Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9
What is a peacemaker? Usually, when we think about a peacemaker, we think of someone who stands between two parties and tries to settle a dispute. Perhaps two family members are at war with one another. A peacemaker would step in and try to get them to stop fighting and reconcile. This type of peacemaking is noble and biblical. The person who takes on this endeavor to make peace is certainly serving God; However, I do not think this is what Jesus had in mind when He said: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
The Ultimate Peacemaker
The ultimate way to make peace is through the gospel, and Jesus Christ Himself is the ultimate peacemaker. The Bible refers to the gospel as the “gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). Humanity is hostile to God, and through our sin we have alienated ourselves from God. Jesus offered up Himself to reconcile us to God. It is through Jesus’s atoning sacrifice on the cross that we can be made right and brought into the family of God.
Your Part in Peacemaking
The followers of Jesus also have a role in the peacemaking process. We are His ambassadors. “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20) What a remarkable verse! God has chosen His children to be ambassadors for Him. He wants to plead through us for a lost and dying world to repent. We are the way that God has chosen to reach people with the good news of His Son. God does not reach the lost through angels or by writing the gospel in the clouds, but by our own mouths. If you have been praying that someone will share the gospel with your neighbor, you are the answer to your prayer. You are the one God has called to share the gospel with your neighbor.
