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“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

Perhaps no area of God’s sovereign control presents a greater puzzle to believers than does the problem of suffering. Why do we suffer? How can we be sure that God loves us if we have to endure such suffering? How can a Christian be victorious even when facing terrible suffering? These are some of the questions faced by every believer during some time of trial in life. Here in Romans 8, the apostle Paul deals with this difficult subject and provides some principles for handling suffering in a way that truly honors God.

In Romans 8:18-27, Paul provides four principle and four keys for handling suffering. First, he begins by reminding us that no suffering, no matter how great or how long, is worth comparing to the glory God will give us in heaven for bearing that suffering properly (vs. 18). We may experience some terrible times of suffering, but God’s future reward will make us say, “It was worth it all.” Like the athlete who struggles and strains to win the ultimate victory, the believer who suffers acknowledges the reality of the pain, but sets his sights on the glory to come later.

Second, Paul reminds us that all suffering is temporary (vv. 18-19). It may be long, even life-long, but it does not last forever. Creation understands this–we often forget it. That’s why Paul speaks about all of creation waiting in “eager expectation” for that day when God’s children will receive their future reward. In contemporary terms, all of creation is “on the edge of its seat” or “standing on tip-toe” to see the ultimate outcome of God’s great work in us through the suffering we are now experiencing. Most of all, creation understands that a day is coming when all this suffering will pass away–it’s all temporary.

Third, Paul reminds us that all suffering is a consequence (vs. 20-21). We often wonder why there is suffering in this world. Paul gives us the reason: all of creation was placed under bondage in the Fall. Every suffering experienced in this life is in some way related to sin. Before the Fall, all of creation functioned together in beautiful harmony. There was no sickness, no pain, no death. But when sin entered into the world, it not only affected man, all of creation was also affected by sin. All suffering is a consequence of the bondage of sin this world was placed under.

Fourth, suffering is universal. In verse 22, Paul notes, “the whole creation groans.” Suffering has touched all of creation. No part of it is immune. No one of us is exempt. Suffering is universal.

Additionally, Paul also provides us with four keys to handling suffering in our lives. First, he encourages us to focus on the purpose, not the pain. In Romans 8:28-29, he reminds us that God is working through all things in our lives, both good and bad, both pleasure and suffering, to accomplish His purpose: to make us more like Jesus. At times, that process will involve pain. Even Jesus, “though he was a son,” learned obedience “by the things he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Obviously, we have a much greater need to learn obedience and it is often through sufferings that the Lord teaches us.

Second, Paul tells us to focus on the glory, not the groan. The illustration he alludes to in verses 22-23 comes from childbirth. Every woman who has ever gone through childbirth knows the pain that is involved. But those who have been through it will go through it again because they focus on the great joy of the child born and not on the pain of the childbirth. Someone once noted that he had never seen a bumpersticker that said, “Let me tell you about my labor pains.” But it is the rare parent who is not eager to tell others about the son or daughter whose birth was worth enduring any amount of labor pains.

Paul’s encouragement to suffering believers is the same. Yes, the pain is real, but the result is worth all the pain we experience. We must focus on the glory that comes when the labor process is complete.

Third, we must learn to focus on the hope, not on the wait. In verses 24-25, Paul reminds us that our hope provides a confident assurance that God will provide for us in the future. Our problem is that we tend to put our focus on the waiting process rather than keeping our eyes on the hope that God has promised for us.

Fourth, we must focus on His presence, not on our weakness. In verses 26-27, Paul plainly acknowledges our weaknesses in times of suffering. We don’t know what to pray for. We don’t pray as we ought. We don’t often know what the will of God is for the particular circumstance we are facing. We are not certain how He will “work all things together for good.” But Paul tells us not to worry. God has placed His Spirit within us. He knows what are needs our (better than we do) and He knows our hearts. He knows what the perfect will of the Father is and He prays for us when we are not sure what to pray or how to pray it. During our times of trial, we must remember that the Spirit who knows us and the will of the Father perfectly is continually interceding perfectly for us.

Suffering is certainly common to all believers. But according to Paul, our present sufferings do not impede the work of God in us. And no matter what we suffer here, God will reward us far more greatly in eternity. That’s why the apostle could proclaim with confidence: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed in us.”

