Summary: As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that all humans are literal children of God, born to him in heaven as spirit beings. However, to return to live with him in heaven, we must be born again, meaning we become his children in a spiritual sense. But what does it take to be a spiritual child of God? This article seeks to answer that question.
In the sermon that Jesus gave to his disciples while sitting on the side of a mountain, he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe all humans are literal children of God, born to him in heaven as spirit beings. However, to return to live with him in heaven, we must be born again, meaning being spiritually reborn so we become his children in a spiritual sense. A true child of God behaves like God and one way they do that is by following the example set for us by his beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and the apostle Paul told the Ephesians, “For he is our peace, (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus himself told us, “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: (John 14:27). This is why Jesus told his disciples that those who are peacemakers are the ones who can truly be called the children of God.
Jesus also taught that in the last days that, “iniquity shall abound,[and] the love of many shall wax cold” (Mathew 24:12). Paul described those living in the last days as being lovers of their own selves, proud, unthankful, unholy, trucebreakers, and despisers of those that are good (2 Timothy 3:2-3).
Today, we see iniquity abounding all over the world with an ever increasing number of people doing a wide variety of unholy things. Instead of people loving their neighbor, hatred and violence is becoming more prevalent. If ever there was a need for peacekeepers, this is certainly the time.
There are organizations working for peace through collective prayer that have honorable aims, but true peace requires practical effort, not just words. To achieve peace takes more than good intentions and prayer — it takes action.
There is a song that has been sung by many different artists over the years whose chorus says, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” We may not be able to change the entire world, but since we are a part of it, if all we can do is change ourselves, then we can bring peace to at least that one small part of the world. But how do we do that?
As Jesus pointed out, a real child of God is one who is a peacemaker, and since Jesus is our example, therefore, to become a peacemaker we must follow the teachings of the Prince of Peace. This is known as becoming a disciple or a follower of Christ.
The scriptures tell us, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). It’s our thoughts that determine our actions, and it’s our actions that determine our character, therefore to truly be a peacemaker, as we genuinely strive to follow the example and teachings of the Prince of Peace, our thoughts begin to change, which then changes our actions and our character.
If that change comes from following the Savior, then the more we learn about him, the more we know how to emulate him. In the past there was a popular saying Christians used when they were faced with a problem. They would ask themselves: What Would Jesus Do? But to properly answer that question, a person has to know Jesus well enough that they would know what he would do in every situation.
The purpose of studying the scriptures is to help us come to know Jesus in a personal and intimate way, and as we do, we not only come to love him but want to follow him, and it’s that desire that then helps change our thoughts and attitude. However, change happens slowly over time and requires a lifelong constant effort, therefore it takes diligently studying the scriptures to truly know Jesus and his character.
Jesus has also said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), and it’s by keeping his commandments that we learn how to think and behave as he does, and the more we do that, the more our thoughts, actions, and character begin to become more like his.
But there’s another reason why studying the scriptures and keeping God’s commandments helps change us into a Christ-like person. One of the disciples of Jesus once asked him, “Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23-24).
The apostle James explained, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts” (James 4:7-8).
We can’t help but draw closer to God when we diligently study the scriptures with the intent to learn of him, and as we do that, the closer he draws to us. When that happens, the more we feel his love, which then begins to change us into a more Christ-like person.
It’s been said that practice makes perfect. The reason why is because the more we do something the better we get at it as our efforts become refined and perfected. And this same principle applies to our spirituality.
To truly become like Christ requires us doing what Christ did, and the more we do something, not only do our efforts become better, but they become a habit to where we do it without even consciously thinking about it. When we get to that point, then it becomes part of who we are and is part of our character.
The best place to practice being a peacemaker is in our home. A home consists of the union of a man and a woman who come from different backgrounds and who have different personalities, preferences, and habits As such, it’s expected that these differences are going to cause disagreements between them.
When there are children in a family, the opportunities for disagreements and conflict increases exponentially. Whereas mothers and fathers are mature adults, their children lack the knowledge and maturity of their parents which often causes them to interact with others in a selfish manner. For this reason, they not only argue with their parents but do so more often with their siblings. This then creates the perfect environment to practice being a peacemaker.
When husbands and wives disagree with one another, it is easy and natural for those discussions to become contentious as each side seeks to prove their position is correct and that it’s the other person who is wrong. Too often these kinds of arguments lead to angry statements which can result in yelling, finger pointing, hurling insults and resorting to nasty name calling. The purpose of doing this is to verbally hurt the other person because they feel hurt by what’s been said about them. When this happens, any thought of peace has been overshadowed with bitterness and animosity.
If this is the natural reaction of mature adults, disagreements with and among children are even worse because their natural instinct is to automatically fight back when they don’t get what they want. What makes this situation more difficult to deal with is that every child’s reaction is different. Some will get physical, some will react verbally, some will cry or throw a tantrum, or others will become moody or pout.
