Kingdom Norms, Part Seven

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

In Matthew 5:9 we read, “Blessed are the peacemakers” and many will tell you that the world’s greatest need today is peace. Why? All sinners are in enmity toward God, and because of this enmity, everything they do results in discord, dissension, and factions. Wars and rumors of wars exist because of this enmity in the human heart. But this beatitude is not speaking about pacifism or disarmament. This beatitude is not a prescription for peace in the international arena. This beatitude is about peace, first with God, and then between men.

No man can establish true peace. Why? Every descendent of Adam is an enemy of truth, an enemy of justice, and an enemy of God. But God’s Son, Jesus Christ, made peace between God and man through the cross by his own mediatorial death in our behalf. All those who trust in Christ have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and radically transformed. They have been given new hearts, hearts of flesh, that they may be renewed in the attitudes of their minds, putting off the old man, which is corrupted by deceitful desires and putting on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:22-24). Those who have experienced this great peace from God then become peacemakers, helping others to make peace with God.

Peacemakers or Troublemakers?

What is the opposite of a peacemaker? A troublemaker. Have you ever seen one? Suppose you are in a room in which there is peace, but then someone enters who is self-centered, selfish, proud, and arrogant. All of a sudden there is trouble in that room. This is not a benediction on such troublemakers.

Who is the chief troublemaker? The devil. The Bible tells us he comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. In Genesis 1 we read how he came to the garden of Eden. Through his temptation the first couple, Adam and Eve, became sinful, and now in Adam all are sinners.

Through Adam we all are born troublemakers. In Romans 3 Paul says that all people alike are under sin. He says, “‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’ ‘Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.’ ‘The poison of vipers is on their lips.’ ‘Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes'” (Rom. 3:10-18). In Galatians 5:19-21 we read, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” And in Mark 7:21-22 Jesus said, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.”

In Romans 3:23 we read that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And we are told in Ephesians 2:2 that all descendants of Adam follow the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the evil spirit that works in the sons of disobedience. We must realize that not only is the devil a troublemaker, but all those who follow him are troublemakers. They all are enemies of God, opposing him in their thoughts, their wills, and their affections.

And not only do Adam’s descendants oppose God but they also oppose one another. The reason for civil wars and all other wars in the world is because of the enmity man has against God, which, in turn, manifests itself against fellow men. According to the Scripture, all wars and quarrelings come from the sinful hearts of men.

No More War?

What, then, did Jesus mean when he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers”? As I said, this beatitude is not speaking about peacemaking in the arena of international politics and it has no reference to the establishing of organizations like the United Nations. How do we know that? Jesus himself, in Matthew 24:6 says that there will be conflicts in the world: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was speaking in terms of the kingdom of God, which is a spiritual kingdom. Jesus’s kingdom is not of this world. He said that many times. Jesus came down to show the way of peace between God and man and between man and man.

Spiritual Peace

When Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” that statement implies there is currently no peace; rather, there is hatred and enmity. So peacemaking involves, on the one hand, removing hatred, wrath and enmity, and, on the other hand, ushering in the condition of shalom, which causes an individual to be righteous, peaceful, and joyful. A peacemaker causes the troubled ones to be blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Peacemaking does not mean seeking peace at any cost. A peacemaker is not an appeaser–one who smiles a lot and doesn’t take a position on anything, one who has an easygoing personality and who is nice and flabby. A peacemaker is one who must establish a right relationship between estranged parties based on truth and righteousness.

Therefore, to make peace, we must first know our true situation. What is it? That the wrath of God is revealed against all the godlessness and wickedness of men. The truth is, God demands that we should be holy because he is holy. But it is also true that although God is holy, we are unholy. The truth is, the Lord does not leave the guilty unpunished, and because all men are guilty, they are therefore incapable of the task of making peace.

God Must First Make Peace

If, as sinners, we are incompetent to make peace, how, then, can we be peacemakers? We must realize that true peacemaking begins with God.

We read in the Bible that God the Father takes the initiative to make peace with his enemies. In Judges 6:24 we read that Gideon built an altar to the Lord and called it Jehovah Shalom, “The Lord is Peace.” You see, the Lord had appeared to Gideon and Gideon thought he was going to die. But God told Gideon, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die” (Judges 6:23). And in Numbers 6 we read the priestly benediction which culminates in the Lord’s giving his people peace: “The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:26).

