“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

Most epistles begin with a blessing (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 1:2). The Greek indicates Peter’s wish for these Asia Minor Christians that they would experience God’s grace and peace.

Grace

Peter wants us to bless believers, but that blessing comes in an exclusive form– in the “full knowledge” of God. God blesses us when we have an intimate, personal relationship with God. “Knowledge of God of Jesus our Lord” is the means of grace.

“Grace” is God’s favor and provision for the Christian. Peter wants God’s blessing to multiply in our lives. We do this through experiential knowledge of God (John 17:3). The more personal knowledge we have of God, the more He increases grace in our lives. Jesus is the means of that grace,

“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17).

When we feel that we cannot go on, the Lord provides His grace.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

God gives grace to help us just in the nick of time. His timing is perfect. We do not earn or deserve grace. We come to the throne of grace and receive what we need. We receive grace readily because God is the “God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10). God has cornered the market on grace.

God’s grace is available to us (Romans 12:3; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 3:8). God gives us what we need, whatever our situation or predicament. His grace will sustain us.

PRINCIPLE:

God commits Himself to provide for us and to sustain us.

APPLICATION:

Grace emphasizes the character and action of God on our behalf. God’s plan for us includes His participation in our lives. He willingly pours out unmerited favor upon His people. God has a perfect plan whereby imperfect creatures can function in His economy. That plan is His grace for us.

When we accept Christ, we join God’s team. God has a game plan for his team that cannot fail since the execution of the strategy rests upon the Coach. The second we sin, God’s plan of grace goes into action. Jesus lives to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25).

If a player in the NFL does something contrary to the coach’s game plan, the coach may bench him. When a Christian steps out of God’s game plan, God Himself does something to ensure play continues. Jesus’ blood keeps cleansing us from all sin (1 John 1:7). No one can ruin His plan. No matter what we do, we cannot exceed God’s grace for us. This cleansing is His endless grace.