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

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“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

Every one of us experiences times in our lives when we wonder where God is and how He could let us go through such a situation as we are presently facing. During such times, many are tempted to ask wonder, “How could anything good come out of this?” Often we express our frustration: “If you really love me God, how could you let anything like this happen to me?”

In such times, we need to return to Romans 8:28 and meditate upon its meaning. Romans 8:28 is one of the best loved and most often memorized passages in the Bible. But far too frequently we have quoted the verse without really understanding the truths contained in it.

To begin with, every blessing and comfort in this verse is contingent on one thing: Is God sovereign over all that happens? I emphasize the word “all” because every Christian acknowledges the sovereignty of God in a general way, or over certain things, but most are not so sure that what is happening to them in their difficult moment is part of God’s sovereignly orchestrated plan for their lives. Romans 8:28 depends on the sovereign control of God over all things. If He is not sovereign of even one thing, how can we be sure of this great promise? Might it not be possible for one thing to not “work together for good”? This passage provides comfort for only one reason: God is in control of all that happens to us. He has a plan, He has a purpose, He is at work and will bring all things to work for good in our lives. Who but a sovereign God could ever accomplish us a complicated task?

1. God’s Promise

This passage comes to us as a promise from God of which every believer can be certain. Paul begins, “And we know.” Modern Christianity has a “watered-down faith” because it is dependent on experience rather than on truth. The great tendency today is to look at our experiences and wonder if God is really at work in them. Yet NT Christianity is not experience-based; it is truth-based.

In the experiences of life, we may be tempted to doubt God’s love for us in difficult situations, but we know. We may have serious questions about the outcome of our difficulty, but we know. Our faith is not dependent upon what we can see now; it is dependent on who God is and what He has promised. Paul had reminded the Romans just a few lines earlier that their hope was not based on what they could see–not on their present sufferings, but on God’s promise of future glory (see Romans 8:18-25). You will never experience victory over your circumstances as long as your eyes are on what you presently see. Such a vision can only cause discouragement and frustration. We must keep our eyes and our confidence on the promise of God. He keeps His promises (Numbers 23:19). He will work all things together for good. We have His promise on that.

2. God’s Project

Often the English rendering, “all things work together for good,” is misleading. Things do not work. Obviously the emphasis of this passage is that God is at work. Douglas Moo notes this distinction: “it is the sovereign guidance of God that is presumed as the undergirding and directing force behind all the events of life.” Even the order of the words in the Greek lean toward a translation emphasizing God’ active work in all things: “An we know that for those who love God all things he is working.”

This passage shows us the activity of God. He is not passive in the events of our life merely sitting back waiting to decide if He should intervene or not. Instead, God is at work orchestrating everything in our lives for His glory and for our good. We are His project! Or as Paul says in Ephesians 2:10: “We are His workmanship.” We can have confidence when facing difficulties because we know God is at work in every aspect and detail of our lives. Jesus reminded his disciples of the Father’s intimate care: “Not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge of it. . . . every hair on your head is numbered . . . . how much more does He care for you, O ye of little faith?” We are God’s project–He is at work in every detail of our lives!

3. God’s Plan

God’s plan is that “all things” that come into our lives work for good. This includes “good” things and “bad” things. Nothing that happens to a believer is outside of God’s plan. Donald Grey Barnhouse used to say, “Nothing can touch us unless it is first sifted through the will of God. In our lives, God allows both the good and the bad to happen as part of His overall plan for our lives. He is at work in everything that happens to us.

Far too often, we are ready to praise God for the good things that happen to us. But rarely do we recognize that even the bad things are just as much a part of God’s plan for accomplishing His will in and through us as are the good things. When Job’s wealth and family were all lost on one day, he “fell to the ground and worshipped.” When his wife told him to “curse God and die,” he responded, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and shall we not accept adversity?” He did not know what God was doing, he did not know how God could bring good out of it, but he knew that “all things” that happened to him were according to God’s plan for his life.

The problem is that we see the part, while God see the whole. We understand only the present, while God knows the future. We may feel the pain of the moment, but God knows the ultimate product He is producing in our lives. As believers, we can be confident that we are in His hands, and in His hands, nothing can touch us except it is ultimately according to the plan of God.