The peace that God alone can give will remove all sin, guilt, and punishment. It ushers in all the conditions necessary for man’s perfect happiness and prosperity. Why? According to the Hebrew understanding, peace does not mean just the absence of troubles. It also means the presence of conditions in which one is prospering and perfectly happy.

According to the Bible, peace is synonymous with salvation. God must take the initiative to establish peace, and the Bible describes God as the God of peace, as we read in Romans 15:33, “The God of peace be with you all,” or in Hebrews 13:20 , “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus,” and so on. God is the God of peace. He must make peace if we are to have peace and imitate him in the task of making peace.

How Did God Make Peace?

How did God make peace? In Ephesians 1:4-5 we read that God the Father chose us in Christ before the creation of the world that we should be holy and blameless in his sight, and in love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. He gave those whom he chose to be holy and blameless to his Son, that he might redeem them.

In John 17 we read about a gift that God gave to his Son. What did the gift consist of? People whom the Son was to redeem. And so we read in Romans 8:32 we read, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all,” doing so for our redemption, for our salvation–yea, for our peace. Remember how at the birth of Jesus Christ the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14)? The Father’s favor rests on those whom God has chosen to be holy and blameless in his sight.

We cannot have peace with God as long as we are all unrighteous. Peace with God demands that we be righteous in God’s sight. But how can we be righteous and have peace with God when, in fact, we are wholly unrighteous and God’s holy wrath is abiding upon us? Well, we read in Romans 3, beginning with verses 21-22, “But now a righteousness from God apart from law has been made known. This righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” God presented Christ Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did so so that he can be just and the justifier of all who believe in Jesus Christ.

Righteousness Means Peace

In Christ’s sacrifice the wrath of God against us sinners is removed. So Paul could say in 1 Corinthians 15:3, “Christ died for our sins.” Now we receive total forgiveness of sins and the perfect righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ. Let me tell you, where there is righteousness there is peace. The God of peace had to make peace and he did so.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Paul spoke of this peacemaking. He begins, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” There is a new heart–a heart of flesh–and a new nature. The enmity is taken away. Paul continues, “The old has gone, the new has come,” and then, notice, “All this is from God,” meaning it is God’s initiative, that God is the source of it, “who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”–that is the peacemaking job–“that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” What a glorious statement–not counting men’s sins against them! “And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” Here Paul tells us that God has given us a ministry, a message, which is the gospel. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors. . .” meaning God has also given us an office, a position, “as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” And then Paul concludes with another glorious statement: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

That is shalom, isn’t it? When you say “Shalom aleichem,” you are talking about this righteousness of God coming to you which brings about peace.

God the Son Makes Peace

So we know that God the Father took the initiative to bring us peace. What about the work of God the Son? God the Son also makes peace with us. In fact, Paul says in Ephesians 2:13, “In Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ,” and then in verse 14 he writes, “For he himself is our peace.” Jesus Christ is our peace.

God’s plan of salvation, his plan of peace, was accomplished by his Son, Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 9 the Son is called the Prince of Peace. The one and only Son of the Father, the one and only Son of the God of peace is also the Prince of Peace. His mission is to make peace, which he does in righteousness. Through Christ’s obedience and death on the cross he destroyed the enmity between God and man and between man and man.

Let us examine this passage in Ephesians 2 one more time. In verse 14 we read, “For he himself”–meaning Jesus Christ–“is our peace who has made the two one”–that refers to Jews and Gentiles, people who hated one another–“and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross by which he put to death their hostility.”

In Colossians 1:19-20 we read, “For God was pleased”–meaning God the Father–“to have all his fullness dwell in him,”–meaning Jesus Christ–“and through him to reconcile to himself”– making peace–“all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace”–and the word for making peace is eirenopoieo —“through his blood shed on the cross.” As I said, we cannot make peace. God must make peace. God had a plan, which was executed on the cross by Jesus Christ because peace must be established according to truth. Through his blood shed on the cross Jesus Christ made peace by suffering the penalty of God’s wrath for our sins.

