How To Enjoy Inner Peace And Pour Oil In Troubled Waters
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9).
We have dealt at some length on the reasons that have led us to conclude that the peacemakers referred to in our text are those who beseech sinners to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20), because most of the commentators are very unsatisfactory in their expositions. They see in this Beatitude nothing more than a blessing pronounced by Christ on those who endeavor to promote unity, to heal breaches, and to restore those who are estranged. While we fully agree that this is a most blessed exercise, and that the Christian is, by virtue of his being indwelt by Christ, a lover of peace and concord, yet we do not believe that this is what our Lord had in mind here.
The believer in Christ knows that there is no peace for the wicked.
Therefore, he earnestly desires that they should acquaint themselves with God and be at peace (Job 22:21). Believers know that peace with God is only through our Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:19,20). For this reason we speak of Him to our fellow men as the Holy Spirit leads us to do so. Our feet are shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15); thus we are equipped to testify to others concerning the grace of God. Of us it is said, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:15).
All such are pronounced blessed by our Lord. They cannot but be blessed.
Next to the enjoyment of peace in our own souls must be our delight in bringing others also (by Gods grace) to enter into this peace. In its wider application, this word of Christ may also refer to that spirit in His followers that delights to pour oil upon the troubled waters, that aims to right wrongs, that seeks to restore kindly relations by dealing with and removing difficulties and by neutralizing and silencing acrimonies. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
The word called here seems to mean acknowledged as. God shall own them as His own children.
He is the God of peace (Hebrews 13:20). His great object, in the wonderful scheme of redemption, is to gather together in one all things in Christ, whether they be things in heaven, or things on earth (Ephesians 1:10). And all those who, under the influence of Christian truth, are peacemakers show that they are animated with the same principle of action as God, and as obedient children [1 Peter 1:14] are cooperating with Him in His benevolent design (Dr. John Brown).
The world may despise them as fanatics, professors of religion may regard them as narrow-minded sectarians, and their relatives may look upon them as fools. But the great God owns them as His children even now, distinguishing them by tokens of His peculiar regard and causing His Spirit within them to witness to them that they are sons of God. But in the Day to come, He will publicly avow His relationship to them in the presence of an assembled universe. However humble their present situation in life may be, however despised and misrepresented by their fellow men, they shall yet shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43).
Then shall transpire the glorious and long-awaited manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19).
We have dealt at some length on the reasons that have led us to conclude that the peacemakers referred to in our text are those who beseech sinners to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20), because most of the commentators are very unsatisfactory in their expositions. They see in this Beatitude nothing more than a blessing pronounced by Christ on those who endeavor to promote unity, to heal breaches, and to restore those who are estranged. While we fully agree that this is a most blessed exercise, and that the Christian is, by virtue of his being indwelt by Christ, a lover of peace and concord, yet we do not believe that this is what our Lord had in mind here.
The believer in Christ knows that there is no peace for the wicked.
Therefore, he earnestly desires that they should acquaint themselves with God and be at peace (Job 22:21). Believers know that peace with God is only through our Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:19,20). For this reason we speak of Him to our fellow men as the Holy Spirit leads us to do so. Our feet are shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15); thus we are equipped to testify to others concerning the grace of God. Of us it is said, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:15).
All such are pronounced blessed by our Lord. They cannot but be blessed.
Next to the enjoyment of peace in our own souls must be our delight in bringing others also (by Gods grace) to enter into this peace. In its wider application, this word of Christ may also refer to that spirit in His followers that delights to pour oil upon the troubled waters, that aims to right wrongs, that seeks to restore kindly relations by dealing with and removing difficulties and by neutralizing and silencing acrimonies. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
The word called here seems to mean acknowledged as. God shall own them as His own children.
He is the God of peace (Hebrews 13:20). His great object, in the wonderful scheme of redemption, is to gather together in one all things in Christ, whether they be things in heaven, or things on earth (Ephesians 1:10). And all those who, under the influence of Christian truth, are peacemakers show that they are animated with the same principle of action as God, and as obedient children [1 Peter 1:14] are cooperating with Him in His benevolent design (Dr. John Brown).
The world may despise them as fanatics, professors of religion may regard them as narrow-minded sectarians, and their relatives may look upon them as fools. But the great God owns them as His children even now, distinguishing them by tokens of His peculiar regard and causing His Spirit within them to witness to them that they are sons of God. But in the Day to come, He will publicly avow His relationship to them in the presence of an assembled universe. However humble their present situation in life may be, however despised and misrepresented by their fellow men, they shall yet shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43).
Then shall transpire the glorious and long-awaited manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19).
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