The Peacemakers
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The Peacemakers
The Bible is a book about peace. There are nearly four hundred references to peace in its pages, either personal peace with God or peace among people on an individual or a national level. The Bible opens and closes with peace, and the reason that there is a war in between is because of the opposition of Satan and the disobedience of people. God is not at war with the world, but the world is at war with God.
We must bear in mind that peace in the Bible is much more than the absence of war. There is no strife in a cemetery, but one would hardly use a cemetery as an example of peace. In the Bible, peace is a positive force; it signifies the presence of all that is good and wonderful. When two Jews meet or part from each other, they say, “Shalom! Peace!” but they mean much more than, “May you have no battles!” The word shalom contains in it a desire for all of the goodness that God can give, a total well-being for mind and heart and body. Peace is a creative force, and a peacemaker is a person who releases this creative force to change the world.
If you and I are to be peacemakers in a world filled with strife, then we must understand four basic truths about peace.
The Origin of Peace
The first truth is this: The source of peace is God. Six times in the New Testament He is called the God of peace. He is the God of peace as far as His person is concerned; there are no conflicts in the nature of God. You and I have battles within because we have a higher and a lower nature, but that is not so with God. His person is at perfect peace; His attributes harmoniously dwell and work together. God is at perfect peace with Himself, and that is why He is called the God of peace. One of the great Old Testament names for God is “Jehovah-shalom”—“the Lord Is Peace” (Judges 6:24).
Not only is He the God of peace as far as His person and His nature are concerned, but He is the God of peace as far as His will is concerned. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV). God thinks about us; that in itself is a miracle. And the thoughts—the plans—that He thinks are for our peace, to accomplish a perfect purpose for our lives. The enemy would have us believe that God never thinks about us or that His thoughts are dangerous and painful. But such is not the case. God does think about us, and His thoughts point to peace.
He is the God of peace in the outworking of His will. Critics tell us that the Old Testament is certainly not a revelation of God, because its pages are filled with war and judgment. But if you read the Old Testament carefully, you discover that God’s working is first peace, then war. The account of human history begins with peace, and it was only when humans sinned and joined with the enemy that God went to war. But even in His declaration of war there is the message of peace, the promise of the coming Redeemer (Genesis 3:15). The law of war that God gave to Israel in Deuteronomy 20 makes clear that Israel was to declare peace before it declared war. If the city refused to accept terms of peace, then Israel had to fight.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, followed this same principle. At His birth, the angel announced, “on earth peace, to men” (Luke 2:14). There could have been peace on earth, had men received Him, but they said, “We don’t want this man to be our king” (Luke 19:14).
How did Jesus respond to humanity’s rejection of peace? “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division” (Luke 12:51). On that day when He rode into Jerusalem (“city of peace”) and fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy, the city still would not receive Him. That was why He wept over the city, saying, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42). There was certainly no peace on earth.
Was there peace any place? Yes! The whole multitude of disciples rejoiced and praised God, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38). Peace in heaven! There is no peace on earth, but there is peace in heaven, and that peace can be experienced on earth in the hearts of those who will yield to Christ.
Jesus Christ is God’s peacemaker. “For he himself is our peace,” wrote Paul in Ephesians 2:14, referring to Christ’s work of uniting believing Jews and Gentiles into one body, the church. He made peace by His sacrificial death on the cross, and He preaches through His Spirit in the world today (Ephesians 2:15). As He faced the tortures of Calvary, Jesus was able to say to His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27). “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace” (John 16:33).
Our God is the God of peace, and our Savior is the Prince of Peace. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of peace, for it is He who applies and supplies the peace of God in our lives. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace” (Galatians 5:22). The source of peace is God; there is no other source. If you and I are going to be peacemakers, we must know God and draw upon His supply of peace.
The Opposition to Peace
The enemy of peace is sin. This is the second truth that believers must lay hold of if they are going to be peacemakers; otherwise, they will misunderstand what happens when people reject their peace. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, yet three times in John’s gospel we are told that there was division because of Him (7:43; 9:16; 10:19). “He stirs up the people” was one of the accusations at His trial (Luke 23:5). The apostle Paul was God’s ambassador of peace, yet men said of him, “We have found this man to be a troublemaker” (Acts 24:5). Isaiah 32:17 promises, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace,” but it seems that those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness” sometimes are the cause of war. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
According to James 4:1–4, there are three wars going on in our world today.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
People are at war with each other because they are at war with themselves (“your desires that battle within you”); they are not at war with themselves because they are at war with God. God has His enemies: the world (v. 4), the flesh (v. 1), and the devil (v. 7); whoever sides with these enemies declares war on God. Whenever you declare war on God, you become a troublemaker, not a peacemaker.
This helps to explain why so much trouble results when a Christian gets out of the will of God. Abraham tried to escape the famine in Canaan by going to Egypt, and there he created so many problems that the ruler had to ask him to leave (Genesis 12). Lot fell in love with Sodom, and the result was a conflict between Abraham and him (Genesis 13). David committed adultery with Bathsheba and brought tragic discipline down upon both his family and the nation. Jonah disobeyed God and created a storm that almost wrecked the ship and sent an unsaved, pagan crew out into a lost eternity. A believer living in sin is a great troublemaker, because sin is the enemy of peace.
