Peacemaking is more than mediating between disputing parties; it is a Christian vocation carried out primarily through what a person is. Because biblical peace (shalom) means everything that makes for a person's highest good, peacemaking is another, more specific term for love, and so it is a demanding standard. Human history shows mediation usually fails, yet Jesus declares peacemakers blessed, for they shall be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9), revealing the likeness of the God of peace. A person cannot truly make peace until he is first reconciled to God through Christ, the Prince of Peace, who became the propitiation for sin and High Priest. Sanctification then builds peace into character. Jesus' own life is the model: though His life provoked hostility, He lived peaceably and did not revile in return. Peacemakers therefore pursue peace along with holiness, never sacrificing truth, and they live peaceably with all as far as depends on them (Romans 12:18). They set aside pride, contention, and majoring in minors, and instead cultivate humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance, restraining anger quickly. They also intercede in prayer for the church, the world, and individuals, as Abraham, Moses, and Aaron did. Such living produces peace passively, by causing no disruption, and actively, by drawing others to the same tranquillity, and it prepares the Christian for a more active role when Christ returns.

Real peace is shalom, not merely the absence of war: well-being, prosperity, and stable, covenant-secured relationships, all rooted in a right relationship with God. Sin breaks that relationship, so the wicked have no peace, and outward calm often hides inner turmoil. Peace is impossible without God, yet the sons of God can make peace, as Jesus' beatitude says: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Jesus Christ is the Great Peacemaker. Through His blood He reconciled all things to the Father (Colossians 1:20) and tore down the wall between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2), creating one new man. He is Himself our peace, and He gives the Spirit and the gifts so His people can follow His steps. Those united to Christ must therefore put on His character and pursue peace, which reveals them as members of a peacemaking divine family. In practice this means preserving marriages as far as possible, since God has called us to peace, and rejecting the self-seeking wisdom of the world for the peaceable wisdom from above (James 3). It also means keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and living peaceably with all, as far as it depends on us. Believers should refuse to retaliate, do good to enemies, and build others up rather than quarrel over doubtful matters (Romans 12; 14). Pursuing peace and holiness is essential to seeing the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

God gives peace, but Christians must not stop at receiving it; they must also actively make peace. James 3:18 teaches that the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace, and combined with Hebrews 13:20-21, this shows that the righteous response to God's gift is to make peace in one's own life and in dealings with others. Matthew 5:9 says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Jesus set out to give peace and wanted His people to become peacemakers once they had it, and only this dual effort, receiving His peace and practicing peacemaking, leads to becoming sons of God. Those who are not peacemakers will not become sons of God. The reason is that God is a God of peace who is at peace with Himself and works for peace in all His relationships, and His goal is to be at peace with every one of His children. Because the aim is to become like Christ, the called must grow in this trait, just as love and the other fruit of the Spirit come from God and flow through believers to others. Peace is part gift and part practice. Someone who retreats to enjoy personal peace is not a peacemaker. Jesus Himself sought peace with all men, even His enemies, speaking the truth wisely rather than arguing violently, and believers must pass on the peace they have been given.

The seventh and final character trait among the Beatitudes is found in Matthew 5:9, where Jesus declares, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God." This attribute is not primarily about inserting oneself between two quarreling friends to mediate their dispute, since such intervention often worsens the conflict by appearing to favor one side over the other. Instead, being a peacemaker refers to one's own character and conduct toward others—it describes a person who will not allow discord to persist between himself and those with whom he has issues. The place to begin making peace is between oneself and those where peace is currently absent, echoing Paul's exhortation to be at peace with all men if possible. This trait fits within the broader pattern of the seven Beatitudes, all of which concern how believers treat other people—whether through humility, mourning over sin, meekness, hungering for righteousness, showing mercy, purity of heart, or making peace. These qualities are not a menu from which one may select a few; rather, they must all be present together in a single individual, since seven represents completeness and perfection. Together they constitute the holy and righteous character of Jesus Christ Himself, the very nature that God is forming in His people as they are being created in His likeness. Possessing these traits, including peacemaking, brings a particular consequence: persecution. Those who embody this character will be reproached and falsely accused for righteousness' sake, just as the prophets before them were persecuted, and just as Jesus Himself warned His disciples that the world would hate them because it hated Him first. Yet Jesus commands His followers to rejoice in such persecution, since great is their reward in heaven. This connects directly to the identity given to believers as "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world." As salt, they are scattered throughout the world rather than concentrated in one place; as light, each individual shines like a lamp in darkness. There is a warning attached to this identity, however: if salt loses its flavor, it becomes good for nothing and is thrown out. This risk of becoming spiritually tasteless comes about through failure to live out these seven character traits, including peacemaking. Paul's instruction to the Philippians to "do all things without complaints and disputes" is directly identified as an expression of this same peacemaking quality, reinforcing that believers must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling so that they may be blameless children of God, shining as lights in a crooked and perverse generation.