The Christian as a Peacemaker
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. - Matthew 5:9 (KJV)
As Christians, part of our mission as light and salt of the world is to be peacemakers.
From Prophet Isaiah, the word of God comes to us, βThere is no peace,β Says my God, βfor the wicked.β ~ Isaiah 57:21
Therefore, before a man can have peace from within and without, he must be reconciled with God through the forgiveness of sins. The atoning sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ is the only means of reconciliation and peace with God.
How do you become a recipient of this gift and offer (of Godβs peace in your soul)? His peace becomes yours when you acknowledge your sins, confess and repent from them, and accept through faith Godβs Gift for salvation - His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Welcome to salvation. Welcome to reconciliation. Enter into His peace.
βTherefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Romans 5:1 (KJV)
Having been reconciled back to God and now basking in the rest His peace grants our souls here on earth, we now become His agents of reconciling the world to Himself.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christβs behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:20-21
Other examples of peacemaking are the work of reunion and the work of evangelism, that is, seeking on the one hand to unite churches and on the other to bring sinners to Christ.
In both these, true reconciliation can be degraded into cheap peace. The visible unity of the church is a proper Christian quest, but only if unity is not sought at the expense of doctrine.
Jesus prayed for the oneness of his people. He also prayed that they might be kept from evil and in truth.
We have no mandate from Christ to seek unity without purity, purity of both doctrine and conduct.
If there is such a thing as βcheap reunionβ, there is βcheap evangelismβ also, namely the proclamation of the gospel without the cost of discipleship, the demand for faith without repentance.
These are forbidden short cuts. They turn the evangelist into a fraud. They cheapen the gospel and damage the cause of Christ.
~ John R. W. Stott
Being peacemakers doesnβt mean we gloss over evils and all forms of human abuses for the sake of peace. It doesnβt mean sweeping wrongs and injustices under the carpet in other for peace to reign.
Seeking peace also means, taking a stand for the just and right, and if need be, lending our voices, influence, and resources to stop the spread of injustices, howbeit, with grace and the love of Jesus Christ
Christians must seek peace and ensue it.
9 Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For
βHe who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.β
~ 1 Peter 3:9-12
Source: Β©John R. W. Stott, Christian Counter-culture - The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, Inter-Varsity Press, 1978