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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. ~ Matthew 5:9
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 5 which is commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. In actuality, in these verses the Lord Jesus gave us the process involved in our hearts growing more amiable toward God. This process begins with the realization that we are bankrupt before God spiritually. This condition naturally leads us to mourn over our sin which leads to our willingness to begin to give up control to God over our lives. As we experience God for ourselves, we naturally find ourselves hungering and thirsting for Him more and more. The more of God we experience the more we find ourselves becoming more like Him. One way we express His likeness is that we will become more merciful toward others. With this increased interaction with God, we will begin to see that our hearts are being changed enabling us to see God's hand at work in our lives even through the unwanted moments of our lives. This positions us for the next beatitude which is found in today's verse.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
The word "peacemakers" is an adjective which means to promote peace. Since we live in a world of conflict and broken relationships, peacemakers are desperately needed. There is no peace until we are brought back into a personal relationship with God and those who work to bring peace between God and man are in focus here. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden there has been a state of enmity between God and man. Without addressing this enmity through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross which earned the needed forgiveness from God, there can be no peace in the presence of God for any human. Those who work to reconcile others by sharing the gospel message of forgiveness through the cross of the Lord Jesus are the true peacemakers.
We tend to think that peace is the absence of conflict but this isn't quite what the Lord Jesus was getting at here because God’s definition of peace is not the absence of something. Throughout the Bible, peace is not the absence of anything, peace is the presence of all that is blessed, all that is good, and all that is truly satisfying. Peace is a creative force producing goodness and well-being. When the power of love overcomes the love of power, it is then that we will know peace.
The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 10:34, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword." The Lord Jesus said these words because before peace can come, the sword must fall. The Lord Jesus came to this earth to deal a final death blow to sin and death. He did this through His sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Once we believe in His finished work on the cross and we enter into a personal relationship with God, we will find ourselves incongruent with those who do not know the Lord. This incongruence will always rob the peace that we all long for because this peace only comes from the Prince of Peace.
In James 3:17 we read, "The wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable." Peace comes from the truth and wisdom of God. Peace is never sought at the price of truth. Peace is never sought at the price of error. Peace is never sought at the price of sin or unrighteousness. In Hebrews 12:14 we read, "Follow peace with all men and holiness." Peace naturally follows holiness or completeness. We are only made complete through the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not possess true peace if we do not confront our sin which is what keeps us from God. We only become hosts to the peace of God only after we are at peace with God. This is why true peace will always be associated with holiness. We must follow the peace that is first pure and reflects the wisdom that is from God where truth prevails. If we are going to be at peace with all men, it’s because we all are being defined by God. True peace only comes after we have entered into a personal relationship with God.
Those who invest themselves at making peace through reconciling men to God's will, indeed, these will be called the sons of God. True peace is only truly enjoyed by the child of truth. That’s the only real peace that God recognizes. With false peace nothing is resolved because it ignores that which is true and righteous. And so we may have to endure temporary trouble in order to bring real peace. That’s what the Lord Jesus did and He was the greatest peacemaker that ever walked the face of this earth. He offers all those humble enough to see and embrace their need for peace with God.
So, in order to be a peacemaker, we must have gone through this Beatitude process. A peacemaker, then, is one whose sins have been dealt with in Christ. He has been given a new nature, a pure heart. He has a whole new perspective on life now that he has entered into a personal relationship with God through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. He now views life through the eyes of the Lord. As a result the peacemaker sees himself as humbled, and he is dependent upon God. Most people think well of themselves because they have been taught that in order to be whole and healthy, they have to have high self-esteem. But, this is not the way of the God of the Bible. According to the Lord Jesus, we are most blessed when we recognize that we need God more than anything else. And, once we are at peace with Him, we can be at peace with everyone else.
