“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5.9).
 
Jesus pronounces this blessing in His first recorded sermon in what are called The Beatitudes when He is speaking to the multitudes on the mountain. He is teaching these people some of the characteristics of those who will become a part of His coming kingdom.
 
To be a peacemaker is quite different from living peaceably. A peacemaker is one who brings about peace or, at least, one who actively works to reconcile others who are not at peace. Jesus Himself is the Prince of Peace; so, it is only fitting that His followers serve as agents to help others find peace.
 
This passage places the role of peacemaker at the top of any list: all serious spiritually-minded people want to be called a son (or a daughter) of God; thus, we must take to heart this challenge to be a peacemaker.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5.9).
 
Jesus pronounces this blessing in His first recorded sermon in what are called The Beatitudes when He is speaking to the multitudes on the mountain. He is teaching these people some of the characteristics of those who will become a part of His coming kingdom.
 
To be a peacemaker is quite different from living peaceably. A peacemaker is one who brings about peace or, at least, one who actively works to reconcile others who are not at peace. Jesus Himself is the Prince of Peace; so, it is only fitting that His followers serve as agents to help others find peace.
 
This passage places the role of peacemaker at the top of any list: all serious spiritually-minded people want to be called a son (or a daughter) of God; thus, we must take to heart this challenge to be a peacemaker.

“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).
 
Followers of Christ are under a mandate to maintain a peaceable relationship with all of the people around them, both Christians and non-Christians. Paul reinforces that mandate in this verse.
 
Such a direct mandate might be confusing if it were not for the two qualifiers that precede it. The first qualifier is that it must be within the realm of possibility. It is not always possible to live peaceably when truth is under fire—that is, when God’s will is violated or when we are commanded to perform some act that is in violation of God’s will.
 
The second qualifier, “as much as depends on you,” really means “do as much as you can to be at peace with others.” So, a lack of peace cannot be because we are just causing trouble or because we can’t control our temper. Unless hindered by one or both of these qualifiers, then, we are commanded to live in peace with others.

“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6.1).

This concise verse sets forth a powerful amount of teaching about our responsibilities when it comes to being what we ought to be for God. Key words are “workers,” “together,” and “Him.”

There is not one place in scripture where the Christian life is pictured as being passive or even casual—rather in all teaching it is pictured as being active and dynamic. As children of God, we are to be workers, up and about our Father’s business, not lazy and slothful.

As we work, we are to work together, in harmony, being guided by God’s word. Only then can we present a unified effort to the world that will entice others to want to be a part of it. Paul makes it clear that the “work” and “unity” are done with Christ, thus demonstrating our appreciation for the grace God has shown us in giving us Jesus to die for us and in making it possible for us to go to Heaven.

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6).

Throughout scripture, Christianity is presented as a life that can never remain status quo: either one is moving forward or he is regressing. That is the case with the Hebrew Christians in this wonderful book.

The writer has promoted the concept of growing in the first part of this chapter, pointing out that these Christians should move forward and build on the foundation they have laid rather than abdicating their faith and returning to their former way of life and worship under the Law of Moses.

 “For,” he says, if they abdicate after experiencing the joys and benefits of being a child of God—if they turn their back on Jesus—they can reach a state where they will never be willing to return. So, the writer is warning them against carrying through with their inclination to forsake Jesus.

This poignant warning has rung down to every generation since the time it was written. If we ever contemplate forsaking Jesus and returning to the ways of the world, we are well warned that we can reach a point that we don’t want to return.