Grace to You

Galatians 1:3

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,”

So far it has only been 67 years on planet earth and to my best recollection, no one has greeted me in this manner.  If someone other than the apostle Paul greeted you in such a method what would you take from that greeting?  It has much to do with your understanding of the words used in the greeting.

Often when I hear the word grace, this comes to mind; Grace is God’s unmerited favor.  It is not earned nor can it be, it is given freely and it is found in Jesus Christ exchanging His life for ours.  First we find it is freely given, it is for whosoever as stated in John 3:16.  Grace also empowers us for service to others and to God, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.  On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”  (1 Corinthians 15:10)  Grace also enables you and I to live a simple life (2 Corinthians 1:12).

Many have refused the offer of grace, look once more at 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, and many rendered it ineffective by religious works. Paul gives this warning to the Galatia church, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:21)  It is also clear in Scripture that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  (James 4:6)

So my dear reader, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice