"So God is a peacemaker. Quite naturally, little peacemakers, bearing his image, 'shall be called children of God.' The final step causes the newborn child to be recognized as a true son or daughter, having been begotten of God.

"But what is peacemaking? We aren't sure of all that it means, but we can safely say, 'It's what God does.' And the Bible portrays God as bent on one thing — the salvation of the world. So we might conclude that a peacemaker is one who identifies with God in the plan of redeeming the world. In this way it becomes a Parent-child business with a common objective.

"With Jesus, peacemaking involved not merely a change of environment, but also a change of heart. God's plan of making peace is not merely to bring about an outward settlement between evil people, but to create people of goodwill.

"When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God on earth, he was not offering to make people more comfortable in their sins. He was calling them to a new life in the spirit and to citizenship in his beloved community, which alone is capable of peace.”