(Part
7 of a series of 9 articles on the Beatitudes)
by
Pastor Paul Wolff
Jesus
said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called
sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
Chapters
What is Peace?
What is not peace?
God Loves Peace
Does God always want peace?
Who are Not Peacemakers?
Who are Sons of God?
The Benefits of being “Sons of God”
Who are not Sons of God?
Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God who Adopts us into God’s family
Blessed are the Peacemakers
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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9
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These
are dark days for those who love peace. As I publish this essay it is
late Summer 2025. Though God’s people (and possibly some
others) are encouraged and heartened to see law enforcement finally
doing what they are supposed to do, and corruption being exposed
(though still only with the distant hope of prosecution), yet there
are public riots against those enforcing laws who are trying to
protect law-abiding citizens, and now we saw the assassination of a
moderate public figure who only sought to encourage civil dialog and
bring people around to a rational point of view. Furthermore, we see
public figures (including celebrities, Marxist influenced media
figures, and even elected public officials) vilifying the peacemakers
as “violent Nazis” while at the same time praising assassins as
if they were heroes. This is happening in the United States, and in
many other places throughout the world, too. This may be part of the
healing process which has to happen to bring back civilization and
lasting peace to our society, but it is a messy, ugly thing, and
disheartening for those who love peace.
When
the inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel, died in 1896, his will
stipulated that his estate would be held in trust and that every year
a portion would be given in five areas of intellectual achievement.
The prize which usually receives the most attention is the Peace
Prize, which was thought to be the most prestigious of the Nobel
prizes for about a hundred years. Though, in recent years the
blatantly political nature of the awarding of the Peace Prize (even
without the recipient having done anything to encourage, or promote
peace) has greatly diminished the prestige of the Prize (to the point
of ridicule and disdain), yet the idea of rewarding people for
promoting peace is a positive goal, and should be encouraged –
wherever peacemaking is actually happening.
I
have come to cherish real-life stories of peacemaking, cooperation,
reconciliation and the like, because such events are a beautiful
thing, and because they are so rare in the world. So much of the
world seeks only to destroy, corrupt, tear down and otherwise cause
chaos, that making peace is such a rare and beautiful thing. It is
much easier to destroy than to build, and our sinful nature prefers
chaos and destruction over peace. Also, as a Christian, I treasure
peace over conflict because the Holy Scriptures show that God,
Himself, greatly favors peace over conflict.
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Isaiah proclaimed, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”- Isaiah 52:7
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This
seventh Beatitude is somewhat different than the ones which preceded
it because being a peacemaker does not always have a negative
connotation. Yet, the world says that if you choose one side in a
conflict then you will have one enemy (the opposite party in the
conflict), but if you try to be a peacemaker, and seek to reconcile
both sides, then you will have two enemies! Though, peacemakers are
not despised by all people. Most people appreciate peace, and those
who are able to resolve conflict and make peace are admired and
blessed by those who benefit from peace.
We
can see that God loves peace when we observe that the word “peace”
is one of the most common words in the Bible, and it is always spoken
of in a positive way, and its opposites are disparaged forbidden, or
condemned. The name of the city that King David chose for his capital
city, Jerusalem, has something to do with peace. The “-salem” in
the name comes from the same root as the Hebrew word, “shalom,”
meaning “peace.” The Biblical writers in ancient times pointed
out the irony of this when Jerusalem was in conflict, or when
conflict was foretold for the wicked inhabitants of Jerusalem.
In
this Beatitude, Jesus says, “Blessed are the
peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.” Here
Jesus is emphasizing just what the prophet Isaiah proclaimed when he
prophesied in Isaiah
52:7 “How
beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”
The peacemakers here are those who proclaim God’s Word to His
people (like pastors and
teachers).
The
ultimate good news is that we have peace with God through the
forgiveness of our sins, which the Messiah would later win through
the sacrifice of His life on the cross. Yet, for the Old Testament
believers, they only had the foreshadowing of this in the Passover
sacrifice of the lamb, and in the Atonement sacrifices which showed
them that God would not punish them for their sins, but as
Abraham told Isaac,
“God
will
provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”
(Genesis
22:8) This
was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The
Messiah is the substitute sacrifice for the sins of the people –
the innocent
who takes the place of the guilty
so that they may be forgiven and live.