At the same time, a believer living a godly life can be a cause of trouble. Why? Because a peacemaker reveals the war that is going on in the lives of unsaved people. Stephen’s calmness as he faced his accusers only incited their hatred all the more. “I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war” (Psalm 120:7). It has often been said that wherever Paul went, the result was either a revival or a riot, and sometimes it was both. “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here”(Acts 17:6). As long as people’s hearts are sinful, there is going to be war in the world. The only solution is righteousness.
This explains why “Blessed are the pure in heart” precedes “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Only the pure in heart can be peacemakers. “The work of righteousness will be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Isaiah 32:17 NKJV). “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving . . . Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17a–18). If I am at war with God because there is sin in my life, then I cannot be a peacemaker. It was Abraham who made peace, not Lot. Lot was a friend of the world and therefore the enemy of God, whereas Abraham was a friend of God and therefore the enemy of the world. Abraham sowed peace, and his descendants have been a channel of peace in the world. Lot sowed sin, and his descendants (the Ammonites and the Moabites, Genesis 19:36–38) were the enemies of Israel throughout history.
God’s throne is a righteous throne, and His scepter is a scepter of righteousness. If we are going to reign in life, then we must deal with sin in our lives. Grace reigns “through righteousness” (Romans 5:21). Jesus Christ is “King of Righteousness” (Melchizedek) and “King of Peace” (Salem). In Him, “righteousness and peace kiss each other” (Psalm 85:10). David was a man after God’s own heart and sought, in spite of his failures, to have a righteous reign in obedience to God. Saul’s throne was a throne of deceit and disobedience. Saul’s own son Jonathan admitted, “My father has made trouble for the country” (1 Samuel 14:29). Even after Saul’s death, “there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David” (2 Samuel 3:1 KJV) until all the tribes of Israel crowned David their rightful king. These things are an allegory. Until we crown Jesus Christ king in our lives and the Spirit puts sin to death, we can never be peacemakers.
The Outflow of Peace
The source of peace is God, and the enemy of peace is sin. The third truth is the minister of peace is the Christian. The angels can come and announce, “Peace on earth!” but they can never minister as peacemakers simply because they have never personally experienced the peace of God. We have experienced it, and therefore we can share it. “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). But we came to the cross where Jesus Christ made peace, and there we found forgiveness for our sins. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). The war is now over, and because we are no longer at war with God, we are no longer at war with ourselves. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) moves into our hearts and minds, and we are at peace with ourselves. Having received peace with God and having experienced the peace of God, we are now ready to be peacemakers. We are reigning in life because the peace of God is ruling in our hearts (Colossians 3:15).
We begin this ministry of peace by making peace with our brothers and sisters, and this starts with controlling anger (Matthew 5:21–26). Hatred in the heart is the equivalent of murder, and it begins with anger. More important than bringing a gift to the altar is getting right with my brother or sister so I can bring my gift with a heart that is right with God. Worship and warfare cannot exist at the same altar. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary” (Matthew 5:25) does not suggest cowardice or compromise. Rather, it suggests that we start with the positive before we deal with the negative; it means finding where I agree with my adversary before I discuss our areas of disagreement. When there is war in my heart, I should always look for points of agreement.
In the early years of my ministry, whenever others approached me with criticism, I usually lit into them and tried to change their mind. Then I learned to agree with my critics quickly, to find someplace where we could stand together and then from that place move into a constructive discussion of the problem. The words “Yes, I agree with you” have a way of disarming people and softening the blow. If you are out to win an argument, you will never agree with your adversary, but if you are out to win a brother, you will begin by declaring peace and not war.
Our Lord amplifies this matter in Matthew 18:15–17, where He instructs us to visit the estranged person privately and seek to win him or her back. If this fails, then take one or two others with you, and if that fails, it is necessary to take it to the church. The lesson is obvious: The longer a person delays in dealing with sin, the larger the influence of that sin grows. First, the sin involves only two people; then four are involved; and then the whole assembly of believers. “An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city” (Proverbs 18:19). But Proverbs 16:32 tells us, “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.” If I am reigning in life through Christ and if I have His peace within, then I can storm the city and win the battle in love.
As peacemakers, we are also to seek to bring peace to our enemies. The instructions in Matthew 5:38–48 are both demanding and disturbing. Certainly the Lord was not giving a set of rules to follow on every occasion; otherwise, He was contradicting other admonitions in Scripture. It seems that He was describing an attitude of heart that is willing to suffer pain and loss if it will lead to the winning of an enemy. At least this is the interpretation Paul gave to the passage: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19–21). Whatever rules my life, I will try to use to rule the lives of others, and whatever I use to control others will ultimately control me. To be sure, I may not be able to win every brother or convert every enemy. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). Sometimes it is not possible. But we must not give up too soon.
