Matt 5:1–12 — The Dynamics of Kingdom Righteousness: Beatitude 7

Our Identity in Christ

We come now to the seventh Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).

The Beatitudes introduce the Sermon on the Mount and prepare our hearts for what follows. Jesus will address many aspects of the Christian life and call his disciples to the high standard of God’s holy law. Before describing the righteousness his kingdom requires, however, he encourages us with the blessings we already have in him.

In Matthew 4, Jesus announced, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He then called Simon and Andrew, James and John, to follow him. He invited them into his kingdom of grace and salvation by calling them to himself, for he is its King. Where the King is, there the kingdom is.

They left their boats, nets, and former lives to follow him. Matthew 5 then tells us that Jesus went up the mountain, sat down, and taught the disciples who came to him. The crowds listened in, but his teaching was directed to disciples. Its application extends beyond the apostles to all who repent, enter his kingdom by grace, and commit themselves to following him.

Jesus is teaching us what life in the kingdom looks like. Yet before setting forth its righteous requirements, he begins with declarations of blessing. He is not telling us how to earn entrance into the kingdom. He is describing who we already are as people saved by grace.

We are poor in spirit, and the kingdom belongs to us. We mourn and will be comforted. We are meek and will inherit the earth. We hunger for righteousness, repenting of our sin, and will be satisfied. We are merciful and receive mercy. We have pure hearts and will see God.

Likewise, to be a Christian is to be a peacemaker. This is our identity in Christ. Because he has made peace for us through his cross, we are to live out that peace in our relationships within his body.

We will consider the paradigm of peace, the pursuit of peace, and the people of peace.

The Paradigm of Peace

God himself is our model and standard. He is the great peacemaker.

Reflecting Our Father’s Character

Where does this appear in the Beatitude? The first half speaks of disciples as peacemakers; the second says that they will be called “sons of God.” That language implies likeness to God.

Jesus develops this connection later in Matthew 5:43–45:

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But 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.

God shows kindness even to those who reject him. He blesses the unrighteous with sunshine and rain. His children should reflect that character.

Here, being “sons of your Father” does not primarily refer to adoption in the full theological sense developed in Paul’s letters, though that may be a secondary implication. Jesus uses a familiar biblical way of speaking in which a son resembles his father.

Even the angels are called sons of God. They are not sons in the unique sense in which the second person of the Trinity is the Son of God. They bear a Godlike quality, reflecting his image, glory, light, and holiness.

Likewise, peacemakers are called sons of God because they reflect his character. Read alongside verse 45, the Beatitude points us to God as the first and greatest peacemaker.

A Just Peace through the Cross

God took the initiative toward lost and fallen humanity. He did so not only through common-grace gifts such as sunshine and rain, but supremely through the saving work of his Son.

Colossians 1:19–20 says:

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

“Making peace” is the same central idea we find in the Beatitude. God’s supreme act of peacemaking was to send his Son to die in our place. While we were still sinners, he showed his love by giving Christ for us.

We must begin here before applying the call to ourselves. God’s initiative is the foundation for ours. Before we ask how to resolve a disagreement within the church, we must consider how he has dealt with us through his Son. Otherwise, we may misunderstand peace as something to pursue at any cost.

In personal relationships and politics alike, people sometimes achieve a false peace by compromising truth, lowering standards, or making concessions that should not be made. Such peace is not grounded in righteousness and justice.

God’s peace is different. He did not simply ignore his wrath against sin or declare that sin no longer mattered. Peace came through Christ’s cross. God dealt with our sins through atonement and satisfied his perfect justice.

The statement that God reconciles “all things” to himself does not teach universal salvation. Paul is clear elsewhere that those who reject Christ face God’s wrath. I understand this reconciliation to include both the elect, brought to saving faith, and those who reject the gospel and are brought under God’s judgment. The latter are reconciled in the sense that their rebellion is subjected to his justice, rather than in the sense of receiving salvation.

The point is that God establishes peace through Christ without compromising righteousness. He does not sweep sin aside. He deals with it. The cross shows us both his determination to reconcile and his refusal to set justice aside. His love for sinners does not mean that their sins are treated as unimportant. The peace he gives is a just peace, accomplished through the atoning work of his Son.

We can therefore be peacemakers only as we live out the peace Christ has accomplished once for all.

Reconciled to God and to One Another

Ephesians 2:11–22 connects reconciliation with God to reconciliation within the church. Paul speaks of Gentiles who were once alienated, strangers to the promises, without hope and without God. Now, in Christ, those who were far off have been brought near by his blood.

Then Paul declares, “He himself is our peace” (v. 14). Christ stands at the meeting point of our relationship with God and our relationships with one another.

He has made Jews and Gentiles one, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility through his flesh. He reconciles both to God in one body through the cross, bringing their ancient hostility to an end. The circumcised and uncircumcised who believe in him now belong to one body.