God,
for His part, did not have to rescue us from our rebellion and sin.
He set down a good law, and we, instead, all chose to break it and
fall under God’s righteous condemnation. It was only out of God’s
infinite mercy and love that He decided to rescue us from the
punishment we deserved, by becoming incarnate as a man, and offering
His innocent life in return for our guilty lives. That is how much
God loves peace. Jesus
Christ is the ultimate peacemaker because He came to reconcile
mankind with God the Father. Sin makes us enemies of God so when
Jesus took away the guilt of our sin we once again could be brought
back into the family as God’s children through faith in Christ.
What
is Peace?
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The loving father forgave the prodigal son and welcomed him back into the family with great celebration.
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The
Bible doesn’t usually define “peace”. It is most often assumed
that the reader (or hearer) of the Bible knows what peace is. One
place where peace may be defined is in Deuteronomy 11:13-15 where God
tells the people, “If you will indeed obey my commandments
that I command you today, to love the Lord
your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your
soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early
rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your
wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your
livestock, and you shall eat and be full.” God’s commands
are, of course, the recipe for peace, though rebellious sinners fight
against this idea – thereby causing conflict. The peaceful result
of living by God’s commands are a prosperous and successful life
and labor.
More
often in the Scriptures peace is described by its opposite. “Too
long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for
peace, but when I speak, they are for war!” (Psalm 120:6-7)
Here the Psalmist describes war as the opposite of peace. He favors
peace, but his neighbors prefer war. This is a common understanding
of peace and its opposite throughout history, though peace is much
more than simply a lack of war.
In
the New Testament, St. Paul tells us “For (Christ)
himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in
his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” (Ephesians 2:14)
The “hostility” which destroys our peace with God is our
rebellious sinfulness. We cannot make peace ourselves, because once
we are guilty of sin, then we are subject to punishment – and God,
who is holy and righteous, must punish sin. However, Christ has
reconciled us with God by being the obedient Son, thus fulfilling
God’s commands, and by willingly taking the punishment (by
suffering God’s wrath unto death) for our sins, thus fulfilling
God’s justice. Because of Jesus, we are at peace with God through
our faith and trust in Jesus for our forgiveness.
Another
example can be found in the Psalms. “Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem! ‘May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your
walls and security within your towers!’ For my brothers and
companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the
sake of the house of the Lord
our God, I will seek your good.” (Psalm 122:6-9) Here peace
is related to security and safety within the walled city of
Jerusalem. The peace here is not for the sake of the city as an
abstract concept, but for those who live in Jerusalem because there
is where God dwells in the tabernacle or temple (“the
house of the Lord
our God”)
to bring forgiveness to His people. This Psalm begins by saying, “I
was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the
Lord!’”
(v. 1) During the days of Jeremiah the residents of Jerusalem thought
that God would never destroy Jerusalem because His temple was there.
They thought they could do whatever they wanted because God lived
there and would never allow His house to be destroyed. But God would
not allow them to have peace when they disobeyed His commands and
sought false gods which could not save them as He could (and did).
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We have peace with God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. He gives us the blessings of His sacrifice in the Lord’s Supper. (“Mandatum” means “command” and “PAX” means “peace” in Latin)
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St.
Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, “If possible, so far as
it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18)
Here is another example where the definition of peace is assumed, and
living peaceably with all is encouraged among God’s people. This
also notes, “so far as (peace)
depends on you.” Sometimes peacefulness is
beyond our control when others seek conflict, or desire to do things
which necessarily destroy peaceful coexistence. St. Paul also
encourages peacefulness as he closes his second letter to the
Corinthians by saying, “Finally, brothers,
rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one
another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with
you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11) This also emphasizes that peace
is favored by God, who is called “the God of
love and peace.” This is something that is shown in Paul’s
letter to the Galatians, where he writes, “But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
(Galatians 5:22) Here peace and love are among the gifts that God the
Holy Spirit gives to His people.
St.
Paul further gives a recipe for peaceful living when he wrote, “Put
on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate
hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one
another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each
other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And
above all these put on love, which binds everything together in
perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to
which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
(Colossians 3:12-15) Forgiveness is at the heart of living at peace
with God and with our neighbors on earth. With forgiveness comes the
other things such as compassion, kindness, and the other things which
contribute to peaceful living with others. The “peace of
Christ” is the forgiveness which He won for us by His
obedient life and His innocent suffering and death for our benefit.
