As we continue our look at the Beatitudes, let’s step back once again and get the big picture of what Jesus is teaching here. He’s presenting the process a person goes through when moving from unsaved to salvation and beyond.
The first three beatitudes describe the person who realizes he is spiritually bankrupt, who mourns over his sinfulness, and who surrenders to God as his only hope.
This person then has a hunger and thirst for righteousness, meaning both a right standing with God and growth in holiness and Christlikeness.
The next three Beatitudes show what this righteousness looks like: mercy, purity, and peacemaking.
And now we come to the last of those three:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
This is such a short sentence, but it’s packed with incredible truth and application. Understand, though, that Jesus isn’t telling us here how to become a child of God. You don’t become a son of God by being a peacemaker. How to become a child of God is by accepting Christ’s forgiveness.
What Jesus is saying is that a true follower of Christ will want to be a peacemaker. Being a peacemaker is the natural result of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling and leadership in our lives. Not that we’re always perfect at it, but we certainly have the desire.
Those who are truly saved will be peacemakers, and at the last judgment, peacemakers will be recognized as sons of God. We are already considered to be God’s children:
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1)
And one day, our status as God’s children will be publicly revealed to all:
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
As God’s children, we are co-workers with God, and God is most definitely a peacemaker:
May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. (Rom 15:33)
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant… (Hebrews 13:20).
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:19-20).
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
When we are separated from God by our sins, we are enemies with God. Before we come to him, we are not neutral. There is no neutrality when it comes to God. We are his enemies, and we’re at war against him. But once we accept his forgiveness, we’re reconciled with God (Romans 5:10-11) and are no longer enemies.
Jesus died for us in order to pay our penalty, and for those of us who have accepted that gift, we now have a repaired relationship with our Father. If you’re a believer, God doesn’t view you as a former enemy. You have been reconciled, you are his friend, you are his child. You are at peace with him.
God is a peacemaker. And since God is a peacemaker, his children are to be peacemakers as well.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
Christians desire peace with others, and we want others to have peace with each other and with God. That desire is part of who we are as believers. Again, we’re not perfect at it, but a person who considers himself a believer but doesn’t value peace with others should look at himself in the mirror very closely.
Believers should strive for peace in the home. We can also be peacemakers at work, at school, and yes, even in the church. Those are marks of a believer.
A couple of words of warning about peacemaking:
First, God knows that peace is not always going to happen. That’s why Paul wrote these words:
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18)
The goal of the peacemaker is to live peaceably with all. The very fact that Paul used the word “if” in that verse means that sometimes that’s not possible. Make sure that the reason for the impossibility is with them and not you. We’re not held accountable for those situations in which we’ve done everything we can to have peace and can’t get there, but we are to make sure that we are doing our best.
In those times, I remember something my Mom taught me when I was a teenager. She said, “If there is someone you don’t like or who doesn’t like you, start praying for them. God will either change you, or them, or both of you.” That’s wise advice.
Second, as William Barclay says, “peace-makers are not necessarily peace-lovers.” Sometimes we know about an issue but, because we love peace, we stay silent and take no action “for the sake of peace.” That could lead to more trouble down the road. It hurts the other person when they need to hear the truth and we fail to speak up.
Jesus isn’t talking here about peace at any price. We can’t compromise the truth and pretend that we’re doing so out of love when, in fact, the loving thing to do would be to speak up or confront. It could be that we have to prioritize someone’s ultimate peace with God over our peace with them. We must stand for God’s truth, in love, even if it means disturbing the peace.
Sometimes speaking up for God means no peace. Which leads directly to the next Beatitude…