“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9, LSB

As we discussed in the last article, peace with God acts as the very root of Christ’s command to be peacemakers. Therefore, while we strive for harmony with others, we are never to go against the truth of God. Compromising the commands of Scripture, even in an effort to diffuse a conflict, puts us squarely against God’s will. This is not what true peace is, and thus we cannot truly be peacemakers in this way.

This is where tension lies for many people. What does making peace with others look like when Christ and His gospel are so often an offense to those who are perishing (1 Pe 2:8). Indeed, Jesus – the very Prince of Peace – tells us in Matthew 10 that He came to bring “the sword,” not peace (Mat 10:34-39). Let us never doubt, friends, that the Lord Jesus Christ will indeed bring lasting peace, but He does so through both saving (reconciling some to Himself) AND conquering (where He will bring final judgment upon the rebellious world) (Rev 20).

So what are we to do as peacemakers? Well it’s simple, yet can be challenging in practice. Paul directs Christians in Romans 12, “So far as it depends on you, [be] at peace with all men” (v.18). What Paul is getting at here, is that though the outcome is often out of our control, Christians are commanded to strive for peace, even in the face of direct assault (Rom 12:14-21). This is demonstrated in two ways, depending upon the company involved.

With non-believers, we strive for peace by demonstrating compassion and kindness toward others whilst never compromising the truth of God’s Word on any given subject. We must never call evil good and good evil (Is. 5:20). This will inevitably ruffle some feathers and even bring upon believers a significant amount of persecution (a beatitude in itself). We cannot be cruel and hot-tempered, but as disciples of Christ, we must stand squarely upon the Word of God and present the Good News to others, calling them to peace with God. In this way, we strive to make peace with non-believers.

“Though the outcome is often out of our control, Christians are commanded to strive for peace, even in the face of direct assault.”

But conflicts arise within the Body of Christ as well. When dealing with other believers, we must be careful and humble in our dealings. Paul calls us to give “preference to one another in honor” whilst always “abhorring what is evil” and “clinging to what is good” (Rom 12:9-10). Again, God’s Truth must never be compromised, but when differences arise within the Church, we are to act humbly toward one another and seek unity wherever possible (Phil 2:1-5)

There is so much more to say upon this subject, and so I urge you, friends, to dig deeply into the Word of God, the author of peace, and to pray that He make you and I peacemakers for His glory, that we may be called “sons of God.”

Soli Deo Gloria