Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:2
Paul blesses the Philippian Christians here with a blessing that can be said to sum up the whole Christian life: grace and peace.
The word grace (Greek charis) is one which has behind it the idea of a free gift. God in His love chooses to deal with us in a way that we don't deserve. He chooses to pay for our sins Himself and offer us the joy of forgiveness, righteousness and eternal life. Even obedience is an act of grace, as God puts His Holy Spirit within us and causes us to obey.
Peace (Greek eirene) is what we receive as a result of God's grace. At one time we were enemies with God, but now we are His beloved children through adoption. Once we struggled to live in harmony with those unlike ourselves but now God is at work creating a new community grounded in love for one another. And He is busy creating an inner, subjective peace for His people as well.
May God's grace and peace be poured out upon us all. And may we be full of thankfulness for these gifts.
funny you should write a post about this. i was wondering (for no reason) last week how paul begins like letters. except for minor variations, it's the same blessing throughout. consistent that paul is.
ReplyDeletejews and muslims use shalom and salaam to greet one another with a blessing. it's too bad it's not customary for christians to greet each other in a similar manner.