Because Jesus took the punishment for our sins (death), God’s wrath
over our sins has been poured out on Jesus so that none remains, and
we can be at peace with God through faith in Christ Jesus. If we are
at peace with God, then we can truly be at peace, even if the whole
world stands against us.
We
also see encouragement of peace in the New Testament letter to the
Hebrews which says, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for
the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
(Hebrews 12:14) Here peace and holiness are connected, though we must
remember that true holiness cannot be achieved by sinners, but though
we may strive to be holy, we can only achieve it if God sanctifies us
and remakes us as holy people. He promises to do this, but until it
is fulfilled, we must live by faith, trusting in Jesus for
forgiveness and salvation.
There
is so much more about peace in the Bible that I cannot relate here
without writing a hundred page book, and this article is already long
enough as it is. If you want more information then look for “peace”
in a concordance or use a computer Bible program (or application) and
use the “search” function to see all the ways that the Bible
speaks of peace.
What
is not peace?
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There is a time for peace and a time for war. We should defend our neighbors from murderers and thieves, and God gives the rulers the power of the sword for peace and order, though ultimate vengeance belongs to God.
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Because
we are sinful people living in a sinful world, and sinners recognize
that peace is desired by all, scoundrels who want something other
than peace often pretend to want peace, and they offer a counterfeit
peace. Cessation of hostilities at the point of the sword may seem
like peace, but that
is superficial, and there may still be conflict just below the
surface which can spring forth at any moment. In the same way,
compromise with evil may seem
like wisdom, but it just encourages evil, so, while there may be a
temporary peace, it does not last, and evil destroys
any hope of true peace.
St.
James emphasizes this when he wrote, “You adulterous people!
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an
enemy of God.” (James 4:4) Again, we should remember that
peace with God is found by living according to the Ten Commandments.
Any transgression of God’s commandments will result in conflict
with God and with others here on earth. People think they can
outsmart God, but that is just the arrogance of ignorance. God’s
ways are best for us in all things, and at all times.
There
is a great example of this in a story found in 2 Kings 18-19 (and
also in 2 Chronicles 32 and Isaiah 37). Soon after the Assyrians
conquered the relentlessly idolatrous Kingdom of Israel in the North,
they set their sights on the Kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem. After
they besieged Jerusalem the spokesman (called the “Rabshakeh”)
for the Assyrian King offered a solution which would not result in
the death of many those who were besieged. He promised to take them
to a land where they would have “peace” and plenty of food.
Though he did not say it plainly, it was understood clearly that they
would be taken there in bondage and live there as slaves, but it was
otherwise a good faith offer of life instead of death in a besieged
city or in a bloody battle against the most powerful nation in the
world at the time. The spokesman for the Assyrian king was trying to
tempt the people of Judah to make peace with him, rather than
trusting in God to save them. He even boldly stated that their God
could not save them. This was a great temptation because the
Assyrians had already conquered many kingdoms including Israel, and
was quite confident that Judah would be no great obstacle to him,
too. Yet, God sent His prophet to the King of Judah telling him not
to seek the worldly peace offered by the King of Assyria, but to
trust in God to protect them and deliver them. God said He would
protect Judah from the Assyrians, and the faithful people of Judah
trusted in God (where Israel had not), and God delivered them from
the might of the Assyrian army. God rescued Jerusalem and Judah by
sending an angel into the camp of the Assyrian army at night who
struck down 185,000 soldiers. Then the King of Assyria went back to
Nineveh where two of his sons attacked him and killed him. This story
shows that compromise with the world is not the way of true peace,
but faithfulness to God is where true peace (and rescue from our
enemies) may be found.
God
does not make peace with sinners in the way that the world wants to
make peace. God cannot ignore sin and evil. God cannot just turn a
blind eye to sin and accept it as if it were not something deserving
condemnation. God has to punish sin, and there is no peace with God
as long as sin gets in the way. Our problem is that God has to punish
us for our sin, and that punishment would destroy us. However, in His
great wisdom and mercy, God found a way to satisfy His justice and
make peace with us without destroying every last one of us.
