30. The Peacemakers
"Blessed are the peacemakers…" (Matthew 5:9). "Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness" (James 3:18).
Christian combat is ultimately about victory, of which peace is a vital component. Without peace there is no true victory! We see this in the memorable words of Isaiah who spoke of the Messiah as "Warrior God" (a better translation than "Mighty God," for a number of reasons) and "Prince of Peace" in the same breath (Isaiah 9:6).
But there are different aspects of peacemaking – and of peace itself, as the apostle Paul intimated: "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way" (2 Thessalonians 3:16, emphasis added).
In the obvious sense, peace is the successful avoidance or termination of hostility, hatred and strife. That is always a good thing, of course, and all Christians are encouraged to be peacemakers in their own interactions and, where possible, in the interactions of others.
Paul used the example of ancient Jewish-Gentile animosity to show that this kind of Christian peacemaking is rooted in the work of Christ himself:
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one … His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility" (Ephesians 2:14-16).
Paul says here that there can be no unity with God without unity with others (see also Ephesians 4:1-3, Colossians 3:15, etc.). That is the theological understanding that underlies all Christian efforts toward peacemaking, and it has daily application in the lives of all of us, as Paul also writes elsewhere:
"... Live in peace with each other" (1 Thessalonians 5:13). "… as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:18 NKJV). "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace …" (Romans 14:19). "… be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you" (2 Corinthians 13:11). These verses, and many others, all relate to the primary meaning of peacemaking, but there is also another aspect to the concept that we need to keep in mind. The Christian concept of "peace" is often seen as a kind of trying to get along with everyone no matter what – a "peace at any price" mentality. But the biblical concept of peace is very different and is often much closer to the concept of victory than many realize. In fact, the biblical concepts of peace and victory are often synonymous, because the establishment of peace frequently requires the struggle against evil.
This understanding of peace helps us better understand the broader implication of being called to be peacemakers. Peacemaking is a massive mission. It involves not only the Christian's active work to cease from and to help avoid strife, but also working to do away with any form of evil and to institute good wherever possible. This understanding of the second role of what peacemakers are and what they do helps us to better comprehend scriptures relating to the nature of God himself.
In the Book of Judges we see a clear physical example of this second aspect of peace in the interaction of God with the warrior Gideon. When God heard the prayers of the Israelites who were being starved and oppressed by the Midianites, the "angel of the Lord" appeared to Gideon and greeted him: "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior" (Judges 6:12). God then commissioned Gideon to lead the struggle against the evil oppression and Gideon in turn built an altar to God – not as the God of strife and warfare, but as Yahweh shalom, the God of Peace! (Judges 6:24).
With God's help, Gideon led Israel throughout the campaign of freedom, and as a result of the struggle we are told "the land had peace forty years" (Judges 8:28b).
This example clearly shows the correlation between strong active involvement in overthrowing destructive forces and peace – something we see repeatedly in scriptures regarding God's nature:
"The Lord gives strength to his people. The Lord blesses his people with peace" (Psalms 29:11). "… Mighty God … Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6b). "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20).
So, being a peacemaker is often far from passive inaction. It is actually one of the toughest missions the Christian warrior is given. It involves doing the work of the God who is the ultimate peacemaker – the God who puts down evil and institutes good. Our responsibility as warriors of the Way is not only to avoid hatred and strife, but also to actively work against evil where we have opportunity to do so. Both roles are part of being a true peacemaker.
Just as there can be no victory without peace, there can be no peace without victory!