Living in the Image of God M05S01
The first bible study for our 2024 program year focuses on understanding what God expects of a person in living in peace with others. Christ declares the peacemaker responsibility and promise of blessing in the seventh Beatitude and provides details in the gospel to explain the responsibility. Through the gospel, he conveys a message that the peacemaker responsibility entails doing better than required under the law and custom, to respond peacefully and invite others to do the same, in every interaction with others. The peacemaker responsibility entails going an extra mile for peace by responding with love, irrespective of how the other party feels about you or what they do or fail to do. Disarm aggression by finding a path to peace; love your enemy, be good to them, and give to them without expecting refund; recognize every opportunity for non-commercial giving of goods or service as a call to compassion and provide what you can to alleviate the need. God will accept as peacemakers and children of the Most High, those that he judges as fulfilling the responsibility.
This study begins the 2024 program year of bible studies by the Banking Blessings Ministry. We look forward to an enriching program to advance our understanding of God’s purpose for human interactions and relationships and share the understanding more effectively to an increasing population. In this session, we discuss Christ teaching to understand what he expects from a peacemaker.
The discussion begins with the seventh Beatitude, where Christ declares the peacemaker responsibility and promise of blessing. The discussion continues with his explanations of the responsibility, based on the gospel according to Matthew and the gospel according to Luke. Through the explanations, Christ conveys a message that the peacemaker responsibility entails doing better than required under the law and custom, to respond peacefully and invite others to do the same, in every interaction with others.
We discuss the Extra-mile teaching and several examples from his teaching on overcoming evil with good. The examples include a comparison of the “eye for eye” custom against God’s expectation for peace: Love your enemy, be good to your enemy, assist those in need without expecting refund, and do for others as you would expect others to do for you.
The study continues with a discussion of Paul’s explanation of the individual responsibility regarding peace: that is, his explanation of what God expects of a peacemaker. The study concludes by presenting the peacemaker message as a charge and promise; or do{}-then{} promise, where the do{} clause is the charge and the then{} clause is the promise.
The study video provides more-friendly conversation, from our living room to yours, consisting of a focused and concise message presentation followed by an open discussion of the message. The open discussion for this session focuses on the role of apology in the peacemaker responsibility.
The Seventh Beatitude
In the seventh Beatitude, Christ declares the individual responsibility regarding peace and God’s promise of blessing for a peacemaker: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” [Matthew 5:9]. Through the declaration, God calls every person to the peacemaker responsibility and promises to accept as a child of God every person he judges as fulfilling the responsibility.
The Extra Mile
Christ uses the Extra Mile teaching to explain what God expects of a person regarding the peacemaker responsibility: “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles” [Matthew 5:41].
The teaching is based on a Roman law at the time, whereby every Jew was required by law to carry a soldier’s gear for one mile if the soldier demanded so. Christ teaching in the passage is that one should carry the gear an extra mile: the first mile is to comply with the law, whereas the second mile is an act of compassion for the soldier’s benefit.
The extra mile extends care to the beneficiary more than the legal and customary requirements, because you care. The Roman soldier is the beneficiary in the particular example that Christ used for the teaching.
“Eye for Eye” Teaching
Christ used several examples to explain the peacemaker responsibility of overcoming evil with good. We discuss the “eye for eye” teaching as a first example, whereby Christ explains his expectation of a peacemaker by contrasting with a customary concept [Matthew 5:38–40]: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” Also, we find the same teaching in the gospel according to Luke [Luke 6:29]: “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.”
In addition to the literal understanding, the “eye for eye” teaching calls every person to always seek to overcome evil by responding with love. Even in response to hostility from another party, disarm aggression with peaceful response, by absolving the other party of the aggression and offering a path to peace instead of an “eye for eye” response. A neutral response or tit-for-tat is like going the first mile. Finding a path to peace is like going the extra mile.
Love Your Enemy
“Love your enemy” teaching provides more examples to explain the peacemaker responsibility of overcoming evil with good [Luke 6:27–28]: “‘But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.’” In this teaching, “love your enemy” means seek a path to peace by responding with love, irrespective of what the other party does.
