Mat. 5:9 ... "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called 'sons of God'."
In other articles in this series, we have seen that Jesus is the only model for best character, for the word "character" is used only one time in the New Testament, and then it is applied to Jesus, (Heb. 1:3). In this article, the emphasis is upon peace as an essential of true character, for it is exmplified in Christ. We are told in Isa. 9:6 that He is the Prince of Peace. His great work on earth was to establish peace between man and God, as well as peace between man and his fellow man. He taught His disciples to be peacemakers. When He sent them out on a tour of Galilee to proclaim His gospel, He told them, "What-ever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house'," (Luk. 10:5). In Rom. 12:18, all Christians are instructed, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." If peace cannot be estab-lished between a Christian and someone else, it should not be because the Christian has not gone to the limit in the effort to bring it about. A disciple of Christ must always be open to making peace, being ready and willing to put away tension and suspend the agitation that prevents peace.
There are people with whom it is not possible to achieve peace and maintain it. They are intractible, suspicious of everyone's intentions, and seem to think anyone who approaches them is a threat. This is inplied in the words, "if possible," in Rom. 12:18. This writer once knew a man who attended church each Sunday and thought himself a Christian. But he criticized everyone, found fault with everyone, and was quick to argue with anger. He obviously had a character flaw and was detrimental to the local church's effort to project the spirit of Christ to the surrounding community. The good character of the many was compromised by the irrascible temper of this one person. When someone is of this nature, he is blind to Jesus' model, which features peace.
It is the mission of Christians to persuade people who are not disciples to discover in Jesus the best way of life in this world and the reward of life in heaven in eternity. The effort to persuade is not (speaking metaphorically) by "closing doors, building walls, and burning bridges" in relating to people about you. Such hostile and repulsive action will present a false image of Christ and turn people more completely away from Him and from the salvation of their souls. It is the goal of the genuine Christian to "open doors, dismantle walls, and build bridges" to gain friendly access to people about them. This is the Way of Peace, the Way of Christ, and a large part of the essense of good character.
