![]() ![]() Paul the Jew was saying that here in Christ is finally shalom. When Paul, therefore, wrote “peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” we can’t think he was merely referencing being okay with God and not fighting. What was lost at the fall was shalom, and the final restoration of all things was not just to be a return to God, but a return to shalom. The Israelites were redeemed as God’s people through God’s covenant, receiving God’s hesed (covenantal love), so that they could be a holy nation and worship God, all so that there might experience and share God’s shalom-an everything-as-it-should-be peace. God’s shalom is one of the main themes of the Old Testament. ![]() And shalom is a massive concept with much hope attached to it. The word “peace” meant more to Jews like Paul than just “on God’s side” or “not fighting with one another.” The word “peace” in Paul’s greetings is the Greek version of the Hebrew word shalom. Both of these are biblical ideas and correct, but we miss something substantial if we stop here. We assume that he’s mainly talking about the peace we have with God through salvation and the peace we have with one another through the gospel. ” What About “Peace”?īut what about peace? Of the two terms, this is the one I think we Gentile Christians often move past too quickly. Paul begins his letters with grace, then, because it is the essence of Christianity: “Grace to you God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because all of creation exists so that he could wonderfully display his grace. Grace is what God designed us to love as human beings. Rather, the most beautiful, appealing reality in the universe is a powerful, praise-worthy loving God who treats rebels better than they could’ve ever imagined. And it makes sense to us, doesn’t it? What’s the most beautiful, appealing reality in the world? Not just a powerful, praise-deserving God. That is the ultimate goal of the universe. All of that is ours not because of anything we’ve done, but all by God’s grace.Įven more, Paul in Ephesians 1:6 tells us that the whole forming of the world and work of salvation is ultimately to “the praise of the glory of his grace.” This means that all of history and salvation exists so that we may praise God, so that we may glorify God, but even more specifically so that we may glorify God for his grace. But the gospel is that God in mercy sent Christ so that sinners can be justified, so that those who deserve to be separated from God can be brought near to him, so that those who are enemies may become God’s friends, so that those are should face eternal punishment receive eternal life. ![]() We are saved by grace, meaning, we don’t deserve it, nor earn it. Grace is the word which best summarizes the Christian gospel as a whole. And I lean towards believing the apostle Paul knew this. In fact, I think “grace and peace” are two brilliant terms to summarize Christianity as a whole. ![]() So I personally can’t think these are throw away terms, nor that they’re just two semi-random Christian words he chose to always begin letters with. Even theologians and biblical commentators often brush it off as not too important, saying it is his “greeting” which was similar to a common greeting of the day, then moving on.īut Paul was a brilliant man, as his letters show. The apostle Paul begins each of his letters with some variation of the greeting “grace and peace.” Many of us have read this many times that we haven’t considered why he might be doing this. ![]()
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