Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
charles e whisnant, pastor/expositor/teacher/student rivers of joy baptist church 2008-present June 14, 2015
charles e whisnant, pastor/expositor/teacher/student rivers of joy baptist church 2008-present June 14, 2015
http://cwhisna.blogspot.com/ https://riversofjoybaptist.wordpress.com/ http://ccwhisnant.livejournal.com/
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS:
(1Chronicles 12:17; Psalms 34:12; 120:6; 122:6, 7, 8; Acts 7:26; Romans 12:18; 14:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; Romans 14:17, 18, 19; 1Corinthians 6:6; 2Corinthians 5:20; 13:11; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:1; Php 2:1, 2, 3; Php 4:2; Colossians 3:13; 2Timothy 2:22-24; Hebrews 12:14; James 1:19,20; 3:16-18)
means spiritually prosperous, independent of one's circumstances. So Jesus is saying blessed, happy, satisfied, fulfilled, spiritually prosperous are the ones who work for and do the things that make for peace. RELIGION is altogether a practical thing: it has its foundation indeed in principles; but it has a superstructure of dispositions and actions, which are necessary both to its completion and utility.
Peacemakers (1518) (= peace + poieo = make) those who make peace not war.
signifies a harmonious relationship and is not merely the absence of war or uneasy truce. And signifies parties holding differences of opinion who are willing to turn toward each other and embrace one another in spite of their differences.Jesus is referring to those who actively intervene to bind together those that are divided. By making peace, kingdom citizens manifest themselves as sons of God.
By peacemakers he means those who not only seek peace and avoid quarrels, as far as lies in their power, but who also labor to settle differences among others, who advise all men to live at peace, and take away every occasion of hatred and strife. Don't misinterpret what Jesus stated. He is not speaking about people with a peaceful disposition or those who love peace at any cost. He did not say "Blessed are the pacifists"....."Romans 15:33, Second Corinthians 13:11; First Thessalonian 5:23 and Hebrew 13:20, Luke 12:51-53 and John 14:27). Luke 12:51-53; John 14:27.
How does one become a "peacemaker"?
In the Garden of Eden there was perfect peace until sin entered the world. With Adam's sin came enmity Genesis 3:15 with God. Those once at perfect peace were now enemies. All men are descended from Adam and "just as through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death through sin...so death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Ro 5:12. And so all mankind has inherited Adam's propensity to sin and are by nature "helpless...sinners" Romans 5:6-8 and "enemies" of God (, Romans 8 "hostile toward God") in desperate need of Jesus the Redeemer Who "Himself is our Peace" Ephesians 2:14. In a word, sinful mankind needed reconciliation. And it was God Who sought to reconcile man to Himself. When man moved away from God because of his sin, God in His love moved toward man to bring him back to Himself.
Christ then is our model for as the "Prince of peace" Isaiah 9:6, He is the great Peacemaker,
Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh (no longer evaluating people on the basis of external, human, worldly standards - such as race, appearance, human credentials, etc); even though we have known Christ according to the flesh (as merely another man), yet now we know Him thus no longer.
Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away (past completed action = once for all when we were justified or declared righteous by faith = aorist tense); behold, new (brand new, never seen before) things have come (and will remain = perfect tense). Now all these things are from God, Who reconciled (changed the relation two parties at enmity into one of peace) us to Himself through Christ (our Peacemaker), and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, (means to restore to harmony that which was disrupted by enmity) namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Peacemakers as the ambassadors for Christ and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, are to"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20.
(Believers are commanded - present imperative - to continually) "Live in peace with one another." First Thess. 5:13 To live in such a way means that believers must all be peacemakers)
FOR THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF GOD:
(Mt 5:45,48; Psalms 82:6,7; Luke 6:35; 20:36; Ephesians 5:1,2; Philippians 2:15,16; 1Peter 1:14, 15, 16) for they will be known as sons of God!"
They shall be called - The passive voice indicates the call is external and clearly presupposes God as the One initiating the action of calling them sons. The idea in this passage of "to be called" is synonymous with "to become". To become a son of God is tantamount to entering God's family or being saved. Kaleo then in this verse somewhat parallels the uses in the epistles (Paul, Peter) where many times the call is a call to salvation ("effectual call" - see discussion below).
Called (2564) (kaleo from root kal-, whence English “call” and “clamour”) literally means to speak to another in order to attract their attention or to them bring nearer, either physically or in a personal relationship. Kaleo is a major verb in the NT and its specific meaning depends on the the context in which it is used.
(1) To call by name
(a) As when one addresses someone
(b) As when one calls a person or thing (Mt 21:13) by a name or title - either to give a name or to provide identification by the name it (or he/she) is called
(2) To issue an invitation or request one's presence at a gathering -
Matthew 22:3-9, Luke 7:39; 14:7-17; John 2:2 and Revelation 19:9, First Corinthians 10:27
And he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God." (Rev 19:9
(3) To summon -
(a) Call together Matthew 20:8; Matthew 25:14; Luke 19:13; Matthew 22:3
(b) Summon someone - Mark 3:31; Matthew 2:7,15; Acts 4:18; Hebrews 11:8
(c) Summon before court (frequent use in Classic Greek) Acts 4:18; 24:2 -
(4) To call in the sense of to choose so that one might receive some special benefit or experience.
(a) Call to discipleship Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:20, Hebrews 5:4- called to priesthood)(b) Call to Salvation
- Mt 9:13, Mk 2:17, Lk 5:32 Jn 10:3KJV (not in NAS), Ro 1:6, 7-Ro 8:28Ro 8:30-Ro 9:24- 1Co 1:9, 24; 1Co 7:15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, Gal 1:6, 15; Gal 5:8, 13, Ep 4:1-, Ep 4:4- Col 3:15-, 1Th 2:12-, 1Th 4:7, 1Th 5:24-2Th 2:14 1Ti 6:12, 2Ti 1:9 He 9:15-, 1Pe 1:15-; 1Pe 2:9-, 1Pe 2:21-; 1Pe 3:9- 1Pe 5:10- 2Pe 1:3-; Jude 1:1
