God calls us to be peacemakers, and when we strive to do what He calls us to do, He will reward our faithfulness and bless our efforts. Blessed are the peacemakers.
Sadly, in this fallen world in which we live, conflict is a normal part of everyday life. This is true not only among unbelievers but also among Christians. As it says in Job, when two sinful people are put together, you will inevitably see conflict. As long as we are in this world cursed by sin, conflict will arise. This is not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when, how long, and how bad. Like many other aspects of the Christian life that require pursuit and perseverance in activity, working through our conflicts biblically is not a passive endeavor. We need to look no further than the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:9 when He says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” It is worth noting that He said peacemakers, not peace lovers, peace supporters, or peacekeepers. Peacekeeping and peacemaking are very different concepts. One comes from the world, the other comes from God’s Word. Sadly, the two are often confused for each other and people think they’re honoring God as they try to keep the peace when in reality they’re actually dishonoring Him since He has instructed us to make peace, not keep the peace. We don’t want to dishonor God and His Word, so we need to make sure we have clarity on these terms and definitions.
Let’s start with the world’s peacekeeping strategies. The first way the world recommends keeping the peace is by letting time heal. We’ve all heard the saying, “Time heals all wounds,” but time is actually incapable of doing any such thing. Time in its own right doesn’t heal or change anything. The only thing time does is pass. Even if time could heal, healing is not the ultimate objective for the Christian. What is needed, rather, is confession, forgiveness, and repentance.
The next worldly conflict-resolution strategy we need to avoid is trying to bury the conflict. It’s a common strategy in which we busy ourselves with life in hopes the other person will eventually forget whatever the conflict was about. Trying to forget about what happened, willing ourselves to forget what the other person said, and trying to keep ourselves so busy that we no longer have time to think about it only works for so long. This approach only adds to the pile of unresolved grievances, hurts, and complaints. As time goes on, this can lead to anger, bitterness, and even hatred.