As peacemakers, we must never compromise just to bring about peace. “Peace at any price” is never right in the life of the believer. Peace at the expense of honesty and humility will only lead to more war. The quieting of the surface when the depths are still stormy is no lasting solution to the problem. “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). The false prophets in Ezekiel’s day whitewashed the tottering walls and pretended that the situation was in safe hands. “Because they lead my people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash” (Ezekiel 13:10). A false peace is more dangerous than an open war because the problems have only been covered over. It is honesty, not hypocrisy, which makes for peace. “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving” (James 3:17).
Calvary is the greatest example of making peace. On the cross, God openly admitted the fact of sin. The horror of sin was not glossed over when Jesus died for the sins of the world. Instead of hiding sin, the Lord openly exposed it. But then He suffered for our sin. And because of His sacrifice, we are forgiven and we can be forgiving. We need never fear to deal with sin because it has already been dealt with at Calvary. The cross was His throne, and Jesus reigned as king when He made peace by the blood of His cross. His scepter had been a reed, and His crown was made of thorns, but He reigned just the same. As believers we, too, reign in life whenever we honestly and humbly deal with sin as we seek to win our fellow believer or our enemy.
There is a price to pay. Is it worth it?
The Outcome of Peace
Yes, it is worth it, for the blessing of peace is godliness: “They will be called sons of God.” The Father is the great peacemaker, and when you and I become peacemakers, we become like our Father. Beginning with the fifth Beatitude, the blessings bestowed are nothing less than attributes of God: mercy, purity in heart, peace. Children are like their parents, and as peacemakers, we become more like the Father in heaven.
This fact is certainly illustrated in the lives of Saul and David. As time passed, Saul became more and more of a troublemaker, and David did all he could to bring about peace. On two occasions David could have killed Saul, but David knew that this was not the way to deal with an enemy. In fact, when David cut off a part of Saul’s robe, his heart “smote him” (1 Samuel 24:5 KJV), so sensitive was he to God’s will. When one of David’s men urged him to kill Saul, David replied, “As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish” (1 Samuel 26:10). David knew that vengeance belongs to God. Because the peace of God controlled David’s heart, the power of God controlled David’s hand, and he did not use either the sword or the spear to destroy his enemy.
If any man was transformed from a troublemaker into a peacemaker, it was Saul of Tarsus. The very air that he breathed was “murderous threats” (Acts 9:1). He knew the law, but the law could neither change nor control him. When he saw Stephen die with glory on his face and a prayer of forgiveness on his lips, Saul never forgot it. Years later, he told that hushed Jewish crowd in the temple, “And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him” (Acts 22:20). Saul of Tarsus the slave beheld Stephen the king, reigning in life and reigning in death. (The name Stephen means “crown.”)
But unlike his namesake, Saul of Tarsus admitted his need and one day fell to his face and yielded to Jesus Christ. Here are two Sauls from Benjamin, both of whom fell, yet King Saul’s fall meant defeat and death, and for Saul of Tarsus it meant victory and life. In the years that followed his conversion, Saul, “who is Paul,” became a minister of reconciliation and an ambassador of peace, and eventually he paid for his ministry with his life. But it was worth it all, because Paul came to know Christ and become more like Him, even though he saw himself as “less than the least of all God’s people” (Ephesians 3:8) and the “worst” of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).
Hatred can never be conquered with hatred. Only love can conquer hatred. And when love declares war on hatred, the battle is always a difficult one. Love is like the light and reveals the darkness in hearts. Love challenges the enemy to be a better person, and this love often makes the conflict worse, because no person wants to admit that he or she is less than the enemy. The quiet calmness and pitying love of our Lord when they arrested and tried Him must have infuriated His enemies. The contrast between their brittle religious piety and His living, loving righteousness was too much for them, so they had to destroy Him. But a peacemaker cannot really be destroyed because the source of peace is God, and God is eternal. Jesus Christ arose from the dead, and today He shares His peace with all who will “kiss the Son” (Psalm 2:12) and trust in Him.
David and Solomon illustrate two aspects of this matter of peace. David was a man of war, because peace is not purchased cheaply. Solomon was a man of peace, and under his reign Israel reached its greatest heights of glory and prosperity. But Solomon built upon the victories his father had won. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, but He had to fight that awesome battle against sin by dying on the cross. “And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:20). Solomon built the temple because David won the battles, and in each we see the peace work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As you and I seek to be peacemakers, people will treat us as they did Jesus. They will misunderstand us and not honestly seek for the truth. They will criticize us and accuse us. Eventually they will condemn us and crucify us. Hatred blinds, whereas love sharpens vision. Hatred looks for a victim, whereas love seeks a victory. The person of war throws stones, and the peacemaker builds a bridge out of those stones. The person of war comes with a sword, and the peacemaker disarms him or her with love and beats that sword into a plowshare. The person of war throws a spear, and the peacemaker beats it into a pruning hook. Peacemakers do not avoid the battle; instead, they transform the battle into a ministry of reconciliation. How do they do this? Certainly not in their own strength! “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:5). “But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . peace” (Galatians 5:22).