|
Becoming One With Each Other
Peace Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.—Matthew 5:9 Carl Hagensick{FOOTNOTE: Compiled from his final discourse notes.} Peace is both an elusive and a rare commodity. The importance of peace is stressed throughout the Bible. Jesus’ last legacy to the church was, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27). We are told, “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14). The opening words of most of the epistles are “Grace be unto you, and peace.” “Peace” is a greeting in many cultures. The Polish say Pokoj, Romanians say Pace, Jews say Shalom, and Arabs, Salaam. Pastor Russell arranged for the distribution of small lapel pins with the word PAX—Latin for peace—to all who attended the Photodrama of Creation and who pledged to become children of peace. The importance of peace cannot be overstressed. What Is Peace? In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for peace is shalom. While shalom is generally translated as peace, here is an interesting alternate use of the word: “Thou shalt build the altar of the LORD thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God” (Deuteronomy 27:6). The word “whole” is translated from the word shalom. Peace is identified with the concept of wholeness. A husband and wife may have an argument which creates a rift between them. Since divorce is not an option except in the direst of circumstances, they have two choices: either live in enmity or discuss the matter and settle it. The wiser method is the latter, and the sooner the better. Paul gave good advice when he wrote, “let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26). Siblings, especially in their youth, often have rivalries that create a rift between them. Usually as they get older they settle their differences and become the closest of friends. Family disputes and disagreements destroy peace and harmony by causing separations. Members will continue to be unhappy unless they achieve peace by discussing their differences. Peace is a most desirable commodity, but not at any price. Peace must be based on principles. It often requires compromise, though not the compromise of principles, only preferences. There lies the problem. One person’s preferences are another’s principles. The goal of peace is unity, not necessarily uniformity. As Pastor Russell expressed it, “On essentials unity, on non-essentials charity.” {FOOTNOTE: Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 6, p. 327. The words “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity” can be traced to Rupert Meldenius, a pseudonym for Peter Meiderlin (1582-1651), an irenic Lutheran theologian.} The goal of the peacemaker is to find agreement as to what is principle and what is preference, what is essential and what is nonessential. Here are some helpful questions to differentiate between the essential and the nonessential: 1. Is it a concept directly taught in Scripture (as opposed to a concept based on an interpretation of Scripture)? 2. Does it affect the way I live my Christian life? 3. Does it affect my overall vision of the plan of God? If the answer to these questions is no, it should be considered a detail rather than an essential. Peace does not necessarily mean tranquility. In a contest artists were asked to depict peace. The second place winner painted a scene of pastoral tranquility with a winding farm road between waving fields of grain and a freshly painted red barn and house in the distance. It was a scene of utmost tranquility, but it was only a runner up. The prize went to an artist who painted a turbulent waterfall with the water rushing madly over crags of rock. At the top of the waterfall was a dead tree with a spiny branch extending over the waterfall. On the branch sat a bird singing sweetly away. It was at peace. The branch might break but the bird had wings. Peace can exist even in the midst of turbulence. The Beatitudes The statement that peacemakers shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9) is one of the beatitudes contained within the Sermon on the Mount, and it is the last character beatitude. The beatitudes are not mere suggestions. They are commandments and can be considered the “ten commandments” of the New Testament. In contrast with the Old Testament commandments, they are given not in the negative (thou shalt not) but in the positive, as things we must do to prove faithful. The beatitudes are not a random list of principles. They are given in a specific order for a specific purpose. They can be thought of as a staircase—each one building on the one before it. The beatitudes might even be called “The Steps to Glory.” Each also contains a promise for those possessing that quality. The first beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Progress in the Christian way begins with a sense of our own nothingness. We come to God because we recognize a need for him. The late great tenor, Luciano Pavarotti confessed that he always went on stage with a feeling of inability to perform the role assigned to him. Whenever we perform a service for the Lord, we should also feel inadequate so that we may feel the power of God working in us. The promise to those who are poor in spirit is that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Poverty of spirit is the first requirement for those who wish to enter the heavenly call. The second beatitude is “Blessed are they that mourn.” This is not the mourning for others, but rather the mourning of repentance for our own misdeeds. The promise to these is that they shall be comforted—comforted by the release of their sins through casting them on Christ. The third beatitude is “Blessed are the meek.” The meaning of meek is to be teachable. A Christian who recognizes his own nothingness has a willingness to be taught better ways and a better life. The promise to this group is that they shall inherit the earth. Those who are teachable enter the school of Christ to learn how to be a mediator and a peacemaker. However, to learn they must be willing to be taught. If successful they will be co-regents with Christ in blessing all mankind and thus inherit the earth. The fourth beatitude is “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.” It does not say, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for truth. As important as truth is, the goal is the righteousness which truth teaches. The wise man said above all things get wisdom (Proverbs 4:7). Wisdom for the Christian is the application of knowledge, or truth, to produce righteousness. Those who seek righteousness are promised that they shall be filled. The fifth beatitude is “Blessed are the merciful.” It is only human to look with disdain upon others who have made less progress than we have. It is essential for Christians to look upon those who are less developed with great mercy. Often those who make less progress are blind to their faults. We do not blame