God’s
solution was to become incarnate as one of us. He was miraculously
conceived and born of a sinful woman, yet without the inherited sin
which plagues us all. He then lived a perfect life of obedience to
God, the Father, and perfect love and service to His neighbors. In
doing this, Jesus fulfilled God’s Law perfectly in our place, then
He offered His life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Jesus gave
His life in exchange for your life, and He took the punishment which
you deserved for your sins. God, the Father, accepted Jesus as a
substitute for your life, and you were set free from your sins, and
from all punishment. Your salvation became a gift through faith.
God
Loves Peace
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The dove with the olive branch returning to Noah is a sign of peace, and the rainbow is a sign of God’s mercy for sinners.
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If
you are
familiar with the story of Noah in Genesis 6-9, you might
not think that God sending the worldwide flood to kill nearly all
people on earth would show that God is a God of peace, but He uses
this as an example much later in history when He tells the prophet,
Isaiah, “‘This
is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be
angry with you, and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from
you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the Lord,
who has compassion on you.”
(Isaiah
54:9-10) God’s
covenant with Noah was a “covenant of peace” that He would not
again destroy
all people on earth as He did in the flood, despite mankind’s
continual wickedness. This
does not mean that God approves of sin, or doesn’t care about it.
It only means that He will withhold punishment for sin until the
proper time, which gives sinners time to repent and turn to Jesus in
faith for the forgiveness of their sins, so that they may be spared
from the punishment. Isaiah
was to call Judah to repentance so that they would not incur God’s
wrath and have to endure His discipline.
Jesus
not only lived a peaceful life (for His part), but He was very
concerned about peace for the sake of the people He loved. St. Luke
tells us, “And
when (Jesus) drew near and saw the city (Jerusalem), he
wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this
day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your
eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up
a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side
and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you.
And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you
did not know the time of your visitation.’”
(Luke
19:41-44) Jesus
wept over Jerusalem because they had chosen the way of the world
instead God’s way. He was not weeping for Himself, because He knew
that one way or another He would have to die to pay for the sins of
the world so that all who believe in Him will be saved. Jesus was
weeping here because He could foresee that many would reject Him and
His salvation, and be lost in the judgment – first, the unbelieving
Jews in the destruction of Jerusalem forty years later, and
ultimately, all unbelievers in the final judgment on the last day.
The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was to bring reconciliation and
peace between God and men, and all who believe in Jesus as their
savior receive full forgiveness and peace with God, but all who
reject Jesus have rejected God, and His salvation.
Does
God always want peace?
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Jesus lived at peace with all people, young or old, rich or poor, powerful or weak, friends or enemies. And He died to save all, if they would have His salvation.
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There
are the rare cases when God’s great patience has reached its end,
and the time for peace is past. The prophet Jeremiah tells us what
God told Him concerning the people of Judah in the days preceding the
Babylonian conquest and captivity,
“For thus says the Lord:
Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for
them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast
love and mercy, declares the Lord.”
(Jeremiah
16:5) In
this case, God resolved
to take peace away from those who should be God’s people, but have
turned away from Him to do
evil. God
had sent several prophets to call His people to repent of their sins,
but time after time the people rejected them and continued in their
sin and idol worship. God was patient for a long time, but the time
came when God’s patience ran out, and He disciplined His people
harshly for their disobedience.
God can let conflict and violence reign for a time to show
disobedient people the consequences of their sin. The purpose of this
is always that they would repent and return to God so that He may
bless them and heal their wounds. Although, those whose hearts are
set on evil will despise God for this, blaming Him for what they have
brought on themselves.
Some
critics of Christianity have claimed that Jesus advocated violence
when He taught: “Do not think that I have come to
bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a
sword.” (Matthew 10:34)
Yet, here Jesus was speaking of Spiritual strife which would come
from unbelievers (see my next article on the eighth Beatitude where
Jesus blesses those who are persecuted). Jesus explains this when He
tells how members of a Christian’s family will become their enemies
(Matthew 10:35-36). You
should note that the Christian doesn’t become the enemy of his
family members, but the family members become our enemies.
We also see that Jesus
discourages violence on the night when He is arrested when Peter
draws a sword and cuts off the ear of the High Priest’s servant.
