Graduate 174: Advent & Ephesians, Day 2
"...Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
It was actually quite common for people in the ancient Roman world to open letters by invoking the favor of the gods or good fortune on behalf of the recipient. But Paul modifies this standard greeting formula in a very intentional way. Instead of the usual "mercy (chairein) and peace," he writes, "grace (charis) and peace." When you think of grace, you mind may immediately move toward the gift that God gave in His Son, Jesus Christ, and this is certainly correct. But grace is a much larger concept. It not only encompasses the salvation from sin and judgment, but includes all of the gifts and blessings that follow from a restored relationship with God.
Often you will hear people speak of grace as "unmerited favor." That is right, so far as it goes, but there is so much more. Specifically, we need to think about just how that unmerited favor is manifested. We do receive 'unmerited favor' in the form of forgiveness and freedom from punishment for our sins. But we also receive 'unmerited favor' in the form of adoption into God's family, in the form of the Holy Spirit given to us as a counselor and guide, in the form of complete access through prayer to the very throne of God. Grace is about so much more than 'just' being saved from our sins. This theme will, of course, be taken up in the following verses where Paul delineates the many 'spiritual blessings' that we receive 'in Christ.' Sometimes we need to be reminded of all that God's grace does involve and include.
"Peace" hearkens back to the Hebrew word shalom and refers to a pervasive and encompassing state of well-being. Here's an excerpt from an Old Testament Lexical Aid on the meaning of shalom:
"[T]his Hebrew masculine noun originates from shalam. It means: health, security, tranquility, welfare, good condition, success, comfort; peace, offering terms of peace, accepting terms of peace, to make peace with someone, a peaceful man, words of peace, salvation, salutation; as an adjective it means: well, peaceful, whole, secure, safe, happy, friendly, healthy, sound (used of the body)." (Zodhaites,1785)
Recall that when Jesus was born in that stable in Bethlehem, the angels declared:
"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (Luke 2:14)
The grace and peace that Paul desires for Ephesian Christians comes from and is made available by the works of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Could you use some grace and peace in your life? Notice from the excerpt that this peace is not just a feeling but an actual condition that even extends to our relationships with other people. Often we find ourselves chasing after forms of security and safety, but they all turn out to be poor substitutes for what only God can offer and has offered in relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
It was actually quite common for people in the ancient Roman world to open letters by invoking the favor of the gods or good fortune on behalf of the recipient. But Paul modifies this standard greeting formula in a very intentional way. Instead of the usual "mercy (chairein) and peace," he writes, "grace (charis) and peace." When you think of grace, you mind may immediately move toward the gift that God gave in His Son, Jesus Christ, and this is certainly correct. But grace is a much larger concept. It not only encompasses the salvation from sin and judgment, but includes all of the gifts and blessings that follow from a restored relationship with God.
Often you will hear people speak of grace as "unmerited favor." That is right, so far as it goes, but there is so much more. Specifically, we need to think about just how that unmerited favor is manifested. We do receive 'unmerited favor' in the form of forgiveness and freedom from punishment for our sins. But we also receive 'unmerited favor' in the form of adoption into God's family, in the form of the Holy Spirit given to us as a counselor and guide, in the form of complete access through prayer to the very throne of God. Grace is about so much more than 'just' being saved from our sins. This theme will, of course, be taken up in the following verses where Paul delineates the many 'spiritual blessings' that we receive 'in Christ.' Sometimes we need to be reminded of all that God's grace does involve and include.
"Peace" hearkens back to the Hebrew word shalom and refers to a pervasive and encompassing state of well-being. Here's an excerpt from an Old Testament Lexical Aid on the meaning of shalom:
"[T]his Hebrew masculine noun originates from shalam. It means: health, security, tranquility, welfare, good condition, success, comfort; peace, offering terms of peace, accepting terms of peace, to make peace with someone, a peaceful man, words of peace, salvation, salutation; as an adjective it means: well, peaceful, whole, secure, safe, happy, friendly, healthy, sound (used of the body)." (Zodhaites,1785)
Recall that when Jesus was born in that stable in Bethlehem, the angels declared:
"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (Luke 2:14)
The grace and peace that Paul desires for Ephesian Christians comes from and is made available by the works of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Could you use some grace and peace in your life? Notice from the excerpt that this peace is not just a feeling but an actual condition that even extends to our relationships with other people. Often we find ourselves chasing after forms of security and safety, but they all turn out to be poor substitutes for what only God can offer and has offered in relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 9:15 AM
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