What Does It Mean to Be a Peacemaker?

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

Can you think of anyone who embodies peace? My friend Ellyn is that kind of person. She is soft-spoken and always has a comforting smile. She listens carefully and asks questions that help you think through your situation. But she is not passive—far from it. She travels to teach under-resourced communities about mental health, and she equips leaders to help their teams flourish. What is most memorable about Ellyn is that she is at peace within herself, and therefore able to lead others toward peace.

That movement from inner peace to outer peace is the heart of what Scripture means by a peacemaker.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for peace, shalom, means wholeness, harmony, flourishing, and right relationships. In the New Testament, the Greek word eirēnē conveys the same ideas and adds the notions of reconciliation and restoration. So a peacemaker is someone who actively seeks to restore wholeness, harmony, and reconciliation in relationships with God, others, and creation. Peacemakers do not simply avoid conflict; they courageously step into brokenness to bring restoration, as my friend Ellyn does.

Peacemaking is God's own work, and it is Trinitarian through and through. Peacemakers reflect the character of the Father, who is called the God of peace (1 Thess. 5:23). They continue the mission of the Son, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), who is our peace and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility between us (Eph. 2:14), reconciling all things to God through the blood of his cross (Col. 1:20). And they are empowered by the Spirit, in whom peace is a fruit (Gal. 5:22) and through whom reconciliation with God and one another becomes real. This is why peacemaking is impossible in our own strength; it is divine work we are invited into.

How Do We Become Peacemakers?

If peacemaking reflects God's own character, what does that actually look like in everyday life? Jesus answers that question throughout the Sermon on the Mount, where He gives us at least seven practices to live by.

1. Pursue inner peace.

We cannot give away what we do not have. I have watched people labor for peace while their own fear, anger, and need to control betray the conflict inside them. Inner peace begins with surrendering fear and trusting that God is already at work; much unnecessary tension in the church comes from people who believe they must defend God and fight on His behalf. It also means dealing with our anger. In Matthew 5:21–22, Jesus warns that anger left to fester is as spiritually deadly as murder, because murder begins in the heart. (One of my own pet peeves is arrogance, and the moment I judge arrogant people, I become a prisoner of my own arrogance, certain that I am better than they are.) Peacemakers do not pretend they never feel anger; they confess it, pray it out before God, and let Him settle them so they can act calmly. We cannot build peace outwardly while anger rules inwardly.

2. Reconcile before you worship.

Jesus says that if you come to the altar and remember that someone has something against you, you should leave your gift, go, and be reconciled first (Matthew 5:23–24). The prophets said the same: God rejects worship offered by people who mistreat one another (Amos 5:21–23) and asks instead that we act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8). So before you sing or give, pause and ask: Is there someone I need to forgive, or a call I need to make? That step of humility is where real peacemaking begins.

3. Settle disputes quickly.

Come to terms quickly with your accuser, Jesus says, before the matter ever reaches the judge (Matthew 5:25–26). Proverbs pictures the start of conflict as water slipping through a crack in a dam, harmless at first, destructive if ignored (Prov. 17:14). Minor offenses harden into major divisions when we delay. Choose humility over pride, and act early, before the damage becomes uncontainable.

4. Repay hatred with love.

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye'… but I say, do not resist an evildoer (Matthew 5:38–39). This does not mean ignoring injustice; it means refusing to keep the cycle of retaliation spinning. Jesus' words recall the posture of the Suffering Servant, who offered his back to those who struck him (Isaiah 50:6), a posture fulfilled in Christ, who met violence not with revenge but with sacrificial love. Proverbs agrees: do not say I'll pay you back; wait for the Lord (Prov. 20:22). Retaliation multiplies evil; grace disarms it.

5. Be generous.

If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well; if anyone forces you to go one mile, go a second (Matthew 5:40–42). At first, this sounds absurd, but Jesus teaches that generosity disarms hostility. Conflict often grows out of competition, over possessions, rights, or status, and generosity loosens our grip on all three, creating space for reconciliation. If your enemies are hungry, give them bread (Prov. 25:21–22). When you give freely rather than clutch tightly, you change the atmosphere, turning competitors into companions and declaring that you value relationships over possessions.

6. Don't rush to judge.

Jesus warns against pointing out others' faults while ignoring our own (Matthew 7:1–5). True peacemakers examine their own hearts first, letting God remove the plank from their eye before addressing another's speck. He then sums it all up in the Golden Rule: do to others what you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12). Peace flourishes where judgment gives way to humility.

7. Be salt and light.

Jesus calls us the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13–16). In the ancient world, salt preserved food from decay and was used to cleanse and heal; as peacemakers, we slow the decay of hatred and division and bring healing into fractured communities. Light dispels darkness and shows the way forward; our forgiveness, justice, and reconciliation become a testimony that another way, God's way of peace, is possible. When we live like this, others see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven. People notice a genuinely peaceful presence; it draws them in, and it points them beyond us to the One who makes such peace possible.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Peacemaking is costly and comes with no guarantees. After more than thirty years of ministry, I have learned that we cannot always control the outcome, but that was never our assignment. Paul reminds us that all this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18–20). The God who spoke life, order, and peace into a dark and formless void is still reconciling all things to Himself in Jesus. We simply get to help; the outcome rests with Him.

That is today's principle for a truly happy life, and it is one of the reasons the Beatitudes sit at the center of Real Happiness: be a peacemaker, and you too will be called a child of God (Matthew 5:9). Children resemble their Father. When we reconcile, forgive, and restore, we bear the family resemblance of the God who first reconciled us to Himself.