"Happy are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God." (Matthew 5:9)

Before we consider beatitude number seven, we need to once again remind ourselves that the Sermon on the Mount represents "an advancing line of Christian experience." (Mount of Blessing, p.13.)

This being the case, we may view this final beatitude as the ultimate victory or, if you like, as the last major step in God's plan to bring our lives into harmony with the "foundation principles of the kingdom." (Desire of Ages, p.299)
 

Beatitudes 1-3	Beatitude 4	Beatitude 5-6
Behold Yourself	Come to the Banquet	Behold The Lamb
1) Know that you are spiritually poor and needy.	.	5) By beholding His attitude towards the spiritually poor and needy you will be made merciful.
2) Know that you are sinful and degraded.	4) Come daily to the banquet that God has provided for poor and needy people who know that they are sinful, degraded, and at enmity with God, and feast upon `the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.' Revelation 13:8	6) By beholding His attitude towards the sinful and the degraded you will be made pure.
3) Know that by nature you are at enmity with God and that, as such, you have no reason to be proud.	.	7) By beholding His attitude towards His enemies you will become a peacemaker.

Notice from the above table that the first three beatitudes indirectly allude to the same subject as the last three.

In the first three beatitudes Jesus is speaking to us about our true condition, and He urges us to realise and to acknowledge that this is in fact our true condition. In the last three beatitudes Jesus alludes to His kindly dealings with us - despite our condition.

If we were to summarize the implied message of the beatitudes, therefore, we might say that God wants us to realise . . .
 

• (1) that we have need of mercy,

• (2) that we have impure hearts,

• (3) and that, but for His intervention on our behalf, there never has been and there never can be peace between God and fallen man.

• (4) Then, once we accept that this is our true condition, this realization can only lead us to understand that we have a desperate need of a Saviour, a Saviour who is everything that we are not - One who is everything that we need to be - One to whom we can come for healing, just as we are. Then, as we come to Him with contrite hearts, and as we learn of His excellence, we will discover...

• (5) that He is a God of inexhaustible mercy,

• (6) that He is infinitely pure,

• (7) and that He is the great peacemaker in that He is our peace in that "He has paid the ransom money for the whole world." (Manuscript 41, 1896)

In summary, therefore, the last three beatitudes constitute three promises - promises which might be read as follows:
 

• (5) If all who hunger and thirst after righteousness will come daily to the banquet and learn of Me, I will make them merciful towards others just as I have been merciful towards them.

• (6) If all who hunger and thirst after righteousness will come daily to the banquet and learn of Me, I will fashion their impure hearts after My pure heart.

• (7) If all who hunger and thirst after righteousness will come daily to the banquet and learn of Me, I will make them willing to die for their enemies - just as I was willing to die for them - even while they were still my enemies.

"Like Christ we shall forgive our enemies, and watch for opportunities to show those who have harmed us that we love their souls, and if we could, would do them good." (Sons and Daughters of God, p.90)

This then is the ultimate challenge of our faith, to love our enemies. But to what extent are we expected to love them?

"Jesus says: "Love one another, as I have loved you." How Much? Well enough to give your life for a brother." (1Testimonies, p.151)

And just who is our brother? Who is our sister?

If we have ever prayed the Lord's prayer and addressed God as "our Father," then every man who ever lived, be he friend or foe, is our brother, and every woman who ever lived is our sister and, as such, we are called upon to love them, even to the point of being willing to die for them - for they are family.

This means, in effect, that even our worst enemy is our spiritual brother and, as we well know, . . .

"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness." (1 John 2:9)

So the Lord is inviting us to come and to learn. First He asks us to learn about ourselves, to learn that we are wretched in the extreme, then He asks us to learn about Him, to learn how He deals with fallen souls who are wretched in the extreme. Then, having so learned, we will realise, with deepfelt gratitude, that...

"However wretched may be the specimens of humanity that men spurn and turn aside from, they are not too wretched, too low, for the notice and love of God." (Review and Herald, 11-12-95)

All of which forces us to conclude that if no-one is too wretched or too low for the notice and love of God, then surely no-one is too low for the notice of wretched, low sinners such as we are?
 