Even if the other party is your enemy, reject your lawful or customary right to a hostile response. Instead, find a path to peace by forgiving those that curse or mistreat you and by praying for them. Although a neutral response or tit-for-tat could satisfy the law and custom, God calls every person to go the extra mile for peace by blessing those that curse you and praying for them.
Assist Others in Need Without Expecting Refund
This teaching makes a direct connection between compassion and overcoming evil with good: “Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back” [Luke 6:30]. The passage conveys a message of assisting others in need without expecting them to pay back. Receive an opportunity for non-commercial giving of goods or service as a call to compassion and respond by doing what you can to alleviate the need without expecting the needy to pay you. Assisting others in need without expecting refund is like going the extra mile for peace.
Do for Others As You Would Expect for Yourself
To understand the message of serving others as you would expect for yourself (“Do to others as you would have them do to you” [Luke 6:31]), recall that God creates every person to represent him among others. As we discuss in a previous bible study under Individual Responsibility for Positive Human Interaction (M04S10), God assigns responsibilities to every person as his representative among others, will accept into his kingdom those he judges as performing their individual responsibilities, and will not accept those he judges as declining theirs.
Based on this message, every person is potentially a channel for God’s human interactions with others. You could be a channel for God’s human interactions with another person, the same way that another could be a channel for God’s human interactions with you. Therefore, love others, be good to them, and give freely to them. That is, represent God to them as you would expect others to represent God to you.
Message from Paul on Overcoming Evil with Good
Apostle Paul provides a message of overcoming evil with good [Romans 12:17, 18, and 21]: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
To understand the message for positive human interactions, the phrase “if it is possible” in verse 18 means you should explore every possibility to find a path to peace. Also, the phrase “as far as it depends on you” in the same verse 18 means you should focus on the aspects that depend on you. Therefore, Paul’s message means a person should seek a path to peace irrespective of what the other party does or fails to do: that is the individual responsibility of overcoming evil with good.
Seeking Path to Peace In Spite of Others
Seeking a path to peace in spite of others is the essence of representing God among others, irrespective of what they do or fail to do. Love your enemy: not just those that love you [Luke 6:32]: “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.”
Be good to your enemy: not just those that are good to you [Luke 6:33]: “And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.”
Assist others in need: not just those that can pay you back [Luke 6:34]: “And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.”
That is what Christ means by going the extra mile for peace.
Peacemaker Responsibility and Promise of Blessing
Christ summarizes the peacemaker responsibility and promise of blessing as a charge and promise. We can represent the message as a Do-Then promise, where the Do{}-clause is the charge (i.e., the peacemaker responsibility) and the Then{}-clause is the promise (i.e., God’s promise of blessing for a peacemaker).
Here is the Do{}-clause: “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.…” [Luke 6:35]. That is, go the extra mile for peace by responding with love, irrespective of how the other party feels about you or what they do or fail to do. Disarm aggression with peaceful response. Recognize an opportunity for non-commercial giving of goods or service as a call to compassion and provide what you can to alleviate the need.
Here is the Then{}-clause: “…Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High” [Luke 6:35].
Summary of What We Learned
This is the first bible study session for our 2024 program year. The study focuses on understanding what God expects of a person in living in peace with others. Christ declares the peacemaker responsibility and promise of blessing in the seventh Beatitude and provides details in the gospel to explain the responsibility.
Through the gospel, he conveys a message that the peacemaker responsibility entails doing better than required under the law and custom, to respond peacefully and invite others to do the same, in every interaction with others. The peacemaker responsibility entails going an extra mile for peace by responding with love, irrespective of how the other party feels about you or what they do or fail to do.
Disarm aggression by finding a path to peace; love your enemy, be good to them, and give to them without expecting refund; recognize every opportunity for non-commercial giving of goods or service as a call to compassion and provide what you can to alleviate the need. God will accept as peacemakers and children of the Most High, those that he judges as fulfilling the responsibility.