4. God’s Purpose

Finally, Romans 8:28 gives us confidence because God has a purpose in everything that happens in our lives. In verse 28, the apostle says all things work for good. In verse 29, he explains what God’s purpose is: that we might be conformed to the image of His son. To accomplish this, God uses many instruments: some to sharpen us, some to teach us patience; others to discipline and correct; but all to bring us to be more like His son.

Many images of this are found in the Bible. Jeremiah uses the idea of the potter working with his clay. To accomplish his task, the potter must spin, pound, poke, and take away much to produce a beautiful vessel. In Malachi 3:1, we find another image: the smelter sitting and watching over the ore as it is heated. This presents a beautiful picture of God’s watchfulness as He takes us through the process of purification. Just as the smelter sits and watches so that the ore might not be scorched by the fire, so God watches over everything that comes into our lives. In the smelting process, the heat causes the impurities to rise to the top so the smelter can skim them off of the surface. Only when he can see his own reflection clearly in the ore can the smelter be sure that the impurities have been removed from the ore. Likewise, when uses adversity in our lives to bring the impurities to the surface so He can remove them. That process will also continue until He sees His own image reflected in us.

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

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John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress provides a wonderful contrast between true and false faith. Christian, possessing true faith, flees to the cross of Jesus where the burden on his back rolls away. His great joy at the ocassion reveals that Christian has trusted in Christ alone as payment for his sins:

Thus far did I come laden with my sin;

Nor could ought ease the grief I was in,

Till I came hither: what a place is this!

Must here be the beginning of my bliss?

Must here the Burden fall from off my back?

Must here the strings that bound it to me crack?

Blest Cross! Blest Sepulchre! Blest rather be

The Man that there was put to Shame for me!

As he comes the the bottom of the hill, Christain sees three men asleep with fetters on their feet. One was called Simple, another Sloth, and the third, Presumption. Out of his love and concern for them, Christian tries to awaken them and warns them of the danger that awaits them. Each of these men portray many in our age. They have a belief of sorts, but their belief does not stir them to go to the cross—each delays for different reasons.

Many today are like Simple. When Christian warns him, he responds, “I see no danger.” Simple may depict those who take a simple approach to life and eternity. They believe what they can see and what they have experienced. What could be simplier than that? To them, there might be a God or there might not be. In either case, they have a simple view of God—He is love and He forgives, so no matter what they do, everything will be okay. They don’t want their life confused by theologies that tell them about God’s wrath or God’s holiness. It’s easier to believe in a God of love. It’s just that simple. Their simple view holds them like chains on their feet from coming to Christ.

Others are like Sloth. When Christina warns him, he replies, “Yet a little more sleep.” These people believe, they really do. They know there is a God, they know that Jesus died for sins, they know they need to repent and put their trust in Jesus to be saved. And they will—some day—but not now. They prefer to rest awhile. They prefer to enjoy the pleasures of this world a little longer. But one day (yawn), they intend to trust Christ—but not now. Their desire to delay until another day shackles them and keeps them from the cross which liberates for eternity.

Still others are like Presumption. He responds to Christian’s pleadings with a common proverb: “Every tub must stand on his own bottom.” Rather than trusting Christ, Presumption is being lured to sleep because he believes that each man should help himself. He is the self-made-man. He certainly intends to get to heaven, but he will do so through his own good deeds and good life. He will stand on his own bottom—he does not need to rely on anyone else.

Many are kept from heaven through such presumptions. Jonathan Edwards once surmised: “Every man flatters himself, thinking that he shall escape hell, by what he has done, or is doing, or one day intends to do.” That is an apt description of Presumption and his kin. Those who are presumptious flatter themselves. They think they are better than God declares then to be. They think they have no need of a Savior.

Oh, they will quickly agree that others might need one. “If believing in Jeus helps you, that’s fine,” they say. But in reality, they pity you that you are not strong as they are. They will pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. Since they boast on earth about their own deeds, there will be no place for them in heaven because “no one will boast before the Lord.” The presumptous are chained from the cross by their exalted views of themselves. They will not come to Christ because they do not see the depths of their sin.

As the three returned to their slumbers, Christian walked on, puzzled by their harshness to him and his desire to help. Bunyan records:

Yet he was troubled to think, that men in danger should so little esteem the kindness of him that so freely offered to help them, both by the awakening of them, counselling of them, and offering to help them off with their Irons.

So it is with those who are simple, slothful, and presumptous. Even when believers seek to share the truth with them, they become angry and upset for having their sleep disturbed.