Verse 16 is the key: Christ reconciles “us both to God in one body.” Our reconciliation to one another follows from our common reconciliation to God. Paul does not treat these as two unrelated kinds of peace. The people brought near to God by Christ’s blood are brought together in the same body. Christ stands at the intersection: the one who reconciles us to the Father also removes the hostility that divided us from one another.

Peace within Christ’s body is possible only through his cross. If we begin with techniques for improving relationships and leave out reconciliation with God, we begin in the wrong place. Our relationships must be founded on Christ himself, who is our peace.

The Pursuit of Peace

God’s children are called to resemble their Father. Because he is the great peacemaker, we must also pursue peace.

Peace within the Community of Disciples

Jesus is speaking primarily about peace within the community of his disciples. We should not turn this Beatitude into a secular political program.

For example, someone might apply it to cooperation between Democrats and Republicans. Greater cooperation may be desirable, but that is not the issue Jesus is addressing here. Others may use it as a program for racial reconciliation. That, too, is good and worth pursuing, but it is not his primary focus in this passage.

Nor is Jesus teaching that all war is inherently evil, that there can be no just war or legitimate self-defense, or that pacifism is the ideal every society must adopt.

We can see his focus in the way he develops his teaching. Matthew 5:23–24 says:

If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Jesus speaks of reconciliation among those who worship God together. This is why it matters that the Sermon on the Mount addresses disciples. The crowds may hear it, but it describes life within the kingdom of grace into which Christ calls his followers.

The seventh Beatitude resembles the fifth, “Blessed are the merciful.” We saw how mercy flows from God to us and then to others. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, a man forgiven ten thousand talents refuses mercy to a fellow servant who owes him a much smaller debt. The master’s question exposes the contradiction: should he not have shown the mercy he had received?

Peacemaking develops a related but distinct thought. Mercy concerns our response when someone sins against us, calling us to forgive the brother who acknowledges his offense and repents. Peacemaking emphasizes active pursuit: reaching out, taking the initiative, and working toward reconciliation. We do not simply wait for something to happen. We seek out the person who has something against us and work at repairing the relationship. The word “peacemakers” itself carries that active emphasis.

Cultivating Peace with Patience

James 3:18 says, “A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” This is another of the relatively few New Testament uses of the language of making peace, alongside Matthew 5:9 and Colossians 1:20.

James frequently echoes Jesus’ teaching, including the Sermon on the Mount. He may be alluding to this Beatitude as he describes the wisdom from above.

His image is agricultural. A farmer prepares the soil, sows seed, waters, removes weeds, and patiently waits for a harvest. Peace requires similar labor and patience. Christians actively cultivate it within the church.

When two people become bitter or unreconciled, it is tempting to abandon the effort at the first sign of difficulty. We decide that the problem is too hard and leave it to fester. How often have we seen that happen? There is a painful disagreement, people struggle to know what to do, and eventually everyone gives up because reconciliation seems to require too much work.

The image of the farmer urges another response. Cultivation takes time. Preparing the ground, sowing, watering, and removing weeds are all part of bringing in the harvest. In the same way, we must keep patiently loving one another and pursuing peace over time. Difficulty does not itself mean that we should stop trying.

This is not passive avoidance of conflict. It is deliberate work undertaken in hope of a harvest of righteousness.

Jesus’ Practical Wisdom for Peacemaking

As I prepared this sermon, I considered what practical pastoral counsel might help. Unreconciled relationships, strife, and difficulties are common in churches. I thought about consulting resources such as Ken Sande’s book The Peacemaker and the ministry associated with it.

Yet we must begin by listening to Jesus. Psychological advice and self-help techniques cannot replace his wisdom. Matthew 18:15–17 gives us direct instruction:

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

We often turn immediately from this passage to the most serious aspects of church discipline and excommunication. The thought of elders becoming involved can make the whole passage seem intimidating. Yet before reaching those final stages, listen to the practical wisdom of our great Teacher. He is speaking to disciples and encouraging them to grow in peacemaking. He gives us a way to approach one another that is truthful, loving, and directed toward restoration.

First, “go” to your brother. Take the initiative. Do not allow hurt and resentment to grow unchecked until reconciliation seems impossible. Jesus calls us to act.

Second, “tell him his fault.” Be straightforward. Speak the truth in love. If something has hurt you, address it honestly instead of allowing it to remain unspoken. Directness need not mean hostility.

Third, speak “between you and him alone.” Make every effort to keep the matter private initially. Perhaps you have misunderstood. Meet face to face, heart to heart, as brother and sister in Christ. Do not begin by exposing the person publicly or posting accusations on social media.

Privacy expresses love. You are seeking understanding and restoration, not an audience. If the matter later requires others’ involvement, that can happen in due course.

