In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says,
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God.
~ King James Version
I noticed that the King James Version uses the word “children”
instead of “sons” which is the word used in both the New King James
Version as well as The New American Standard Bible. I wondered why the
later versions changed “children” to “sons,” until I looked at the
original Greek; there it is indeed the word for “sons” (υιοί) that is
used.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons [or
daughters] of God.”
~ New American Standard Bible
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons [or daughters] of God.
~ New King James Version
Why do so many professing evangelical Christians seem to live as
though Matthew 5:9 says the opposite of “peacemakers”? Jesus did not say
“blessed are the warmongers”; yet, except for advocating for the unborn,
they seem to support the taking of life, where capital punishment and
war are concerned. In this respect, Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the
merciful, for they shall receive mercy” also appears to be ignored.
How can humans hope to climb to a higher level, to live according to
God’s original intent, if the ones who claim to be believers ignore the
fundamentals laid down by Jesus? What kind of example do they offer to
the unbelievers?
Why call oneself “fundamentalist” if one doesn’t grasp that Jesus’
Beatitudes are fundamental? What could be more to the point –
fundamental – than “blessed are the merciful” and “blessed are the
peacemakers”?