• Did Jesus not shed His blood for our enemies as well?

• Is His grace not sufficient for all men - including our enemies?

• Does scripture not tell us that through the cross the world has been nailed to us and we to the world? Does this not mean that through the cross our enemies are nailed to us, and we to them - meaning that God's infinite love, as expressed on the cross, has bonded us to all of mankind - including our enemies? (Galatians 6:14)

This then is the ultimate goal of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, that we might be brought to the point where we love all men. The process whereby He does this is first to help us to know ourselves. When we know ourselves as we really are, we will realise that we have a desperate need of getting to know Jesus as He really is. Then, as we get to know Him, and as we come to appreciate how kind and gracious He has been in His dealings with us - despite our enmity towards Him - we will receive power and stimulus to be kind and gracious to our enemies - despite their hostility, their hatred and their evil intentions towards us.

Then, when we have been humbled into the dust by the knowledge of our true condition, we will only ever look upon our enemies as candidates for salvation, and we will only ever recognize in their hostility an opportunity for us to present to them a living exhibition of the graciousness of God - that graciousness that has the exclusive ability to change hearts - our own hearts, and even the hearts of our enemies.

• Then, like Jesus, we will be kind to the ungrateful and wicked. (Luke 6:35)

• Then, like Jesus, we will give food and water to those who dislike us. (Proverbs 25:21)

• Then, like Jesus, we will choose to rather be cheated or wronged than take a double-dealer to court. (1 Corinthians 6:7)

• Then, like Jesus, we will bless those who curse us. (Luke 6:27)

• Then, like Jesus, we will repay evil with blessing. (1 Peter 3:9)

• Then, like Jesus, we will do good to those who hate us. (Luke 6:27)

We conclude, therefore, that the ultimate characteristic of a peacemaker, and the ultimate quality that will foster universal peace, is a deep inward love for all people - a love that embraces even its worst enemy.

As beings who were born at enmity with God, we should be most thankful for the fact that God loves His enemies, and that He spared nothing, not even His life, in His quest to secure peace between His enemies and Himself.

More than this, we should be thoroughly encouraged by the fact that God did not wait for us to become His friends so that He might secure peace between Himself and His fallen creatures, nor did he require us to meet certain pre-conditions before he invited us to confidently accept the peace that He has secured on our behalf. The amazing fact is that . . .

"When we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him by the death of His Son." (Romans 5:10)

In other words, when Jesus breathed His last agonizing breath upon the cross, there and then He secured peace between the sinless Father and sinful humanity - and that includes all who are dead, all who are alive, and all who are not yet born.

"By His wonderful work in giving His life, He restored the whole race to favor with God." (Manuscript 50, 1900)

So the good news is that we do not have to look forward to a time when our behavior will annul the debt that we have incurred for our sins - a time when our good behavior will qualify us to be reconciled to God - for that time will never come. Today, right now, regardless of all else in our lives, we can rejoice and find peace in the knowledge that . . .

"Christ has made reconciliation for sin." (Sons and Daughters of God, p. 227)

What this means is that God is inviting us to accept Jesus, not only as a complete Saviour, not only as a complete Substitute, but also as a complete Peacemaker. In fact, the Lord wants us to understand that Jesus is such a complete peacemaker that we cannot add anything to the peace that He has secured on our behalf. Sure, we can reject His offer of peace, but we cannot improve upon it - nor can we contribute towards it in any way. This is why . . .

"The believer is not called upon to make his peace with God; he never has nor ever can do this. He is to accept Christ as His peace." (1 Selected Messages, p.395)

So here, once again, we are reminded that while God calls upon us to obey His commandments; while he does call upon us to do good works; He wants us to always and only do good works, and to live upright lives, in the sure knowledge that . . .

"Man can achieve no praiseworthy exploits that give him any glory. They are corrupt, polluted, vile; and nothing that comes from all their doings can elevate them with God; for all that they do is an abomination in His sight." (Faith and Works, p.24)

This is humbling truth indeed. Oh yes, our saving faith will certainly be accompanied by good works, but all who have been blessed with saving faith will understand that . . .

"Our good works cannot atone for one sin." (Health Reformer, 03-01-74)

As such, our saving "faith that works" will find hope for salvation only in the good works of Jesus - those good works that are all His and none of ours - those good works that He is prepared to put to our account in exchange for a faith that works. Yes, . . .

"There may be a fervour of labor and an intense affection, high and noble achievement of intellect, a breadth of understanding, and the humblest self-abasement, laid at the feet of our Redeemer; but there is not one jot more than the grace and talent first given by God." (Faith and Works, p.23)

In simple terms, therefore, we do not have any acceptable peace offering to present to God, and we never will have an acceptable offering to present to Him - other than the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world, for . . .

"He Himself is our peace." (Ephesians 2:14)

And so, as we thankfully meditate upon the cross, and as we grateful consider the precious Being who there bought universal peace at the price of infinite agony, we are challenged to emulate His example. This being the case, . . .

• shall we excuse ourselves from loving our enemies, and from being kind to them, because of their attitudes and their behavior?

• shall we wait for our enemies to apologize and to change their ways before we forgive them and love them?

• shall we demand that our enemies reach a certain standard of behavior before we are willing to die for them?

By faith in Jesus, we are adopted into the family of God and, on the strength of our faith alone, He graciously invites us to accept that we are members of this illustrious family. Yet God desires that we not only accept our family membership, but that we also reflect our family membership - and there is one very effective way whereby we may do this . . .

"But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you . . . so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:44, Goodspeed)

Yet the promised blessing that Jesus offers to peacemakers is not only that they will be sons and daughters of God, not only that they will show themselves to be the sons and daughters of God, but that they will be called the sons and daughters of God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9)

The question we need to answer here is, By whom will we be called sons of God? By God? By others? Or by both God and others?

From the first moment that we accept God's Peace Offering, and in so doing accept Him as our Father, we are adopted into the family of God, and God Himself calls us His sons and daughters. Thus God calls us His sons and daughters long before we become peacemakers. Which means that the blessing of being called sons and daughters of God refers to a time when others, besides God, will call us sons and daughters of God.

Is Jesus perhaps telling us here that by being peacemakers, and by loving our enemies, we will bear the strongest possible testimony to the existence of God, to the unconditional love of God, and to the fact that we are children of God? Is Jesus perhaps saying that by loving our enemies we will inspire others to vocalize their inner conviction that we belong to the family of God?

This is precisely what happened to Jesus. At the scene of His crucifixion, at that moment when He was dying for His enemies, the centurion witnessed the compassion that Jesus felt for His enemies, he must also have heard how Jesus prayed for His enemies, and how He asked His Father to forgive His enemies - and this despite their ignorance and their hostility. Clearly, that centurion was mightily privileged in that He beheld the Master Peacemaker in His most glorious hour. He saw Jesus loving His enemies - even to the point of praying for them and dying for them - and what that centurion saw forced from His lips the involuntary declaration . . .

"Surely, this man is the son of God." (Mark 15:39)

And thus it will be with all who love their enemies, with all who feel a genuine concern for those who oppose them, - they too will be called the sons and daughters of God, for by their loving, non-retaliatory spirit, they will announce to others that their lives are in the control of a God who loves even His enemies. This being the case, . . .

"Let the impulsive, the self-sufficient, the revengeful, behold the meek and lowly One, led as a Lamb to the slaughter, unretaliating as a sheep dumb before her shearers. Let them look upon Him whom our sins have pierced and our sorrows burdened, and they will learn to endure, to forbear, and to forgive." (Education, p.257)

"When reviled, He threatened not. He was wrongfully accused, yet He opened not His mouth to justify Himself. He was afflicted, He was rejected and despitefully treated, yet He retaliated not. He possessed self-control, dignity, and majesty. He suffered with calmness and for abuse gave only compassion, pity, and love." (To Make Him Known, p.65; 4 Bible Commentary, p.1148; This Day with God, p.263)

"Christ was crucified for me, and shall I complain if I am crucified with Christ?" (This Day with God, p.57)

The ultimate promise that God makes to all who hunger and thirst after righteousness, to all who come daily to the banquet in order to satisfy their spiritual hungering, is that they will become peacemakers.

At first we might entertain the thought that this is impossible. Can we ever reach a time when we will feel love for those who hate us, when we will be willing to die for those who wish to kill us? I think we all know that in our own strength this is more than impossible, but . . .

"All things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27)

Notice, however, that the key lies buried in the promise. Jesus did not merely say that "all things are possible to those who acknowledgeGod." He said that "all things are possible with God."

In other words, all things are possible when our lives are buried in His life, when we do nothing without Him, when we accept Him as our ever-present Friend and Companion, and when we set aside in each day the most precious and the most spiritually productive hours for private communion with Him - for it is only when God is the overriding influence in our lives that we can honestly claim to be living "with God." Then . . .

"When we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God, we shall not take neglects or slights to heart. We shall be deaf to reproach and blind to scorn and insult." (Mount of Blessing, p.16)

Thus we must conclude that when Jesus challenges us to be peacemakers, He is not saying that we should not make war, not by any means. Has He not encouraged us to take up our swords, our shields, and our helmets? Has He not challenged us to enter into battle? But we must understand that the battle that we are to enter into is not a battle against our enemies - for we are called to love our enemies - nor is it a battle against sin - for sinners, in their own strength, cannot overcome sin, but the all-important battle that we are called upon to engage in is a battle against those things in our lives that keep us from living with Him, those things that keep us from feeding on the Bread of Life at the daily banquet. This is the battlefield upon which Christian's either succumb to defeat or gather together under the victorious banner of Emmanuel.

Yes, when we win this battle - the ultimate battle of the soul - all of Jesus' victories will be ours, and we will be assured of victory in all of the other battles of life - and especially those battles of an inter-personal nature. All we need remember, is that the key to victory lies in our faithful daily attendance at the banquet of the Lamb.

"He has taken me to the banquet hall, and His banner over me is love." (Song of Solomon 2:4)

Forgive me if I get personal at this juncture, but I feel the need to confess that my very worst crime, my most heinous sin, is that I killed the Son of God. It will take me all of eternity to try and fathom out how the blood that I shed was turned, through divine self-sacrifice, into the blood that covers even my most odious sin but, nevertheless, if I am guilty of no lesser crime than the cold-blooded murder of the Son of God, then who am I to get upset when people defame me or accuse me of things that I might or might not have done?

And, in any event, whether I did or did not do whatever they are accusing me of, nothing that they might know of could possibly be more grievous than my having cost Jesus His very life.

Even if people go so far as to accuse me of things that I really did not do, I would like to think that these false accusations would not upset me, for if it were not for the grace of God, I probably would have done those things anyway. In fact, if not for the time and place of my birth, and if not for the grace of God, I might well have been among the throng that clamored for the crucifixion of His Son - my surname might even have been Pilate.

The point I want to make, therefore, is that in the life of the fallen sinner there simply is no place for egotism. When I am honest with myself, I must acknowledge that I have nothing to be proud of. As such, I have nothing to defend - other than the name of Jesus who gave His life for a worm like me.

And if I am he who nailed the Lamb of God to a cruel cross, then I must ask myself if there is anyone in this world who is worse than I am? In all fairness, I must also ask if there is anyone in this world who is better than I am?

The absolutely humbling truth is that we all are sunken to the lowest depths of human depravity and sin, for we all are guilty of the blood that was shed on Calvary's cross. So who of us can point fingers at another? Can a leper call a leper a leper? By the same token, can one leper get upset because another leper calls him a leper?

