The Children of God | Matthew 5:9

The Beatitudes build upon one another as a picture of the Christian life. It begins with poverty of spirit—recognizing sin, need, and helplessness before God, and crying out for the riches of grace given at Christ’s expense. Then comes mourning, where sin, death, and the shortness of life teach the soul to seek comfort from God. Meekness follows as strength brought under the hand of God, power restrained and submitted to the Lord. Then comes hunger and thirst for righteousness, the spiritual appetite that drives growth and receives God’s promise of satisfaction. Mercy flows from having received mercy, and purity of heart marks the ongoing work of God cleansing His people. Now Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” This is not merely a call to avoid conflict, but a call to reflect the mission of the Son. The Father sent the Son to reconcile sinners to Himself, and those who have been reconciled are now given the privilege of serving as ministers of reconciliation. Peacemakers bear the family resemblance of God because they seek what He seeks: peace through truth, forgiveness, righteousness, and restored relationship. Christians should therefore be the most peace-seeking people—not weak, passive, or unwilling to confront evil, but eager for reconciliation wherever righteousness allows it. They should be patient when wronged, slow to anger, quick to forgive, and willing to bear long with the sins and failures of others. This should be seen in the home, the church, the workplace, the neighborhood, and the community. The forgiven should become forgiving, and the reconciled should become reconcilers. This also means Christians should be a sobering voice in the world, especially when nations rush toward war. The civil magistrate does bear the sword to punish evil and protect the innocent, but because men are sinful and power corrupts, Christians should be slow to embrace war and careful to ask whether it is just. There are always people who profit from bloodshed, power, weapons, and conflict, and God’s people should not be easily manipulated by fear or propaganda. A peace-loving people should pray for nations, missions, neighbors, rulers, enemies, and the spread of the gospel. Peacemaking, then, is part of the identity of God’s children. Those who belong to the Son are called to reflect the Son’s reconciling work. They seek peace without compromising righteousness, pursue reconciliation without ignoring truth, and labor for harmony because they have first been brought near to God through Christ. Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith