Are You a Peacemaker?

“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9

This verse comes from “the sermon on the Mount,” three chapters in the book of Matthew, which contain only the words of Jesus as He taught the crowds. Verses 3-11 are part of the Beatitudes, a Latin word meaning blessed. Each of the beatitudes begins with the words “God blesses.”

The Beatitudes are not a series of suggestions by Jesus on how to make the world a better place. They are a description of those who have been transformed by the power of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. For example, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy” or “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” In contrast, those who are not shown mercy are the ones who will receive judgment. And those whose hearts have not been made pure are those who will not see God.

When Jesus says, “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God,” He is not telling us how to become children of God. Rather, He is simply saying that the children of God are, in fact, peacemakers. God, who is a peace-loving God, sent His Son to reconcile sinful humans being to Himself. Jesus is a peacemaker who made peace through His own blood on the cross (Colossians 1:20).

Because of the work of Christ on the cross, we have been given a new nature in the image of our heavenly Father (1 John 3:9). If God is a peacemaker, then we who are His children, who bear His image, will be peacemakers as well. 

Being in peacekeeper and a peacemaker are not the same thing. A peacekeeper runs away from chaos to avoid conflict, but a peacemaker runs toward it to create peace. A peacemaker is one who actively tries to reconcile people to God and to one another. Whether through prayer or direct contact, peacemakers work for peace. This describes those who are called the children of God.