All of which means that all peace finds its roots at the foot of the cross, for it is here that we learn that there are no distinctions of any sort, not of class, or of colour, or of creed, or of position, or of any other man-made distinction. When we bow in humble penitence and awed reverence before the Prince of Peace, we must realise that there are really only two kinds of people on this planet, . . .

• heinous sinners who are saved by God's grace alone, and

• heinous sinners who have not yet accepted His wondrous grace.

And make no mistake about this, there will never be peace amongst us until we accept these facts. Nor will we be able to love our enemies, or be kind to those who despitefully use us, until such time as we discern our lowly equality.

As we consider the following, we need to once again remind ourselves that all of God's biddings are enablings, and that every precept is associated with a promise - the promise of what He will do when we enter into and maintain a vital daily love relationship with Him.

Then, when we remember that it is God alone who gives us the desire and the ability to do His will (Philippians 2:13), we will be able to consider the most demanding of challenges with enthusiasm and with absolute hope.

One of the most demanding of challenges is that which calls upon us to be representatives of God, - and there is perhaps no other time when we are more challenged in this regard than when we are provoked by the actions of another - and especially by one whom we might be tempted to consider as our "enemy."

Yet we do need to realise that it is under such trying circumstances that we have the greatest opportunity to bring glory to God by reflecting His character, for . . .

"The spirit that is kept gentle under provocation will speak more effectively in favor of the truth than will any argument, however forcible." (Desire of Ages, p.353)

This means that our evangelistic responsibilities extend even into those times when we are tempted to become angry, those times when we might think that we have the right to retaliate - those times when we feel that we are justified in seeking revenge.

"How many now, when accused of that which they are not guilty, feel that there is a time when forbearance ceases to be a virtue, and losing their temper, speak words which grieve the Holy Spirit?" (4 Bible Commentary, p.1148)

For the true peacemaking Christian, however, there is never a time when patience is not a virtue, for . . .

"Christ has given us His life as a pattern, and we dishonour Him when we become jealous of every slight, and are ready to resent every injury, supposed or real. It is not an evidence of a noble mind to be prepared to defend self, to preserve our own dignity." (2 Testimonies, p.427)

"Can you nurse revenge in your heart while you remember the prayer that came from the pale and quivering lips of Christ for His revilers, His murderers: 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do'?" (Lift Him Up, p.233)

And so it is that He who has called us to follow Him, and to emulate His example, wants us to realise, not only how low we have fallen, but also how high and how holy is our calling. He wants us to know that when we gain the victory over our natural tendency to retaliate, it is not only a great victory for God but, as the following confirms, it is also healing balm for our souls.

"To speak gentle words when you are irritated will bring sunshine into your hearts and make your path more smooth." (Welfare Ministry, p.153)

Therefore, "be determined not to please the enemy by allowing words of unfavorable criticism to lead you to retaliate or to depress you. Make the enemy's efforts a failure as far as you are concerned. [Now notice the blessings that are poured out on the true peacemaker].

• "Then the Lord will draw near to you and will give you a rich measure of love and peace and joy so deep and full that even in the midst of the trial of your faith you can bear triumphant witness to the truth of the word of promise.

• Then you will have a sense of the divine presence.

• [Then] the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened, and the truth that at times you have seen but dimly you will then see clearly.

• [Then] you will be able to tell the story of the cross with a deep appreciation of the Saviour's love, for this love will have melted your heart.

• [Then] you will bear about with you in the daily life the witness that Christ is formed within, the hope of glory." (In Heavenly Places, p.176)

• God loses an opportunity to reveal Himself through us.

• Our antagonist loses an opportunity to see God in us.

• And we lose the composure and the spiritual blessings that have been promised to peacemakers.

"Far better would it be for us to suffer under false accusation than to inflict upon ourselves the torture of retaliation upon our enemies." (Mount of Blessing, p.17)

"Remember that a revengeful speech never makes one feel that he has gained a victory. Let Christ speak through you. Do not lose the blessing that comes from thinking no evil." (7 Testimonies, p.243)

Which all only serves to remind us that "you cannot be humiliated by the unwise speeches of someone else, but . . . when you speak unwisely you humiliate yourself and lose a victory that you might have gained." (In Heavenly Places, p.176)

This being the case, if we wish to know how far we have progressed down the pathways of sanctification and peace, we will find that our ability to remain calm under provocation is a sure yardstick, for . . .

