Friday

Related Verses
Matt. 5:9
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

Heb. 12:14
14 Pursue peace with all men and sanctification, without which no one will see the Lord;

Rom. 15:33
33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Rom. 16:20
20 Now the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Col. 3:12-17 (14-15)
12 Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, inward parts of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering;
13 Bearing one another and forgiving one another, if anyone should have a complaint against anyone; even as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive.
14 And over all these things put on love, which is the uniting bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Related Reading
Those who are strict with themselves, merciful to others, and pure toward God are peacemakers. They do not like to offend, hurt, or damage anyone…To be a peacemaker does not mean to be political, [which] is falsehood and hypocrisy. We must be righteously square, not politically round…The New Jerusalem is square, not round…Although we are righteously square, we are still merciful toward others. This enables us to be pure toward God and to see Him. If we are such a person, spontaneously, we will be peacemakers. Instead of fighting with others and hurting them, we will always maintain peace with those with whom we are involved. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 183-184) 

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Those who are peacemakers will be called the sons of God…All the sons of men fight against one another, but the sons of God, like their heavenly Father, are peaceful and always make peace with others. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live in peace with all men.” However, this keeping of peace should not be merely an outward behavior. That is politics…We have a nature that makes us strict with ourselves, merciful with others, and pure with God. Because we have this nature, we spontaneously keep the peace with others…This will cause others to say, “These are truly the sons of God.” (Life-study of Matthew, p. 184) 

The kingdom people do not sow seeds of discord. Instead, the kingdom people are peacemakers; they make peace among men. 

There is no peace in the present age. People everywhere are scheming and struggling against one another; they are backbiting and devouring one another. There is discord in every group and family. There is discord among people, and there is discord within people. There is much self-blame, self-hatred, indignation, discontentment, restlessness, and uneasiness within man’s heart. Within man there is also the battle between reason and lust, and his conscience is full of condemnation. Man wants to do good, but he cannot stop indulging in sin. As a result, man has no peace in himself. Furthermore, there is no peace between man and God. Man has gone astray from God and even opposes God. Colossians 1:21 speaks of those who are alienated and enemies in their mind because of their evil works. John 3:36 says that “the wrath of God abides upon him.” Therefore, there is no peace between man and God. 

The Lord Jesus came to the earth as the Son of God and brought peace to man. He made peace among men and peace between man and God. He is the Peacemaker. Therefore, someone living in the kingdom of the heavens must also be one who makes peace among men. He can live in peace with all men, and he can give peace to all who contact him. The blessing for the peacemakers is to be called sons of God, because they make peace like the Son of God. 

There are strife and discord in the church because the church lacks peacemakers…If we do not have peace with others, we cannot have peace with God…Because the Lord made peace among men and peace between man and God, we must do the same in order to be called sons of God. 

Most believers think that it is quite high to treat others with love. The requirement of love is not as high as the requirement of peace. Someone may not have peace when he treats others with love, but he must have love in order to be at peace with others. In the church it seems as though the more love there is, the more there are strife and opinions. This is because people have love, but their flesh is not broken; they are not under the ruling of the heavens, and there is disharmony among the saints…It is not enough to merely have love. (CWWL, 1955, vol. 3, “The Living and Principles of the Kingdom People,” pp. 68-69, 71-72) 

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 158