Jesus rebukes Peter saying, “Put your sword back in
its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”
(Matthew 26:52) Then Jesus restores the wounded man’s
ear and heals
him completely (see Luke 22:51).
Who
are Not Peacemakers?
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Christ’s disciple Judas turned away from Jesus when his salvation was nearly accomplished, but he despaired and lost his forgiveness, peace, and salvation.
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Although
the concept of peace is often defined by its opposite in the Bible,
peacemakers are not so much defined by their opposite, but they are
strongly contrasted. God has the prophet Isaiah proclaim, “‘There
is no peace for the wicked,’ says the Lord.”
(Isaiah
48:22)
This follows from what we saw above where peace is defined by God’s
commandments. Those who break God’s commandments are wicked, and
their sin results in conflict and
violence instead
of peace.
Solomon
observed, “A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with
crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points
with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually
sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a
moment he will be broken beyond healing.” (Proverbs
6:12-15) Though King Solomon lived about three thousand years ago,
His wisdom remains true for all to see it today. Those who are wicked
destroy peace by their plots to do evil, and end up “sowing
discord” rather than making peace.
King
Solomon also gives many proverbs warning against those who promote
wickedness instead of peace. Here are a few examples (a quick search
will find many more). “The mouth of the righteous is a
fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”
(Proverbs 10:11) “The words of the wicked lie in wait for
blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them.”
(Proverbs 12:6) “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do
not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away
from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done
wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone
stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of
violence.” (Proverbs 4:14-17) “The violence of the
wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just.”
(Proverbs 21:7) “The soul of the wicked desires evil; his
neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.” (Proverbs 21:10)
Solomon
also observes, “The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to
pervert the ways of justice.” (Proverbs 17:23) The result
of this is discord and strife because it is not right. Where there is
justice people can live in peace, but where there is injustice, then
no one can feel safe. This is likely why in recent years there has
been much talk about injustice, but there is much confusion, because
what is called “justice” is, in truth, “injustice” and what
is falsely called “injustice” is often exactly what is good,
right, and just. Equality of opportunity is just and right
because everyone has a fair chance to succeed and thrive – even
when some may fail in their attempts, but an enforced equality of
outcome is unjust because not everyone can succeed at the same
thing equally well because of different talents, interests, skills,
knowledge, etc. Some endeavors take experience to be mastered, and
that takes work. No one should expect equality of outcome for such
endeavors. Some will fail, but that is a part of life. Some who fail
today will succeed and thrive tomorrow. Others will seek other
endeavors which better suit their talents, and they may thrive at
those.
The
Psalmist in Psalm 27 (possibly David) prays that God would not only
protect him from his enemies, but also to teach him God’s way so
that he does not become like one of them. He prays, “Teach me
your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to
the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against
me, and they breathe out violence.” (Psalm 27:11-12) Here
the false witnesses “breathe out violence.” This is not to say
that words are the same as violence (as some say in these wicked days
in the 21st century), but if false witnesses are believed
then it could result in the death of innocent men. A good example of
this is the story of King Ahab and Naboth in 1 Kings 21. Queen
Jezebel hired false witnesses to speak against Naboth, and he was
killed because of their testimony, and Ahab took possession of
Naboth’s family vineyard, which Naboth would not sell to the King.
Naboth was not a violent man, nor was he a threat to the King in any
way, nor did he do anything wrong against the King, but the false
testimony led to the killing of an innocent man.
Likewise,
again, in the days of Jeremiah, the prophet proclaims God’s anger
over false preachers. God says, “‘For from the least to the
greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from
prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound
of my people lightly, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no
peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they
were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore
they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them,
they shall be overthrown,’ says the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 6:13-15) Here, God is lamenting the fact that the false
prophets are proclaiming peace, when God has called for repentance
and, not seeing repentance, has decreed punishment and destruction.
The false teaching has made the people secure in their sins, and has
angered God to the point that He has His mind set on destruction
instead of peace. God is patient, but there comes a time when He uses
the Law to discipline sinners who mistake His patience for approval
of their wicked deeds. What God means when He says, “They
have healed the wound of my people lightly”
is that the false prophets have not gotten to the cause of the
problem (and
removed it)
so as to bring complete healing. The
problem is sin. The treatment is contrition and repentance, and the
healing comes through God’s mercy by the forgiveness of sins.
