Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. — Philippians 1:2
Paul’s greeting expresses his desire for God’s blessing to rest upon these believers. The two great words of the Christian life appear here: grace and peace.
Grace is God’s undeserved favor. None of us deserve the goodness of God. Left to ourselves, we deserve only judgment. Yet God in His mercy pours out abundant grace through Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote elsewhere, “the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14).
Peace flows out of grace. Because of Christ, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Our sins are forgiven and the barrier between us and God has been removed. But there is also the peace of God, the inner calm and assurance that guards our hearts even when life is difficult (Philippians 4:7).
True peace is not the absence of trouble. It is the awareness that God is present and His will is unfolding in our lives. That peace comes only through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Paul’s greeting expresses his desire for God’s blessing to rest upon these believers. The two great words of the Christian life appear here: grace and peace.
Grace is God’s undeserved favor. None of us deserve the goodness of God. Left to ourselves, we deserve only judgment. Yet God in His mercy pours out abundant grace through Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote elsewhere, “the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14).
Peace flows out of grace. Because of Christ, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Our sins are forgiven and the barrier between us and God has been removed. But there is also the peace of God, the inner calm and assurance that guards our hearts even when life is difficult (Philippians 4:7).
True peace is not the absence of trouble. It is the awareness that God is present and His will is unfolding in our lives. That peace comes only through a relationship with Jesus Christ.