Are you in one of these conditions? Is your view of God and eternity simple or is it based on biblical truth? Do you plan to repent “one day,” but now you see no hurry? Do you think that each person has to do the best he can and God will accept that? Then your faith is not true faith. True faith sees the seriousness of the danger of eternal destruction of which God warns, sees the death of Jesus as sufficient to pay for all sins, and clings to Him alone for salvation. Don’t be chained away from the cross through simple beliefs, slothful attitudes, or presumption. Jesus says, “He that cometh to me I will never turn away.”

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

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“For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

There are many types of faith. It is clear from the Bible that not all types of “faith” save. James states this plainly: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” (2:14). A few verses later, he makes it clear that the demons believe—and tremble! Their “belief” does not save them.

Many people today are similarly fooled into thinking that “believing” makes them saved. Others think that doing certain things grant them entrance into heaven. Both will be greatly surprised to discover that their faith was not a “saving faith.” This is clear from what Jesus Himself taught in Matthew 7. There He makes it clear that “making a profession” (vs. 21) or doing even miraculous deeds (vv. 22-23) are not saving faith. On the last day, Jesus says that “many” will think they are going to heaven when, in fact, they are going to hell. Why? Simply because they did not have “saving faith.”

What is “saving faith?” Or what kind of faith saves? In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul provides insight for us into the nature of saving faith. He gives us three “identifiers:” by grace, through faith, not of works.

Not of Works

In many of his letters, Paul makes it clear that “saving faith” never depends on the works of man. It is always dependent solely on the work of Jesus on the cross. There are a number of reasons why this must be so.

First, salvation cannot be of works because the works of man have always failed. God’s requirement for entering heaven is perfect obedience. It is a standard that every human being has failed—not once, not twice, but repeatedly. Most assume that God will judge them on a “balance scale” system. If the good outweighs the bad, He will let them go to heaven. The problem is, the good never outweighs the bad in anyone’s life. But God does not judge using a balance scale. He says “the soul that sins, it shall die.” He says that if we keep the whole law and fail it at one point, we are still guilty as lawbreakers (James 2:10). We don’t even come that close!

Some will argue that their sinfulness is not their fault. After all, didn’t they inherit a sin nature from Adam? Yes, that’s true, but it is still a poor excuse. The implication is that they would have done better than Adam had they been in they same position. Before you accept this line of thinking, consider this: God chose Adam as a perfect man, placed him in a perfect environment, gave him everything that he could ever want, and only required one thing—don’t eat of one tree. Consider—that perfect man in a perfect environment with all his needs met, still sinned. What makes you think that you with your weaknesses, in your environment surrounded by sin, thinking that you lack many things, could resist temptation where Adam failed? Adam’s failure shows us that works will never save a man because no man, in any situation, can perfectly fulfill the law that meets God’s holy standard.

Second, salvation by works negates the cross. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul makes this abundantly clear: “For if righteousness could be achieved by keeping the law, Christ died needlessly” (Gal. 2:21). If your works are good enough, then you can tell Jesus that you don’t need Him! But the reality is that we do need Him. Apart from His death on the cross, we have no payment for our sins. Even if we could “clean up our act” and live righteous from here on out (which is really impossible), our past sins would still have to be paid for. Jesus alone provides a sacrifice sufficient to cover all your sins—past, present, and future.

Many feel they cannot come to Jesus until they “straighten out” their lives. Such an idea is foolish. Imagine opening a new hospital that promised to heal every disease. However, they had one requirement for admission—before their doctors will see you, you have to heal yourself. A person who could do that would have no need of such a hospital. Yet many people look at salvation through Jesus in the same way—they will come to Jesus, but only after they have straightened out their own life. But if you can make it through your works, Jesus did not need to die.

Third, salvation by works lowers God’s standard. As we said earlier, God’s standard is perfect holiness. Nothing less is acceptable. Being totally just, He cannot change those standards and remain just. Being totally holy (so holy, the scriptures say, that He cannot even look upon sin), He cannot admit into heaven anyone with sin still laid to his account. Only those whose sins have been completely paid for can enter in.

