Contagious Characteristics: BeatitudesSample

When many people think of the word "peace" or "peacemaker," they automatically think of someone who avoids drama and confrontation by any means necessary. However, Jesus' idea of being a peacemaker is entirely different.

In scripture, a peacemaker is not merely a peacekeeper but is also someone who confronts sin and assists in the reconciliation between God and man. In the New Testament, Paul tells the church in Corinth that God reconciled them to Himself and gave them the ministry and message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). The term reconciliation means to stand in the gap between parties at odds with each other and help them become friends again. Let's break this down even more.

God created us to be at peace with Him. Once sin came into the world, we became enemies with God, and the friendship that we once shared became broken. Jesus came down to reconcile us to God, or as we just learned to make humans and God friends again, by dying for our sins (Romans 5:10-11).

With that in mind, what is a peacemaker? Well, the first sign is to be at peace with God. We have peace with God when we are His friends, and we become His friends by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior and allowing the Holy Spirit to live in us to help us become the people God has created us to be.

A peacemaker is also willing to confront sin within ourselves, believers, and unbelievers. After God reconciled us to Himself, He gave us the ministry of reconciliation. As Christians, our job is to tell the world they can be friends with God too. In this friendship, we receive hope, forgiveness, and eternal life. Jesus' death and resurrection made peace and friendship available again.

And lastly, a peacemaker represents God and re-presents God to the world. Paul says that because God gave us the ministry of reconciliation, we are to be Christ's ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). This means we act on His behalf. We can only establish peace within the world if it first rules our hearts. We can only offer Jesus to the world if we have first given Him ownership of our lives as Lord and Savior.

Reflection Questions:

1. How is peacemaking costly? What does it require from us?
2. What have you learned from this study, and how will you put it into practice today?