The
false prophets have
given the people the equivalent to a “placebo” which makes them
feel better for a short time, while the cancer of
sin and idolatry
is still eating away at them, and
causing God’s anger to burn against them, until He finally has had
enough, and sent the Babylonians to conquer Judah, destroy Jerusalem,
and take the few thousand survivors as captive slaves to Babylon.
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Jesus taught Nicodemus how God the Holy Spirit gives us a new birth as God’s children, so that we may live at peace forever with God.
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Who
are Sons of God?
The
blessing that Jesus promises in the seventh Beatitude is that the
peacemakers are blessed to be called “sons of God.” Later in the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “I say to
you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that
you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun
rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on
the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you
have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew
5:44-46) Those who love their enemies and pray for their persecutors
truly are peacemakers. They are not only called “sons of God” but
by doing exactly as God would do (and as Jesus did throughout His
life) they are truly children of their heavenly Father. We should not
make too much of the idea of “sons” over and against “daughters”
here. This does not disparage or diminish women in any way. This has
to do with the greater share of the inheritance going to the
firstborn son. Jesus never said that the heavenly reward was any less
for women, and several times praises the faithfulness and good works
of some of the women He met. Likewise, the Apostles also praise
faithful Christian women throughout the Acts of the Apostles, and the
Epistles in the New Testament.
We
can consider ourselves God’s children because when Jesus teaches
His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9 He tells them, “Pray then like
this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…’”
If Jesus says that we can call upon God as “our father” then we
truly are God’s children.
In
Christ’s dialog with Nicodemus in John 3:3-8 Jesus teaches how we
can be reborn as God’s children by the power of God the Holy Spirit
working through Holy Baptism:
Jesus
answered [Nicodemus], “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus
said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a
second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus
answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water
and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do
not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone
who is born of the Spirit.”
Here,
Jesus shows how we come to be God’s beloved children. It is God the
Holy Spirit who gives us a new birth through the water of Baptism by
the power of His Word. Since we are reborn by the power of God in
this way, then we are truly God’s children.
St.
Paul explained how we become children of God when he wrote to the
Christians in Ephesus “In love (God the Father)
predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according
to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with
which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians
1:4-5) This
“adoption” comes through faith in Jesus Christ. We need to be
“adopted” because our sin has separated us from God’s family,
and we need Christ’s forgiveness to bring us back into the family.
You should also note that these verses are yet another example of
Holy Scripture noting that God’s “predestination” only works
one way. God predestines us for salvation. Never does God predestine
anyone for condemnation. If anyone is condemned, then that is because
they have rejected God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. This doesn’t
satisfy people’s desire for rationalism, but it is consistent
throughout the Holy Scriptures. This
doctrine also points us to Christ’s work to redeem us and adopt us
as God’s children. This, too, is consistent with Christ’s
teaching in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
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Jesus Christ is the word of God made flesh for us and for our salvation.
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There
is an interesting little passage in Psalm 82 where God gives His
people this message, “I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the
Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall
like any prince.’”
(Psalm
82:6-7) Jesus
quotes this Psalm in answer
to accusations that He is blaspheming when He said,
“I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up
stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you
many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to
stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that
we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a
man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written
in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to
whom the word of God came – and Scripture cannot be broken – do
you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world,
‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”
(John 10:30-36) In
this encounter with His rivals, Jesus points out the contradiction in
the accusations against Him. He told them He was the Son of God, and
they took offense at this, but Jesus pointed out that in Psalm 82 God
called all His people “sons of the Most High” and even called
them “gods” to their neighbors. This
encounter also shows Jesus telling us that “Scripture cannot be
broken” and we must receive Holy Scripture as God’s Word, lest we
remove ourselves from God’s family.
Jesus
also taught, “Love your enemies,
and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward
will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind
to the ungrateful and the evil.” (Luke 6:35) Jesus again
shows us that we should love our neighbors in a particular way,
because God loves our neighbors, and us, and God is “kind to the
ungrateful and the evil.” God is kind to the wicked, not because
they are not wicked, nor because God is evil, but because God loves
us all and sent Jesus to redeem all of us from our sin. As God’s
children, then, we ought to reflect God’s love in all we do, as God
told His people in the days of Moses, “You shall be holy, for
I the Lord
your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2) This is not to say that
we can achieve holiness ourselves as sinners, but when we find that
we cannot be holy as we ought, then we should repent and trust in
God’s mercy through Jesus to forgive our sins and to restore us by
His grace. We trust that, although we are not holy, that because God
considers us His children, He will make us holy when the time is
right (on the day of Resurrection).
