Blessed are the Peacemakers
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9
Chaos and conflict, are these the real culprits for a lack of peace? Is true peace dependent upon a change in one’s circumstances? “If only (fill in the blank), then I would be at peace!” What would you put into the blank? If only my marriage wasn’t so difficult, then I would be at peace! If only my child was not so rebellious, then I would have peace! If only there was not so much financial stress or pressure at work, then I would have peace! The list goes on and on. If peace were dependent upon favorable circumstances, life would be one long roller coaster ride. Thankfully, peace is not dependent upon something, but Someone. Peace comes from experientially knowing the Peacemaker, from Whom peace is granted to us and in Whom we likewise become peacemakers in a world of chaos and conflict.
Biblical Peace Defined
So what is peace? Peace, as seen in Scripture, goes beyond a positive change in circumstances or a mere absence of conflict. In considering over 400 references to peace in the Bible, consider this definition:
Peace is a gift from God experienced through knowing and abiding in Christ through the saving and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in illuminating God’s Word to God’s children that we may have confidence and contentment in Christ in the midst of all circumstances.
Peace results from trusting in God not only in the midst of calmness, but also in the midst of chaos, calamity, and conflict. Being a peacemaker often involves coming alongside of others, and helping them understand three categories of peace.
Biblical Peace Described
1. Peace with God
In his book, The Peace Child, Don Richardson tells of his long struggle to bring the gospel to a cannibalistic, headhunting Sawi tribe in Indonesia. He struggled to help the barbaric people understand the gospel in that God sent His Son for the reconciliation of sinners. The Sawi villages were constantly fighting among themselves, and treachery, revenge, and murder were highly honored—there seemed no hope of peace. The tribe, however, had a legendary custom that if one village gave a baby boy to another village, peace would prevail between the two villages, as long as the child lived. This baby was called the peace child. The missionary saw that tribal practice as an analogy of the reconciling work of Christ. Christ, he told them, is God’s divine Peace Child that God had sent to mankind. As Christ lives eternally, we can only have continual peace with others but also with our Creator. That analogy was the key that unlocked the gospel for the Sawis and through the working of the Holy Spirit, many of them believed in Christ, and peace came to the Sawis.
Luke 1:79 tells us that Jesus came to “guide our feet into the path of peace.” From the beginning to end, Jesus’ mission was one of peacemaking. By encountering the greatest conflict in human history at the cross, Jesus was the supreme peacemaker when He sacrificed His life so we could experience peace with God, and therefore with one another. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” In The Peacemaker, Ken Sande comments upon this justification and resulting peace,
“Believing in Jesus means trusting that he exchanged records with you at Calvary—that is, he took your sinful record on himself and paid for it in full, giving you his perfect record, which opens the way for peace with God. As you believe in Jesus, accept his gracious gift of salvation, and draw closer to him through the power of his Spirit, the study of his Word, the privilege of prayer, and the fellowship of his church, his peace can fill every part of your life.”
Until a person has experienced firsthand God’s forgiveness through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, they will never be able to truly forgive others and live in peace with them. Only those who belong to the God of peace go forth with peace and pursue peace (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). The ministry of reconciliation is the ministry of peacemaking.
2. Peace with Others
As Christ is our peace, He calls His people to live together in peace. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone.” Likewise, Romans 12:18 says “If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.” While peace is ultimately the gift of God (Colossians 1:20; Galatians 5:22-23), in Christ we are to live by the Spirit as we “strive for peace” and seek to “live peaceably with all.”
3. Peace from God
Having peace from God or the peace of God leads to being content in all circumstances through resting in the goodness of God in knowing that all things are His servants (Psalm 119:91) and for our good (Romans 8:28-29). Often a counselee may come having little concern about peace with God or others, yet still want peace within themselves. What they fail to understand is that it is impossible to know genuine inner peace or rest for our souls, unless there is peace with God which compels them to the pursuit of peace with others and to seek God for peace even in difficult circumstances (Philippians 4:6-9; Colossians 3:12-16). Therefore, they seek vainly seek peace apart from the enabling work and provision of God in Christ Jesus.
