The Quality of Peacemaking
“Peace-faking?” Whoa.
My mind was in a whirl. Thoughts and images from the last 46 years began to fill my mind. Is that what I’ve done? Wait. Isn’t avoiding conflict a good thing? And what is “peace-faking” anyway?
This week, Pastor Dan taught on Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the Sons of God.” And as his sermon ended, I just couldn’t get the term “peace-faking” out of my head.
You see, I don’t really like conflict. In fact, conflict sometimes makes me uncomfortable and avoiding it feels like the right thing to do. I pride myself on seeing “both sides of the story,” and the opportunity often presents itself when our children have disagreements. Sometimes I just want to keep the peace at all costs and I tell them they are all right in some way. But of course I know that everyone can’t always be right.
So, what about “peace-faking”? I’ve long held the impression that if you are a peacemaker you don’t like conflict; you have a more passive personality. But perhaps I need to re-evaluate what it means to be a peacemaker. So, with Sunday’s sermon notes in hand, I set out to dig deeper into what biblical peace actually looks like.
The three prerequisites of peacemakers outlined in the sermon make sense: A peacemaker must be at peace with God, controlled by the Spirit of God, and produce fruits of the Spirit. This side of the proverbial “coin,” I get. But what about the other side of the “coin” of peace? The side that shows what peacemakers do NOT do? Let’s see. Pastor Dan shared that they do not avoid confrontation nor do they remain silent in the face of conflict for the sake of peace. Hmm…I may have neglected to flip the peace coin to this side.
It seems peacemaking is an active quality, not a passive one. It’s not simply having a peaceful disposition. Peace is more than an absence of conflict; in fact, the pursuit of peace is a proactive spiritual mission that requires conflict. The Greek word for peacemaker is “eirēnopoios.” It means someone who “makes” peace. It’s someone who “does” peace. It therefore requires action. It’s a proactive pursuit that brings others to God.
In Jesus, The Prince of Peace, we see this proactive pursuit beautifully lived out. He was proactive in His peacemaking: He left heaven, He went to the cross; He humbled Himself and came to seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10).
When we compromise truth in pursuit of peace, we only achieve false peace. That is because without conflict, there is no real peace. It’s only “peace-faking.” I recently read a statement that surprised me a bit: “It is a fact that conflict does not destroy relationships.” Ok, I thought. Then how are relationships destroyed? It’s our refusal to resolve conflict that destroys relationships. God didn’t refuse to resolve the conflict in our world between holiness and sin, hope and despair or life and death. And when we likewise refuse to resolve conflict, we show the world that we are His children. Others are drawn to God through our peacemaking.
As the late Reverend Billy Graham once said, “For the Christian, peace is not simply the absence of conflict, or any other artificial state the world has to offer.
Rather it is the deep, abiding peace only Jesus Christ brings to the heart.” And until Jesus comes to reign in a person’s life, there can never be true peace in his heart. Jesus is the ultimate peacemaker making peace between God and man and between men. Our peacemaking, therefore, will include sharing the good news of the Gospel and will seek reconciliation wherever possible.
The differences are now clearer to me. A “peace-faker” is not a peacemaker. And a “peace-lover” is not necessarily a peacemaker either. Peacemaking isn’t security and lack of conflict. Peacemakers pursue. They don’t believe in peace at any price. They aren’t relaxed about sin and death. They do not compromise the truth. They do not remain silent for the sake of “fake peace.”
And yet peacemakers do not delight in division or conflict. They do not hold a conquering mentality. Rather, they delight in making peace wherever possible. For Romans 12:18 reminds us that it isn’t always possible: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Peacemakers know that peacemaking is costly. And they know it involves risk and action too. (Eph. 2:15-17; Col 1:20). Peacemakers are willing to pay the price, take the risk and take action.
Dr. John A. Broadus once proclaimed, “There is no more godlike work to be done in this world than peacemaking.”
As God’s children, we are especially equipped for peacemaking to reflect our heavenly Father’s character. And the greatest peacemaking we can do for others is to help make peace between them and God. This is the only peacemaking that will last.
Dear Lord, make me more like Jesus, a peacemaker who brings people to you.
~ Nicole Bryan has been a member of LIFE Fellowship for over 10 years and will graduate with a M.A. in Biblical Arts from Dallas Theological Seminary in May 2021. She and her husband have three children.