In
response to a hypothetical question which the Sadducees asked Jesus
about how earthly marriage might affect our status in the
Resurrection, He said to them, “The sons of this age marry
and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to
attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither
marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because
they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the
resurrection.”
(Luke
20:34-36)
In this response, Jesus says that we are “sons of God” because of
the resurrection. Since all who believe in Jesus will rise in glory
through the forgiveness we have in Christ, then we are “sons of
God” who share in Christ’s glory by the gift of His grace
(forgiveness). St.
Paul also teaches this in Galatians
3:26 “For in Christ
Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
St.
Paul also encourages Christians to:
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved
children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up
for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
(Ephesians
5:1-2)
It
is true that it isn’t all fun and games as God’s children. The
New Testament letter to the Hebrews reminds us of this.
“And
have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My
son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary
when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and
chastises every son whom he receives.”
“It
is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as
sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If
you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then
you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had
earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we
not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they
disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he
disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the
moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later
it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been
trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:5-11)
Though
we are God’s children who can expect eternal rewards (see below),
yet, God disciplines us and tests us to keep us on the “straight
and narrow path” and also to keep us from loving sin too much and
falling to our destruction by rejecting Jesus as our Savior.
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Sin brought judgment on people on the earth but God is merciful and has redeemed us through Jesus Christ and will bring us to His heavenly city.
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All that we have seen in this section also shows the answer to a long debated discussion about the meaning of “sons of God” in Genesis 6. Moses wrote: “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.’ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:1-5) There have been some (literally) unbelievable theories about this passage, such as angels or demons impregnating women. However the simple (and best) answer has always been that the “sons of God” are the faithful, believing descendants of Seth, and what happened was that they took wives from Cain’s descendants because they were beautiful, but eventually were led away from faith in God. Their increasing wickedness led to unbelief and violence – as it so often does. When people keep God’s word then they remain as His children, but when they turn away from God’s word then they are no longer considered God’s people. We even see this among the Israelites in the Old Testament. When they refused to repent and turn back to God, He sent Assyria to destroy them, and they are no more. God would have destroyed Judah also for their idolatry and disobedience, but He spared a small remnant to keep His promise to send the Messiah from among their people.
The
Benefits of being “Sons of God”
The
benefit of being “Sons of God” is the inheritance. Inheritance is
given to the sons, and that is what the Holy Scriptures say will come
to all who are God’s children through faith in Jesus. Jesus said to
the Jews who had believed him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not
remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son
sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36)
Jesus has set us free from our sin and the punishment which is due to
us because of our sin, and He has done this so that we may be
reconciled with God and brought back into God’s family and share in
the inheritance. In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus
tells what will happen on Judgment day when He greets His faithful
brothers and sisters, and says, “Then the King will say to
those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world.” (Matthew 25:34)
St.
Matthew relates a funny little incident between Jesus and Peter
concerning the paying of taxes. “When they came to Capernaum,
the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said,
‘Does your teacher not pay the tax?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And when
he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ‘What do
you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax?
From their sons or from others?’ And when he said, ‘From others,’
Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are free. However, not to give
offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first
fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a
shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”
(Matthew 17:24-27) Jesus again affirms the “sonship” of
believers, but also shows that we ought to be good citizens on earth
and pay our taxes “so as not to give offense.” Christians also do
this in love to serve our neighbors as Christ has served us.
Jesus
also tells us, “Love your
enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your
reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he
is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” (Luke 6:35) Here
we see again that we don’t do good to get the reward, but we do
good because God has already promised us His reward and we want to
please our gracious God and show His generosity to others, including
our enemies – hoping that they will not be our enemies, but will
repent and receive Christ’s forgiveness and salvation, and become
our brothers and sisters. The assuredness of the reward can be seen
in Matthew 20 in Christ’s Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.