Some will complain—”I do my best; doesn’t that mean something?” Others say they believe that God will judge them based on the “Golden Rule.” When people say that, I often ask if they know the “Golden Rule.” They respond by quoting it to me: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” When I ask if they do that, they usually respond, “Of course—I don’t hurt anybody that doesn’t hurt me.” Then I point out that what they are keeping is not the “Golden Rule” but the negative of it. To keep the “Golden Rule,” a person would need to always do for others what they would want done to themselves. Do you do that? Not a single one of us keeps the “Golden Rule” by always doing for others what we want done to us. Whenever we try to be justified by works, we have to lower God’s standards.

Finally, salvation by works allows for boasting. The Bible tells us that no man can boast before the Lord. Yet, if a person can get to heaven through his own good works, that person would be able to boast about what he did to get there. That’s why Paul tells us that saving faith is “not of works lest any man should boast.” In the Book of Revelation, we are told that the saints there will be talking about the fact that they have washed their robes in the blood to the Lamb. But if even one person could gain heaven through his works, he could boast, “I kept my robes clean while I lived on earth.” If you claim any credit for your salvation, then you have reason to boast, “but not before God” (Romans 4:2), Paul reminds us.

Through Faith

Saving faith is a trusting faith. It is not merely a belief nor is it a feeling. It is not a “blind faith,” but a faith based upon knowledge. No one can be saved unless he hears the truth about his sin and about Jesus’ payment on the cross.

The Reformers taught that saving faith involved three elements: notitia, assensus, and fiducia. Notitia refers to knowledge—a person cannot believe in something they have not heard about. But notitia is not saving faith. A second element is assensus or agreeing with the truth of a matter. A person can hear Jesus died for sins (notitia) and even agree that it is true (assensus) and still not be saved. The final element in saving faith is fiducia or trusting or clinging to. All three elements are essential for saving faith. One must hear the truth, agree that it is true, and put their trust in that truth.

This helps us arrive at a working definition for faith: faith is a trust in the work of someone or something else that results in a corresponding action. If my doctor tells me that a certain medicine he prescribes for me will cure me, I can know about the medicine, believe that it is true, but if I really trust him (or the medicine) to do what he says, I will take the medicine. If I have faith that a bridge will hold me, I will walk over it. If God tells Noah about the coming flood, he now has knowledge. He may even agree with God that it will indeed happen. But until he really believes, he will not start to build the ark. The evidence of true faith is found in its actions. Saving faith stops trusting self and begins to Christ alone for salvation.

One last thing about true faith—such faith is the exact opposite of trusting ourselves. If you can cure yourself, you don’t need to trust the doctor and his medicine. If you can cross the ravine without the bridge, you don’t need to trust the bridge. If Noah can endure the flood on his own, he doesn’t need an ark. Faith involves giving up trust in self and transferring that trust to another. The same is true in saving faith. It means that we do not trust our efforts or our works, but trust the efforts of another, Christ. True saving faith takes no credit for itself. All the praise goes to the medicine for the cure, to the bridge for the safe transportation, to the ark for safe passage. No one saved by God’s grace, relying on the work of Christ, can take credit even for his faith. Faith implies giving up trusting one’s own work and trusting the work of another.

By Grace

Finally, saving faith is by God’s grace. Grace teaches us a number of truths about salvation.

First, “by grace” means that salvation is God’s gift. In Romans 4, Paul distinguishes between a gift and a wage. A person works for a wage. At the end of a specified job or time frame, the employer owes the worker his wages. But a gift is entirely different. Gifts are not owed—they are given. Gifts are not earned—they are freely bestowed. Gifts do not require our efforts—they come to us solely through the efforts of others. God, “who is rich in mercy, because of His great love wherein He loved us,” gave us the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. He paid the price—we receive the gift.

Second, “by grace” indicates that it can be obtained immediately. It is not something you “grow into;” it is given to us immediately. A wage is something we wait for. It only comes to us at the end of our work period. But salvation by grace is a gift—it is available now. No one need wait until they die to see if they have earned it. That’s why eternal life is spoken of as a present reality for believers: “He that believeth on me has eternal life” (John 5:24; 6:47; etc).

Finally, because it is “by grace,” this salvation alone can provide assurance. If salvation depends on you—what you did or what you hope to do—how do you know when you have done enough? How do you know you won’t lose it all one day? But if it depends on what Jesus has done—He never changes and we can have assurance because what He has done is sure. Do you have this type of faith?

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

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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

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