a blind man for not being able to see; we are merciful to him. So we should not blame those who are blind to their faults, but rather seek to help them. The promise to those who are merciful is that they themselves shall obtain mercy from God. The sixth beatitude is “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Purity of heart has to do with motives. Are we striving for righteousness to be better than others or because it is the right thing to do? James wrote: “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable” (James 3:17). Those whose motives are pure have the promise that they shall see God. The seventh beatitude is “Blessed are the peacemakers.” This is the top step of the character staircase to glory. Peacemaking is seen by the Lord as the crowning achievement, the very object of our enrollment in the school of Christ. We desire to be mediators. A mediator is a peacemaker whose job is to bring harmony between God and man—to make “at-one-ment”—to make whole, the alternate meaning of the word shalom. A teacher must first go through training as a student teacher. A doctor must go through residency. A mediator-to-be must go through a course to practice mediating, practice peacemaking. The promise to these is the ultimate promise: they shall be called sons of God. They not only see God, they are his sons (cf., Romans 8:16,14). There are two more beatitudes but they differ from the preceding ones. The first seven discuss things we must do while the last two with things that are done to us. These are the fiery trials that crystallize the other seven elements of character. The first is “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). These persecutions are for “righteousness sake” because the darkness hates the light and the unrighteous feel accused by the acts of the righteous. The last beatitude is similar: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” This persecution is not for righteousness’ sake, but for “my sake.” These persecutions of the sacrificing Christian are part of the sin offering. Guidelines for Peacemakers The apostle Paul was a peacemaker. At the council of Jerusalem where the requirements for Gentiles to be accepted as Christians was to be decided, a decision was made to adopt these requirements: abstain from pollutions of idols, from fornication, and from eating things strangled containing blood (Acts 15:20). Yet Paul argued extensively that there is nothing wrong with eating any food (see 1 Corinthians 10:18-33). Paul compromised his preference in favor of peace. He sought to heal the rift that was developing between the brethren. He sought to make them whole: “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace” (Romans 14:19). What things make for peace? Patience. We need patience to be sure there is a problem before trying to fix it. If we merely assume a problem exists, we can end up causing one by trying to fix what wasn’t a problem. A hearing ear. “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him” (Proverbs 18:13). It is necessary to listen carefully to both sides in a disagreement and make every effort to interpret the words used by each person in the way the speaker understands them. A quiet voice. Arguments tend to rouse emotions and roused emotions tend to increase the volume of voices; these in turn intensify the argument. The object of peacemaking is to pour upon conflict the water of the holy spirit, not the troubled waters of inflamed emotions. Compassion. Each side holds the position it does because it believes it is the right one. Peace may not come by achieving agreement but by gaining respect for each other’s reasons for holding their position. Here are some of the ways we can seek peace when we have strong differences. 1. Examine attitude. Do we really desire peace, or are we more interested in proving ourselves right and others wrong? This depends on the seriousness of the disagreement and whether the subject is essential or non-essential. Here too we may disagree. We each have our own evaluation of what is important. Regardless of our evaluation we should seek peace through understanding those who differ with us. 2. Seek divine help. It is important for both sides in approaching a matter of dispute to sincerely seek the Lord’s help in prayer. In fact, it is good to open a discussion on differences with prayer. 3. Keep calm. Strong as our feelings may be on a certain matter, an elevated voice does nothing to facilitate a successful conclusion. 4. Listen. Often we misunderstand the position of others. The object of discussions should not be so much to convert someone to our way of thinking as to understand the reasons for their belief. We should spend time listening rather than thinking of a rebuttal while the other is talking. 5. Use common language. We must make sure we are both using the same words with the same meaning. To one person’s way of thinking, “restitution” may require resurrection, while to another it may include the destructive as well as the constructive phases of the kingdom. In many cases differences are more semantic than real. 6. Seek the middle ground. We should try to find a method of expression to which both parties can agree, noting that substance is more important than words. 7. Admit the validity of the other’s arguments. Our goal should be to search for truth, not to defend our position. None of us has absolute truth. If someone has a better interpretation, we should admit the validity of it without feeling it means we are convinced of the whole of the argument. 8. Use the Bible. There is a tendency for Bible Students to prove points by quoting Pastor Russell. In a 1911 discourse to pilgrims, elders, and deacons, he said that there is “entirely too much preaching of Pastor Russell and entirely too little of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Bible is the final authority and should be the basis of all arguments. 9. Take time. Because truth is important we may see differences as dangerous. However, we should not expect someone who has studiously arrived at a conclusion to change quickly upon hearing our side of the story. We are to contend for the faith (Jude 3), but not be contentious for the faith. 10. Settle the issue. If after discussing the matter we cannot come to an agreement, we should at least understand the other position better and why it is held, and therefore be at peace. Dwelling in Unity The psalms of degrees, 120 through 134 may have been written to be sung by pilgrims traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. The second to the last of these psalms would be sung as the pilgrims topped the last hills before coming to the holy city. As they saw other pilgrims coming from the east, west, and south, they sang together, “How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). Let us sing this same song of unity. Let us strive to become one with each other, to become shalom—whole and at peace. |