Biblical Peace Defied
Pride is perhaps the greatest enemy of peace, for pride is striving against the “God of peace” (Philippians 4:9) for sovereignty over one’s own life rather than humbling one’s self before God in prayer and faith (Philippians 4:6-7; Isaiah 26:3; 66:2). How often do we seek the right to rule our own lives, to live as we please as did the Israelites in Judges, where “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6)? Where pride persists, experiential peace fails to exist, for God opposes the proud (James 4:6). The proud live by their passions.
James 4:1-2 says: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” According to this passage, why is there conflict or a lack of peace with others? Is it not often because of the unmet desires of the heart? When we want something and feel that we will not be satisfied unless we get it, that desire can easily rule our hearts and become an idol. If others fail to help us get that idol, James says we are willing to “fight, quarrel, and murder,” which is the opposite of being a peacemaker. Idolatrous demands lead to strained relationships. Ken Sande, in his book The Peacemaker, puts it this way: “Idols demand sacrifices. When someone fails to satisfy our demands and expectations, our idol demands that he should suffer. Whether deliberately or unconsciously, we will find ways to hurt or punish people so that they will give in to our desires.” Idolatrous desires can lead to manipulating others through withdrawing or attacking them through corrupting talk, dirty looks, verbal or physical abuse (Colossians 3:19; Ephesians 4:29).
Biblical Peace Demonstrated
When it is apparent that there is a lack of peace, our calling is to point others to the Prince of Peace, that they may have peace with God, know the peace of God, and be empowered to live as a peacemaker. Often this involves gently confronting others with their sin (Matthew 18:15, Galatians 6:1). John MacArthur wrote: “Not to confront doesn’t preserve peace, but is disobedience and establishes a truce with sin… Sin that is not dealt with is sin that will disrupt and destroy peace… If we are unwilling to help others confront their sin, we will be unable to help them find peace.” Jesus confronted the Pharisees, the rich young ruler, the woman caught in adultery, and on many occasions His own disciples.
Biblical peace is enabled and sustained through forgiveness (Matthew 5:23-24). Knowing the He would go to the cross and make forgiveness possible, Jesus said in Luke 17:3-4, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." “You must forgive him” is a command for believers, as to be forgiven by God is to forgive others in accordance to the Scriptures (Ephesians 4:32).
As described on the Relational Wisdom 360 website,¹ forgiveness involves a four-fold commitment in peacemaking. (Note: boundaries are important in cases of abuse as recommended on their website.)
1. “I will not dwell on this incident.” When saying the words, “I forgive you,” we are promising to think good thoughts towards the one confessing sin (Philippians 4:8-9), and to build them up according to their needs (Ephesians 4:29).
2. “I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you.” Why not? 1 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Love keeps no record of wrongs.”
3. “I will not talk to others about this incident.” Talking to others about someone that’s been forgiven brings shame to their name and is slander, which Ephesians 4:31 says must “be put away from you.”
4. “I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship.” Rather than saying “I forgive you” and then avoiding the other person, Ephesians 4:32 says: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Depending on the situation, forgiveness often involves graciously walking alongside the other person in pointing them to Christ, Who is your peace and in whom they too can be a peacemaker. In doing so, encourage ongoing prayer in the peacemaking process. Thomas Watson wrote: “We should not as vultures prey one upon another, but pray one for another. Pray that God will quench the fire of contention and kindle the fire of compassion in our hearts one to another.”² What is the identity and reward of peacemakers? Looking again to Thomas Watson, he writes: “Those who have made their peace with God and labour to make peace among brethren, this is the great honor conferred upon them, ‘They shall be called the children of God.’”³
¹ https://rw360.org/biblical-forgiveness/.
² Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes (Bibliotech Press, 2020), 191.
³ Watson, 195.