To be a peacemaker means more than simply avoiding conflict. It means courageously facing it by presenting the truth. A peacemaker exposes and addresses the sin that has led to conflict, working toward right relationships between combatants.
Beyond Peacekeeping
A peacemaker fundamentally differs from a peacekeeper: they resolve the root cause of conflict. When a peacemaker steps back from a situation, the former combatants can still get along because real resolution has occurred, not just a temporary truce.
Peace must always be accompanied by righteousness. You cannot achieve true peace if righteousness is excluded from the discussion. Being a peacemaker means creating harmony where conflict exists, and this requires addressing underlying issues with truth and justice.
The Blessing of Peacemaking
Jesus teaches that there is a blessing for those who choose to be peacemakers. When someone becomes a peacemaker rather than a troublemaker, “they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). However, we must not misread this promise. He didn’t say they will be the sons of God. He said they will be called the sons of God. The key word is “called.”
What does He mean by “called”? In the culture at that time, to say someone was “the son of something” reflected their character. Jesus is saying that blessed are the peacemakers because they will be recognized as sons of God, i.e., they reflect the character of their heavenly Father, who is a God of peace.
This means that when you’re not a peacemaker, you don’t resemble your Father in heaven. When you create discord rather than contribute to peace, when you add to conflict instead of resolving it, you fail to reflect the Father’s character. Therefore, you’re not called a son of God, even though you might legally be one.
The Importance of Recognition
Why does it matter whether someone calls you a son of God? What difference does recognition make as long as you know your true identity?
To be called a son of God means others recognize that you share God’s character, and this recognition results in access to God Himself. You want to be called a son of God because you want access to the God who calls you that. When God cannot call you His son or daughter because your actions don’t reflect His character, because you’re not a peacemaker, you lose the access that comes with being in sync with your heavenly Father.
If you’re not aligned with the Father and He cannot proudly call you His child, you don’t have the same access to Him as those He can call His beloved sons and daughters.
The Devil’s Strategy
Understanding this principle reveals the devil’s agenda: he seeks to create conflict because it serves his interests. Since God is a God of peace and unity, Satan creates conflict to separate us and breach our fellowship with God. This is why Scripture contains so many “one another” commands about how believers should relate to each other. It’s not merely about getting along. It’s about maintaining our access to the Father.
The book of Acts, chapter 1, illustrates this beautifully: “the believers were all there in one accord.” Because they lived in harmony with one another, the Spirit moved supernaturally among them, performing extraordinary works. Their unity, not conflict, created the environment for God’s power to flow.
A Personal Commitment
As I celebrate Charlie Kirk’s life today, I want to honor him by committing myself to becoming a peacemaker. Charlie exemplified this calling by bringing others to Jesus Christ. His loves were clear and ordered: faith, family, and country. He died because of his unwavering belief in Jesus Christ as the single source of truth and his effectiveness in persuading others of that fact.
Like many martyrs before him, Charlie answered the call to discipleship. He caught men and women instead of fish, just as Jesus promised in Matthew 4:18-19: “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.'” As a follower of Christ and aspiring peacemaker, I share this same wonderful goal. We all share this same wonderful goal.
Our styles, personalities, and opportunities may vary, but we are each tasked with bringing others to Jesus, the ultimate act of peacemaking.
Dear Charlie, thank you.
MindWolves 
He was no peacemaker. Sent from my iPhone
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Hi Pat, I guess we can agree to disagree.
Thank you for reading and commenting. I am grateful for you.
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