"It is not how much feeling we manifest over injustice in treatment that evidences strength of character, but it is the self-control, the firm check put upon strong emotion, that evidences strength of character and the spirit of Jesus." (This Day with God, p.178)

If the ultimate challenge of our Christian walk calls upon us to love our enemies, we must accept that this includes loving the enemies of others as well.

How often in life does a friend or an acquaintance approach us and, with the almost universal introduction, - "I know that I shouldn't be telling you this . . .," they acquaint us with all of the supposed weaknesses of Some Other and, sadly, forever after, our opinion of Some Other is somewhat tarnished. Sometimes even our attitude towards Some Other changes.

What has happened in such cases is that Some Other has actually been murdered right before our ears - not murdered physically, but in a deep spiritual sense his reputation was murdered.

As such, we need to realise that by listening to such tales of woe, we are witnessing self-exaltation on the one hand and murder on the other. This is why . . .

"There is a great need of taking self in hand when we find ourselves watching to make capital out of the missteps of a brother, a sister, or a friend. Although we do not acknowledge that the object of defaming another is to exalt self, self-exaltation is behind the practice of noting the shortcomings of others." (Lift Him Up, p.110)

Therefore, "do not encourage any tempted soul to tell you the grievances of a brother or a friend. Tell them that you do not want to hear their words of censure and evil speaking, because your Counselor has told you in His Word that if you cease to stir up strife and become a peacemaker, you will be blessed." (2 Mind, Character and Personality, p.439)

This matter is of no small consequence because, ultimately, we need to understand that God's name will be vindicated before the universe, not by angelic advocates, not by deep celestial arguments, but by a group of saved sinners who refused to commit murder with their tongues, refused to hear others committing murder with their tongues, and who, thanks only to heavenly grace, and to the realization of their true condition, found in their hearts a willingness to die, not only for their enemies, but even for the enemies of others.

Having considered the foregoing, we can only conclude that the love that God wishes to instill in our hearts is an unconditional kind of love. It is a love that does not exclude anybody from the circle of its influence and its embrace.

This is not the common type of love that is attracted to and fostered by the endearing characteristics of others. This love is like the sun - it shines from within and it shines on all, regardless of their appearance, their behavior, or their character. And just as the sun does not refuse to shine when the clouds appear, so it is that genuine love does not fade away when the circumstances and conditions prevailing between us and others are not quite what we would like them to be.

In simple terms, therefore, there are no conditions that can limit the bounds of true love, and there are no circumstances that can restrict the action of true love - besides death. (This is one good reason why our loving God hates death with a hatred that is so intense that He was prepared to die that we might live - for only death can separate us from His love.)

But if true love is unconditional, then the shocking truth is that . . .

"The love that gives kindness to only a few is not love, but selfishness." (Christ's Object Lessons, p.353)

Yes, even the devil "loves" his friends and his close associates, and this is why we are called upon to nurture a brand of love within our hearts that extends way beyond the confines of our "inner circle" of friends - that brand of love that is "not easily provoked, that suffereth long and is kind, that hopeth all things, endureth all things." (RC, p.306)

This is the brand of love that would sooner die for an enemy than retaliate. This is the brand of love that would have the courage to stop a tale-bearer from destroying the impression we have of Some Other. This is true peace-making love.

"Would that there were many more . . .who would soothe irritated feelings, prevent rash impulses, and quell great evils by words of calm and well-directed wisdom." (Patriachs and Prophets, p.667)

For "when the children of God manifest mercy, kindness, and love toward all men, they are . . . witnessing to the character of the statutes of heaven. They are bearing testimony to the fact that "the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul."  (Desire of Ages, p.505)

NB - All the above references are taken from the writings of Ellen G. White.