When we come to the seventh beatitude, we may be tempted to think that this beatitude is one that we would all find easy to applaud. After all, everyone loves the peacemaker, don’t they?
Not necessarily. The peace that Jesus offers is not a peace that the world will easily accept. In fact, it is one that the world hates. In John 14:27, Jesus contrasted His peace with that of the world: “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give unto you.” In the following chapter, He explains: “If the world hates you, you know that it is because it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” Indeed, He notes: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”
Being a peacemaker does not mean that the world will like us. On the contrary, being a peacemaker means that it will usually hates us. Perhaps this is why Jesus follows this beatitude with: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.” The kind of peacemaking He was speaking about would not draw applause from the world; it would invite its criticism and persecution.
Why? Because the peace that Jesus commissions us to make is not a simple peace between two people. The peace about which He is supremely concerned is that of bringing rebellious men and women into peace with God. Being a peacemaker is not focused on the issue of war. It is focused on the problem of man’s sinfulness and his strife with God. “For the carnal mind is at enmity with God” (Romans 8:7). The peace we offer can only come as we tell men about their sinful condition, their rebellion against God, and their need to lay down their weapons and come to Christ alone for peace with God. It is no wonder that peacemakers will experience strife in this world of men who do not want to end their rebellion against the Sovereign of the Universe.
Perhaps the best way to understand what it means to be a peacemaker is to see what it is not. Peace is accomplished in the world through many tactics. None of them is acceptable to God. Let’s consider a few:
1. Peacemaking does not mean being easy-going. Many today make peace by avoiding the issues. James 3:17 tells us that “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable.” We cannot be peacemakers for God if we do not deal with the central issue that divides God and man: man’s sin. Many today have set aside purity “in order to reach more people.” They purport to share the good news without ever helping men to see the bad news. Spurgeon bemoaned such “conversions” in his day, questioning those who supposedly received the grace of God without feeling sorrow for their sin. In our peacemaking, we must never set aside God’s holy standards to reach more people.
2. Peacemaking does not mean compromise. Compromise is the world’s way of making peace. Outside of an absolute surrender, international treaties are usually arrived at on the basis of compromise. Many religious organizations engage in compromise to provide religious unity. They set aside doctrine and truth in the quest for ecumenism. Proverbs 23:23 says that we are to “buy the truth and not sell it.” Truth is too precious to be compromised at any price. Luther said: “Better the heavens fall than one crumb of truth perish.” Those who would make peace never do so at the cost of truth.
3. Peacemaking does not mean an absence of conflict. Indeed, being a peacemaker means that many will actually hate you for your efforts. They like their present condition, and your efforts at peacemaking are, to them, little more than meddling. Jesus warned: “Beware when all men speak well of you.” Such a position in life may make you likable, but it may indicate that you are not doing your job of confronting men with the truth about their spiritual condition.
What Peacemaking Requires
Being Peaceable. To be a peacemaker, one must be sure that his motives are pure. Too often our motives in relationships are mixed. We are more concerned that people like us than we are that they come to Christ. In Galatians 1:10, Paul warns: “For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Pure motives are essential. To bring men to Christ, we must seek to be pure in heart, humble before God and man, and truly concerned for the salvation of others.
Being Active. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Paul reminds us of our task: “[God] has given us the ministry of reconciliation” and now “we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” This is our task: to be peacemakers for the sake of His kingdom.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”
Copyright Jim Ehrhard, 1999. You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author; (2) any modifications are clearly marked; (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction; and (4) you do not make more than 100 copies without permission. If you would like to post this material to your web site or make any use other than as defined above, please contact Teaching Resources International
Teaching Resources International 