There all the workers receive the same reward whether they worked the
whole day or whether they only worked one hour. All who work for God
are His children and receive their reward as an inheritance, not as
payment for services rendered. We don’t work to get a reward. We
have the reward because Jesus won it for us through His death on the
cross. We work out of gratitude for the gracious generosity of God
our Savior.
Who
are not Sons of God?
Jesus
tells us that not all will enter into God’s Kingdom as His beloved
children. Those who reject God’s salvation in Jesus will not
receive what God freely offers them. Jesus said to those who refused
to believe in Him, “Thus you witness against yourselves that
you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.” (Matthew
23:31) The Pharisees thought they were better than Jesus (and thus,
better than God), and that was the same thinking that caused the
unbelieving Israelites in the Old Testament to persecute and kill
God’s prophets who came to set them on the right path of salvation.
Even today, it is not enough for self-righteous people to denounce
those who call them to true repentance, but they are compelled to
violence and murder against those who would do them no greater harm
than to show them that they are not as righteous as they would like
others to believe.
Another
time, Jesus responded to the insults that the Pharisees threw His
way, saying, “And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom
do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.”
(Matthew 12:27) I am unsure exactly how to read this, but there are
only a couple of options. Either the Pharisees (likely those who were
priests) did cast out demons, as was proper, then they were
judging Jesus by a different standard. Or they did not
cast out demons, when they should have, and let the people suffer at
the control of demons which was worse by far, and they just had the
self-righteous nerve to condemn Jesus for rescuing people from
demonic torment. Both of these ways of reading this show that the
Pharisees were not acting as “sons of God” but were working
against God, despite attempts to appear holy and righteous in the
sight of the people.
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Christ has conquered death, and has brought life and salvation to all who believe in Him.
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Jesus
is clear that the “Universalists” are false teachers, and not all
will be saved. “Someone
said to (Jesus), “Lord, will those who
are saved be few?” And he said to them, “Strive to enter through
the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will
not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the
door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door,
saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not
know where you come from.’ ” (Luke 13:23-25) When John’s
Gospel tells us about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, Jesus says, “I
am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.”
(John 10:14) When Jesus says He does not know the unbelievers, it
isn’t because of any lack of knowledge on His part. He doesn’t
know them because they have rejected Him and have removed themselves
from His family and from any share in His reward. All who belong to
God through faith in Jesus are known by Him and will not fail to
receive even the least reward of God’s children in His heavenly
Kingdom. Matthew’s Gospel relates much the same thing. Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter
the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who
is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do
many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them,
‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
(Matthew 7:21-23)
Jesus
is the Only Begotten Son of God who Adopts us into God’s family
As
I mentioned above, our status as “sons of God” comes through our
adoption into God’s family through faith in Jesus. Properly
speaking, Jesus is the “Only Begotten Son of God” as He taught
Nicodemus in John 3. Yet, because Jesus has paid the price for our
sins through His innocent suffering and death on the cross, God the
Holy Spirit gives us a new birth as God’s children through the
miracle of Holy Baptism and the gift of faith in Jesus. Because God
has made us His children, He gives us the inheritance of sons that we
may share in His eternal gifts and give Him the praise and glory and
thanks which He so richly deserves.
Blessed
are the Peacemakers
If
you are looking for peace in this world, you will not find it – not
lasting peace. Only Jesus can give lasting peace which will endure
forever, but none
of us will see it completely fulfilled in
this life, only in the life to come. However, we can have peace, even
here and now, trusting that we have peace with God, the Father,
through Jesus Christ His Son, our savior. Even while the world tempts
us, derides us, even persecutes us, we have peace through faith in
Jesus Christ our savior. Christ
Jesus is your peace, and your salvation. Call upon the Lord for
forgiveness,
healing, comfort, and in all need.
He will hear your voice. He has already won the battle, and has
promised you the blessings of His victory. We still suffer here for a
little while, but the victory has been won. “Trust
in the Lord
with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
Other articles in this series:
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Blessed are Those who Mourn, For They Will be Comforted
Blessed are the Meek, for They Shall Inherit the Earth
Blessed are those who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness, for They Shall be Satisfied
Blessed are the Merciful, for They Shall Receive Mercy
Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for They Shall See God
Coming soon:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.