It’s easy to say we should be a peacemaker, just as it’s easy to say we should love our enemies, but when we find ourselves in a situation that challenges what we believe, it’s too easy to do what feels natural, which is to become defensive and confrontational.
For this very reason, it takes practice to learn how to deal with disagreement in a Christ-like manner, and the home is the best place to do that because, despite the arguing, everyone does love one another and are more willing to work through their differences.
However, that is not the case outside of marriage. When interacting with people in our community, it’s easy to unintentionally say something that offends others. But more often people tend to disagree over topics they feel passionate about, such as politics, religion, or social issues. If people will argue with those they love, it’s even easier to get into an argument with someone we don’t have a close personal relationship with.
In the home we have the opportunity to undo any harm we’ve caused, but when we’ve hurt someone’s feelings who we only have a casual acquaintance with, it can become very difficult or perhaps impossible to repair the harm we’ve done. That’s why it’s so important to practice being a peacemaker at home because it’s there that we form habits that will help us to automatically respond to others in a way that can promote peace.
This can become a challenge when encountering people who are naturally contentious or angry and who aren’t interested in being peaceful. When dealing with such people, our instinct is to respond defensively, sometimes with anger. To counter this instinct requires a change of heart and that can happen as we learn of Christ, seek to emulate him, and make him our personal friend,
Then what can we do that will help promote peace? Surprisingly, not everyone has the same concept of what it means to be a peacemaker, so it’s important that we define exactly what we mean by this word.
The simplest definition of a peacemaker is someone who loves their neighbor as much as they love themselves. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus taught, “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). This has become known as the Golden Rule which states that we should treat others the way we would want others to treat us. Under this definition, it doesn’t matter how others treat us. What’s important to a peacemaker is how they treat others.
If we don’t like someone yelling at us, then we shouldn’t yell at others. If we don’t like being harshly criticized, then we shouldn’t criticize others harshly. If we like it when people make us feel good, then we should strive to make others feel good. However, there are certain things we can do that can help make us become a better peacemaker.
The first and most important trait of a peacemaker is that they don’t argue. It’s a part of human nature to feel the need to prove that whatever we believe is correct when someone disagrees with us, and the longer they disagree with us the stronger the urge becomes to prove we are right. However, when someone isn’t persuaded by the other person’s explanation, a peacemaker accepts that people have the right to feel differently and they stop trying to press the argument.
A peacemaker cares about and seeks to understand the feelings of others. That doesn’t mean they agree with them, but one of the most basic human needs is to be understood. Often, simply telling someone, “I know what you mean,” or “I understand why you feel that way,” can ease their mind and relieve the stress of the conversation. That doesn’t mean we agree with them, but it makes them feel good that they’re understood, and it’s almost impossible to be angry with someone who seems to be agreeing with us.
A peacemaker is someone who is thoughtful by caring about the needs of others and they show it by doing little deeds of kindness without being asked. Treating others this way helps build friendships and promotes goodwill between people.
A peacemaker is quick to compliment others and does so frequently. However, the compliments need to be genuine. Insincerity is easily detected and can prove to be offensive. Even the grumpiest person appreciates a genuine compliment, even if they don’t show it or want to admit it.
A peacemaker is someone who tries to see the good in others and refrains from judging or being critical of what people say or do. A common saying that hardly anyone uses anymore is, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, then don’t say anything at all.” Yet, that is the motto that a peacekeeper uses to guide their thoughts and words.
A peacemaker is someone who strives to make others glad to be with them. No one likes to be around someone who is always complaining or finding fault with things. On the other hand, most people enjoy being around someone who is pleasant. Therefore, a peacekeeper is someone who tries to make people feel good to be around them.
A peacemaker empathizes and sympathizes with someone who is going through hard times. To empathize with someone means you understand what they’re going through because you’ve had a similar experience and know how they feel. To sympathize with someone means you don’t exactly know what they’re going through but you feel sorry for them. Just like understanding where someone is coming from can make them feel better, so also sympathizing with some has the same effect.
A peacemaker is a good listener. Sometimes people just want to vent and get things off their mind and often they’re not looking for a solution to their problems as much as they want to tell someone about their problems. Often it is emotionally beneficial for them and it brings a sense of relief to the person. This goes along with making people feel that someone understands them and sympathizes with them.
A peacemaker is patient and doesn’t become easily provoked. In other words, they’re someone who remains calm when others are feeling agitated.
But doing these things is not always easy and that’s why it takes practice. However, the closer we draw to Christ, the more his love and divine grace is able to touch our hearts and soften them. When that happens, we begin to experience a change take place in our attitude and in our thoughts, which then expresses itself in the things we say and do. It’s in this way that our character gradually becomes more like that of the Prince of Peace, and as it does, we increasingly become children of God.
Related articles can be found at The Nature of Man