Blessed are the Peacemakers
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9)
Very likely everyone who reads this article understands the importance of working toward peace in our world. Peace at home; peace with our neighbors; peace in our church; racial reconciliation; and a whole host of other relationships. Among verses that could be cited are:
“He makes peace in your borders” (Psalm 147:14)
“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18)
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
“God has called you to peace” (1 Corinthians 7:15)
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3)
Clearly, God has called us to be peacemakers to our families, neighbors, and anyone else with whom we come in contact. Further, He has provided the necessary tools for us to accomplish the task, including “the fruit of the Spirit… love, joy, peace…” (Galatians 5:22).
But it was a comment by Arthur Pink that has prompted the direction of this article. He says,
“Most of the commentators… see in this Beatitude nothing more than a blessing pronounced by Christ on those who endeavor to promote unity, to heal breaches, and to restore those who are estranged. While we fully agree that this is a most blessed exercise, and that the Christian is, by virtue of his being indwelt by Christ, a lover of peace and concord, yet we do not believe that this is what our Lord had in mind here.
“The believer in Christ knows that there is no peace for the wicked. Therefore, he earnestly desires that they should acquaint themselves with God and be at peace (Job 22:21). Believers know that peace with God is only through our Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:19, 20). For this reason we speak of Him to our fellow men as the Holy Spirit leads us to do so. Our feet are ‘shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace’ (Eph. 6:15); thus we are equipped to testify to others concerning the grace of God.”[1]
Personal, one-on-one, evangelism has often been called the most effective way of telling others about Jesus—just you talking about Jesus to people with whom you come in contact. And the most effective content of your message is your own personal experience with Jesus.
Of course, you want to be sure you have the basics of the gospel right. As Gary Habermas stated on a recent program, the essence of the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
His death, because through His death we receive forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21); “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
His burial, because it provides proof beyond any doubt that Jesus truly died. He didn’t “swoon,” He didn’t fake His death, He died. And by His death, the wrath of God was satisfied. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24)
His resurrection, because as Paul tells us, the resurrection was, in effect, God’s stamp, marking our salvation COMPLETED. “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. … but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead… for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 17, 20, 22).
May I ask you to do a bit of homework? I took an ESL[2] training class some time ago, and one exercise they asked us to do was to write out our personal testimony without using any “churchy” words, but rather using simple English that a language-limited immigrant, or a small child could understand. Why not try that?
- Think about how you first came to understand your need of a Savior.
- Was there a person who helped you to understand the gospel? How did they help you to understand?
- What verses were most helpful or meaningful to you?
- What changes have you seen in your life since you began to follow Jesus?
- What challenges have you faced and overcome?
Now that you have done that, why not find someone and share with them what you have written? Believe me, it gets easier as you tell more and more people.
When you understand the joy of leading someone to experience peace with God, you will be encouraged to be a peacemaker by bringing others into the family of God. You (and they) will be called sons of God!
P.S. I’d love to read your testimony as well. Send it to me at [email protected] with the subject line “My testimony.”
[1] Arthur Pink, The Beatitudes (Louisville, KY: GLH Publishing, rpt. 2018), p. 31, emphasis added.
[2] English as a Second Language