Christ Is the Only Way of Peace

I hope you understand how you can have peace with God. We are all going to die, some sooner than others, and, therefore, we must not believe any lie. There is only one way we can have peace with God, and that is trusting in Jesus Christ who shed his blood on the cross. What was Jesus doing on the cross? Making peace between God and man. If you believe in anything else, you are not ready to die.

Jesus suffered the penalty of God’s wrath for our sins. Christ’s death tore the barrier of the veil of the temple from top to bottom and opened a way for us to have access to God so that we can now come boldly into the very presence of God. By his death Jesus also destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility between man and man. The reason we can love other people, including our enemies, is because God in Christ destroyed the hostility between man and man when he died on the cross.

So Paul says “For through him [Jesus Christ] we both”–that is, Jew and Gentile– “have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Eph. 2:18). Jesus Christ dealt with the cause of enmity, which is sin. And so those who trust in Jesus Christ, the one who made peace by his own death on the cross, are a new creation. They are given new hearts to relate to God and man. Having been justified by faith, they have peace with God, and now God lifts up his countenance and grants them peace, shalom. This peace of God fills their hearts, enabling them to be blessed peacemakers.

The Holy Spirit Makes Peace

The Holy Spirit also is engaged in this peacemaking activity. How? It is he who gives us new birth. Jesus said we must be born again–born of water and of the Spirit. And the Holy Spirit gives us new birth and convicts us of sin.

No rebel who refuses to repent shall be given peace by God. Why? As I said before, peace is established in truth. We must kiss the Son lest he be angry, as we read in Psalm 2. So the Spirit of God gives us new birth, a new heart, and a new life. He convicts us of sin and points us to Christ, the peacemaker on the cross, and gives us such grand understanding of the person and work of Christ. This Holy Spirit gives us authentic faith to believe in Jesus Christ alone, that we may enjoy peace with God. And we are told he produces in us the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, and so on.

The Responsibility of Peacemaking

God must make peace and must help us to receive peace. And having enjoyed that peace, we ourselves become peacemakers. We have a responsibility in the world not to be troublemakers but to become peacemakers. Peacemaking involves troublemaking but it is not the kind we spoke of earlier.

When Jesus sent his apostles to preach the gospel, he told them, “As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you” (Matt. 10:12-13). This peace is the peace of the kingdom of God coming from the Prince of Peace to be received on the basis of faith and total surrender to Jesus Christ.

If people will not surrender to Jesus Christ as they listen to the gospel of the kingdom of God as we proclaim it, the peace will come back to us. Even as I preach the gospel, I believe some peace comes back to me because some people do not want to surrender themselves to Jesus Christ. But others receive the gospel with joy, and God’s peace rests on them.

Called to Proclaim Peace

Today every Christian is in the peacemaking business. This means that every believer who enjoys peace with God and the peace of God through the mediating work of Jesus Christ is called upon to proclaim the gospel of peace to others. In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul says that God has given the ministry of reconciliation to Christians. He has committed to us the message of reconciliation and has given us a position as his representatives. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,” Paul says in verse 20, “as though God were making his appeal through us.”

In Exodus 20 we read how God spoke to the Israelites from the heavens in thunder and lightning. Does he speak to us like that today? No. God speaks today through me and other human beings who are believers and proclaimers of the gospel. (PGM) So Paul continues, “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:20-21). That is what peace is.

In Ephesians 2:17 we read, “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and those who are near. Who came? Jesus Christ. He came to those far away–the Gentiles–and those who are near–the Jews. Jesus Christ is still doing that now, but he is doing it through his church. Through us Jesus Christ is preaching peace to those who are far away and those who are near. And Christ’s peace rests upon those who will submit to his rule but it bounces off others who will not believe. Why? Some people would rather believe in the lies of a cult. They will do everything else except surrender to the Sovereign Lord of the universe, Jesus Christ, and receive his peace.

The Ministry of Peacemaking

In Romans 10:14-15 we read, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” I said it is Jesus Christ who is preaching, but he is using the church. And now, notice, “And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'” That is a citation from Isaiah 52:7, which reads like this: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'” That was the preaching of the apostles: The kingdom of God has come in Jesus Christ.

