“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5: 9
What exactly is peace? By the world’s definition, peace is the absence of war and conflict. I think if anything, history has taught us there is no true peace… that is, there is no true peace apart from God. Oh- there may be a temporary cease fire or a truce, but no true peace! The Bible has much to say about man’s wickedness and lack of peace. Humanity in general, in its present sinful condition, is unacceptable before God. We must remember who we are in His sight—alienated sinners. Man is a violent creature, always having one conflict after another. Here are a few scripture verses that speak of this…
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3: 15-18
“But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” Isaiah 57: 20
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God?” James 4: 1-4
I really like James—he tells it like it is! Quarrels and fights among believers are always harmful. James explains that these conflicts result from evil desires battling within us. When we don’t get what we want, we fight in order to have it. Unless our sinful natures are brought under submission to Jesus and we have a change of heart, we will never have peace! Biblically, God tells us that peace is all about resolving conflict. It’s all about reconciliation—“Once you were enemies with someone, now you are friends.” The Bible tells us that those who have peace with God, have been reconciled with Him through the death of His Son. The unsaved have no peace, like I said… they may have truces or quiet moments, but they won’t obtain true peace. They may not be openly hostile, most are probably nice people… but they will always have unresolved conflict.
So what is a peacemaker? It has nothing to do with a peaceful demeanor, tranquil heart or personal peace with your inner being… that’s the peace of God. Jesus tells us that citizens of His Kingdom carry the message of the gospel, telling others how to make peace with God. Citizens of His Kingdom are eager to let others know how they can be changed from an enemy of God to a friend of God! They are actively telling others about the real Prince of Peace! War ends when we embrace what Jesus did for us at the cross!
“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 2 Corinthians 18-20
But there’s an irony in this. Stay tuned to find out what that irony is…
