The Peacemaker
by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.
"And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Colossians 1:20).
People often say that they hope some day to "make their peace with God," not realizing that this is absolutely impossible. Men and women are completely lost, dead in trespasses and sins, utterly unable to save themselves. A peace treaty involves negotiations over the terms of peace, but one who is dead cannot negotiate anything. The only one who can make peace between spiritually dead sinners and God is God Himself, for only the living God can bring life out of death.
As our text indicates, Jesus Christ is the only true Peacemaker, for He "made peace" between sinful, spiritually dead men and women and the living, all-Holy God, and He could only do it through "the blood of His cross." He had to die for our sins before we could ever be reconciled to God.
Thus, " He is our peace"--and only He (Ephesians 2:14). The peace we obtain when we "get right with God," as they say, is not of our doing at all. The only way we can be true "peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9) is to lead people to Christ.
The Lord Jesus Himself has made this crystal clear. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. . . . These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 14:27; 16:33). Peace, in fact, is one component of "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22), not the fruits we produce with our own efforts. He is our great Peacemaker, and we receive that peace when we receive Him. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). HMM
This article was originally published February, 2008. "The Peacemaker", Institute for Creation Research, https://www.icr.org/article/peacemaker (accessed April 17, 2024).