Notice, Isaiah says “those. . . who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation.” As I said before, peace is equal to salvation. In Ephesians 6:15 we read that the feet of believers must be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace as we go out into the world. The purpose of our existence as Christians is to be peacemakers–to evangelize, in other words. As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, in the total confidence of God, we are to go out as ambassadors of the sovereign Lord of the universe who, we are told in Ephesians 1, God seated at his right hand and placed all things under his feet, appointing him head over everything.

So we go forth proclaiming the gospel, proclaiming peace, proclaiming salvation, proclaiming that God in Christ is reconciling the world to himself, proclaiming “Your God reigns!” The other beatitudes spoke about the character of Christians, but this beatitude speaks about our ministry. We are called to be peacemakers. And what is our message of peace? “Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, and he who rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

What qualifies us to be messengers of such good news? We are qualified to do this because, as disciples, first, we are poor in spirit. We are those who mourn. We are meek. We are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and we have been filled with righteousness, which means peace. We are the merciful. But above all, we are the pure in heart. “The righteous are as bold as a lion,” we read in Proverbs 28:1. The pure in heart will be bold and compassionate enough to bring the medicine of the gospel to the sick and dying. So Paul says, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16) Why? In Romans 1:16 Paul writes, “for it is the power of God unto salvation. . .” It is the prescription of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, “first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

Begin to Be A Peacemaker

In the first chapter of John Bunyan’s classic work, Pilgrim’s Progress, what is Christian doing? Speaking to his family with great earnestness, passion, determination and conviction. And what is he telling them? That they must get out of the City of Destruction and be on their way to the Celestial City. That is where we must begin–in our family. We must begin to function as peacemakers by proclaiming with all compassion and earnestness the gospel of peace to our family members. The home is also where the world is.

From our homes we are to go forth into the world with our feet “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace,” as we read in Ephesians 6:15. Do you go outside your homes into the world without shoes? Some may, but usually we want to put on shoes when we go out. And what are these shoes? The readiness to proclaim the gospel.

Like the disciples, we are commissioned to proclaim peace to the world. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples. What was the first thing he said? “Peace be with you.” He just accomplished this peace by his death and resurrection. Then he commissioned them to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. That is the job of peacemakers. On the basis of repentance, on the basis of total and complete surrender to Jesus Christ, we are to proclaim the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ.

Practicing Peace

Christians have a responsibility on the basis of what God has done to imitate him as his sons. So, practically, let me say a few things about being peacemakers.

First, the home must be a place of peace. If your home does not have any peace, pray to God, “O God, make this a place of peace in which people are relating rightly to God and rightly to one another. I know that quarrelings, fights, and wars come because of self-centeredness and selfishness. O God, have mercy upon our home and let peace prevail!” Pray that every single person may come to surrender his or her life to Jesus Christ. When that happens, you will enjoy peace, and every member in the home will be bound by the bond called peace. Then you will experience joy, life, happiness, and fulfillment.

Second, everyone in the church must strive to maintain peace. In Ephesians 4:3 we read, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” We must strive for unity. In the book of Philippians Paul exhorted two women in the church, Euodia and Syntyche, to be of the same mind and live together in peace. That is God’s word for any church. We cannot look at the cross and be divided and self-centered. Psalm 133:1 tells us, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” And in verse 3 it says, “It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” Where there is unity and peace, there is blessing. And what is this blessing? Life forevermore.

Third, when we go out into the world, we must live in peace as much as it depends on us (Rom. 12:18) and be willing to make peace even when it is costly. For example, in Luke 10 we read of the good Samaritan who met an enemy, a Jew, who had been beaten up and abandoned. Even other Jews refused to help their fellow Jew. But then a Samaritan–a natural enemy of the Jews–came and loved the Jewish man. So, first, like the Samaritan, we must show love to others. And then the Samaritan did something sacrificial and costly for this man, and we must do the same. The Bible tells us to bless those who curse us; to pray for those who mistreat us, to love and feed our enemies. Why? Peacemaking is costly. Just as peace was accomplished for us by Christ through the shedding of his blood, we must also be willing to incur certain costs as we preach peace to the world.

