Peacemaking Sons of God

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.

(CSB)

North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Russia.  There is no shortage of news about conflict in the world.  In addition, there is the continual drone of political confrontation causing division in nations, friends, and families.  Peacemakers are in demand but seem rare.  God calls believers in Christ to be peacemakers, receiving a reward of the title of sons, and daughters, of God (Matthew 5:9). 

President Reagan pursued and established peace by ending the Cold War through a strategy of “Peace Through Strength.”  (1)  While viewed as confrontational, this strategy actually served to reveal the Soviet Union was a paper tiger that would fall once confronted with a more powerful force.  (2)  President Reagan, while viewed by many as a war munger, was a peacemaker demonstrating that peace often comes through confrontation. 

Peace is often defined as the absence of conflict.  However, Jesus, the Prince of Peace did not actually come to bring peace but confrontation (Matthew 10:34).  While this seems to be a paradox, the three C’s of peacemaking resolve this paradox and provide a pattern for bringing peace into any situation.  Peacemaking involves,

1)      Confrontation – Not confrontation to start a fight but focused confrontation with the purpose of determining the source of conflict.  Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that the source of spiritual conflict is not flesh and blood but dark spiritual powers from Satan.  This conflict came into the world with the fall of Adam and Eve and quickly escalated into the first murder (Genesis 3 – 4:16).  Exposure of this evil was the sword Jesus brought into the world and what led to His crucifixion on the cross.  The resolution of the paradox of the Prince of Peace bringing conflict is resolved through His resurrection, conquering death.  At His second coming, Jesus will come as a conquering King ridding the world of the evil that entered in the Garden of Eden, ushering in a millennium of peace (Revelation 20). 

2)      Counsel – The peacemaker must seek Godly counsel.  This counsel consists of the spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible study as well as seeking counsel from Godly people.  The seeking of Godly counsel helps insure one’s life is lived according to God’s plan.  When one lives according to God’s plan, the confrontation they encounter is part of God’s plan which results in good and not destruction for them (Jeremiah 29:11).  The goal of God’s plan for every believer is a peaceful eternity with God in Heaven (John 3:16).  However, the process of achieving this peaceful eternity involves confrontation with evil which is why believers must constantly seek Godly counsel.

3)      Connection with the Prince of Peace – The source of peace is a connection with the Prince of Peace, Jesus.  The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus wants to connect with us and why he left heaven to die for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21).  We initially make this connection by expressing our belief that Jesus is our Lord, died, and rose from the dead for our sins.  If you have never made this initial connection, I urge you to pray with me now,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

You now have a connection with the Prince of Peace.  However, we live in an evil world and will experience confrontation (John 16:33).  Therefore, we must continually seek the counsel of the Lord through prayer, Bible study, and being with other believers in Christ.  May God bring peace into everyone’s life through Jesus.    

1. Cannon, Lou. Reagan: 'Peace Through Strength'. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, August 19, 1980. [Cited: August 4, 2018.] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/08/19/reagan-peace-through-strength/f343ddc5-fbda-49fc-a524-6fbc29dfb312/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.673f6993aee2.

2. Richard Ned Lebow, Janice Gross Stein. Reagan and the Russians. www.theatlantic.com. [Online] The Atlantic Online, February 1994. [Cited: August 4, 2018.] https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/politics/foreign/reagrus.htm.