FEATURE
Blessed are the
PEACEMAK
BY DR WILLIAM WAN
P
EACE IS A FUNDAMENTAL TENET of the Christian faith. Paul the Apostle reminds the early Church,“ For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”( Rom. 14:17).
There are two aspects of peace. Firstly, the individual inner peace which we have with God personally. This is what Jesus promised.“ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”( John 14:27). This is the peace of having been reconciled to God through the completed work of Christ on the cross. It is a sense of knowing that our sins are forgiven and we are accepted into the Kingdom of God.
The other aspect is the peace we mediate to others as peacemakers. Genuine peace always includes right relationships and just treatment of all persons, regardless of race, religion, language and gender. It is nondiscriminatory. This is what the Hebraic idea of shalom conveys – the wholeness in all dimensions of life.
What does all of this mean for us personally? No matter how much we enjoy peace with God and within our own hearts, we are to mediate this peace to others, for we are both peace beneficiaries and peace benefactors. We are, after all, called to be peacemakers.
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, declares,“ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”( Matt. 5:9). There is no doubt that one of the characteristics of a child of God is the fact that he is a peacemaker. The New Testament reinforces these words over and over again. The Apostle Paul’ s letters include such injunctions,“ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification”( Rom. 14:19). And again,“ Bind yourselves together with peace”( Eph. 4:3). The writer to the Hebrews exhorts,“ Try to live in peace with everyone”( Heb. 12:14).
These passages set peacemaking within the context of Christian community. We seek to live in peace as part of our fellowship together. But in reality, the Christian community is fragile and often plagued with petty quarrels and divisiveness. It is not, however, a modern challenge. Paul had to deal with that in the early church. Writing to the Church in Ephesus, he urged the congregation to“ Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’ s faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future”( Eph. 4:2-4).
The way to peacemaking is laid out for us. First, have the right attitude –“ Be humble and gentle”( Eph. 4:2). This addresses the way we see ourselves. Don’ t be conceited, thinking too highly of yourself. If we can“ consider others better than yourself”( Phil. 2:3), our approach to others who do not agree with us will reflect a willingness to listen and learn from others.
In my work, I have had detractors on the internet. Though I ignore most because they are frivolous, I do invite those whom I assess to be serious and genuine to meet with me. One of them, after five minutes with me in my office, said,“ I told my wife that if I sense that you are not listening, I will just walk out. But I am staying because you are listening.” Though we ended up agreeing to disagree, we parted as friends sharing the same concern, though disagreeing on the approach.
26 ASIAN BEACON 48 # 1 December 2016- January 2017