In Acts 6 and 7 we read about a disciple named Stephen whose peacemaking activities were costly. When he was brought before the Sanhedrin by his enemies, Stephen preached a great sermon which proclaimed the gospel message to them. How do we know it was a great sermon? It resulted in great persecution and great prayer. And when Stephen died (for he was stoned by the Jews because of his sermon) what was he doing? Making peace and praying for his enemies. In Acts 8:1 we read that Saul of Tarsus was witness to all these things. No doubt Saul’s heart was touched and eventually he was made able to surrender himself totally to Jesus Christ, as we read in Acts 9.

How to Be A Peacemaker

As believers in Christ and as those who have experienced God’s peace in our lives, how, then, can we be peacemakers in this world?

1. We must function in meekness. Meekness means that we look to God in all things. Why? First, we cannot see God and be proud. Second, we must understand once we were enemies of God and God showed us mercy. Those things should cause us to be meek.
2. We should seek to make peace in wisdom. In James 3:17 we read that the wisdom from above is first pure, and then what? Peace-loving. To make peace, we have to receive the wisdom from God which he will give when we ask him.
3. We are told to follow peace and purity. If our hearts are not pure, we cannot be witnesses to our Lord and Savor Jesus Christ. “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy,” we read in Hebrews 12:14. Why? When we are pure, we will not be afraid.
4. We must speak truth. If we want to be peacemakers, we cannot compromise. We have to preach the gospel that Jesus Christ, God/man, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and on the third day was raised from the dead. We must declare that he is the Sovereign Lord of the universe, and that he says he is preaching through us, saying, “Repent and you shall have peace.”
5. We must be quick to hear and slow to speak. We must ask the Holy Spirit to control our tongue. We must give a Spirit-controlled proclamation of the gospel.
6. We must know the gospel. Turn everything else off and look into the Book. Study the Bible, in other words. Study theology. Why? So that we know what God’s true gospel is. A popular preacher once said to his people, “I have seen a man rising from the dead.” Later, on a television show someone asked him, “Did you really see someone raised from the dead?” What did he say? “No.” That type of preaching has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. It is all fraud and manipulation. Preaching the gospel does not mean teaching people how to make more money or how to be healthy, wealthy and famous. We must know the gospel. Study the Book!
7. We must pray. Prayer means we are depending on God. We must pray that God will give us grace and all utterance and fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we can fearlessly proclaim the gospel. We must also pray that we will not be interested in or impressed by the things of this world. Why? When we are impressed by the world, we become afraid to speak to people about Jesus Christ.
8. We must count the cost. Throughout the gospels Jesus told his followers to deny themselves, take up the cross daily and follow him. We must do this if we are going to be peacemakers.
9. We must be ready to die. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10). If we are preaching the gospel, we must understand that there will be persecution, resulting, perhaps, even in death itself. We must be ready, as Stephen was, to die as peacemakers.

The Peacemakers’ Reward

Finally, there is a reward promised to peacemakers in this beatitude. The world will persecute those who follow Christ. But what is the promise in this beatitude? “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall called sons of God.”

The world may slander us, abuse us, and even kill us. Read the book of Acts. There you see the apostles functioning as peacemakers, and you also read of them being persecuted and killed. But what does that matter? Persecution is nothing unusual for Christians. But one day the Lord will honor us and acknowledge us as sons of God. He will not say to us, “Cursed are you. Depart from me, you wicked ones!” He will own us as his sons, and there is no greater blessing than to be owned and acknowledged by God as one of his sons.

Sons of God

Peacemaking is a God-like work. God makes peace with us, and as his children we are to imitate him. Does it matter what the world says about us or how they treat us? No. What matters is how God treats us on the last day. If we have functioned as peacemakers, God will esteem us highly and call us his sons. There is no greater honor than to be called God’s sons, for, as we read in Romans 8:17, if we are sons, then we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If we are sons, we shall reign with Christ forever. We must focus on the truth that one day we will die and face God. May God help us to hear, “You are my son”!

Are You A Son of God?

Through this sermon I have just declared peace to you. Soon some of you are going to die. You need to examine yourself and see whether you have surrendered totally to the Sovereign Lord of the universe, Jesus Christ, who made peace for us by shedding his blood. No one will be saved unless he or she repents and trusts in Jesus Christ alone. Through my words God’s peace is coming to you right now, and it is my prayer that it will abide with you and not bounce off.

May God help all of us to repent and surrender to him, and may this saying be true of all of us: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Amen.