the image of the peaceful God and the martial God is as follows:

• The image of the peaceful God emphasizes inner, all-encompassing peace that comes through a spiritual union with Christ, through guidance, mercy, and the transformation of the soul.

• In contrast, the image of the martial God expresses the idea of strict justice, retribution, and the struggle for truth, where God's intentions are realized through active opposition to evil and protection of the righteous, even to the extent of a warrior's readiness to die for the truth.

Supporting citation(s):
"Christ’s peace is holy! Christ’s peace is all in Christ! Christ’s peace fills the soul with the Word of God, is born from cultivating the field of the heart with Christ’s commandments, - nourishes itself with this invisible, yet effortless feat, and grows from it. Such peace I ask for myself and for you, beloved brethren..." (source: link txt)

"The grace of our Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ is the only source for us of true and complete spiritual peace." (source: link txt)

"'Vengeance is mine,' says the Lord. 'I will repay!' ... The Christ-loving warrior is an earthly guardian angel of all the defenseless..." (source: link txt)

"'Paradise on earth is communism, but which kind – peaceful or martial? ... We may or may not yet know of this paradise, but we know well the hell of martial communism.'" (source: link txt)