Fourth, seek to “gain your brother.” That word identifies the goal. You are not trying to humiliate, shame, or expose someone, but to win back a relationship. Approach the person with goodwill and a sincere desire for reconciliation. The person you address is still your brother or sister. You want fellowship with that person, and that desire should govern the way you speak. Even a necessary confrontation should express the hope of gaining someone back.

Fifth, involve others when necessary. If the first conversation fails, another wise Christian or the elders may be able to help. This need not immediately become a formal disciplinary process. Their involvement can be pastoral and encouraging, helping both people understand one another and pursue peace.

Sixth, establish the truth. Jesus requires evidence from two or three witnesses. This process must not rest on slander, lies, insinuation, hearsay, or gossip. Charges must be factually grounded. A report that someone said something is not enough to justify treating an accusation as established.

Jesus thus gives us a concrete pattern: take the initiative, speak honestly, begin privately, seek your brother’s good, involve help when needed, and insist on truth.

“So Far as It Depends on You”

Paul adds a further principle in Romans 12:18: “So far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

His immediate context includes relationships with outsiders, but the qualification is helpful here as well. Sometimes earnest efforts toward reconciliation do not succeed. The other person may refuse to listen or remain hardened against every approach.

In such cases, we can bring our efforts before the Lord, knowing that we have sought peace as faithfully as we could. I find Paul’s qualification encouraging because it acknowledges what we actually experience. You may take the initiative, speak truthfully and privately, seek help, and sincerely desire reconciliation, yet the other person still refuses. We cannot compel another person to be reconciled.

We can still pray for that person. Praying for someone’s spiritual good may also soften our own hearts. Yet Paul’s words acknowledge the limit of our responsibility: so far as it depends on us, we are to live peaceably.

The People of Peace

What does the whole Beatitude mean for us? As God’s children, we reflect his character. God pursued peace with us by sending his Son; we pursue reconciliation because we resemble our Father.

This opposes our sinful inclinations and the values of the world. Yet Jesus calls us blessed because, in making peace, we live as God’s sons.

Recognized as God’s Children

We do not become God’s children by peacemaking. Notice Jesus’ wording: peacemakers “shall be called sons of God.” They are recognized as those who belong to him.

He uses similar language in Matthew 5:19. Those who relax his commandments and teach others to do so will be called least in the kingdom; those who do and teach them will be called great. The language concerns recognition, the disclosure of what is true through the fruit of a person’s life.

What a blessing, brothers and sisters, to reflect God’s character in this way. As people of peace, we are recognized as resembling our Father. This is all by grace. God first showed mercy and made peace with us through Christ’s blood; only then can we extend that peace within his body.

Peacemaking manifests who we already are in Christ. It reveals the work of grace God has done in our hearts.

Let Christ’s Peace Rule

Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.”

Without the final phrase, we might take this merely as an exhortation to feel peaceful rather than anxious. But “called in one body” makes its corporate application clear. Paul wants Christ’s peace to govern the life of the church.

This is Christ’s peace, not a peace we manufacture independently through our own agendas and efforts.

The word translated “rule” is unusual. It is not simply the ordinary word for exercising authority, as when a king rules over a realm. Its background is the language of athletic competition, where an umpire or judge makes the decisive ruling. The judge determines the result of the contest. Paul’s thought is that Christ’s peace should have that decisive place in our hearts and in the life of the body.

This brings us back to our starting point. If we focus only on resolving disagreements with one another, we may settle for a false peace achieved through improper compromise, lowered standards, or insincere confessions. We must begin with Christ and the peace he has made between us and God.

Let his peace be the umpire. Let it determine how we act as those called into one body. Because Christ has the decisive place in our lives and relationships, we can pursue reconciliation in the right way.

Beginning with Christ

It may sound too simple to say that Christ is the answer, yet that is precisely the point. Many difficulties arise in relationships, theology, and the Christian life when we lose sight of him.

Suppose you are struggling in a relationship with another Christian. Begin by remembering that you are both sinners saved by grace. Jesus is your common Lord and Master, and you belong to his one body. These realities give you compelling reasons to seek reconciliation and help you approach the problem rightly.

A similar principle applies to a theological difficulty: how do we hold together free justification and the call to sanctification? We are accepted before God wholly because of Christ’s perfect work, without any contribution from our own works. Yet we are not free to live as we please on the assumption that grace will cover everything. We are called to holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

How do these truths fit together? They meet in Christ. He paid for our sins through his death, and he also gives us his Spirit to conform us to his image. He justifies us by his finished work and sanctifies us through his continuing ministry as our great High Priest and the giver of the Spirit.

Christ himself is our peace. He is the cornerstone by which the other stones are aligned. If we try to arrange every stone independently, they will not fit together properly. Begin with the cornerstone, and their proper relationship becomes clear.

So it is with peacemaking. Begin with Christ, who has reconciled us to God and made us one body. He leads us in the path of peace and enables us to live as the children of our heavenly Father.