“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.”
from God the Father
John assures his readers of the source of their grace, mercy, and peace. Note the two occurrences of the word “from.” We do not get the three spiritual commodities of grace, mercy, and peace from the natural world. They do not originate down here. The Father is one of two fountainheads of grace, mercy, and peace.
The New Testament regularly uses the formula “God the Father.” There is no confusion on this issue. God is the Creator of everyone but the Father of a few.
Mt 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
Jn 1:12-13, 12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
and from the Lord Jesus Christ,
The two givers (the Father and the Son) are equal givers – “from” (immediate personal source).
the Son of the Father,
This unique statement is the only occurrence of the phrase “the Son of the Father” in the New Testament. John designates this title here to put stress on the Incarnation of Christ. The Father and Son are coeternal and coequal. There never was nor ever will be anyone like God the Son.
PRINCIPLE:
God is the only source of grace, mercy, and peace.
APPLICATION:
We do not get grace, mercy, and peace in college or university. Professors there know nothing about these things. The tools they chose for arriving at the truth will not allow them to discover these wonderful spiritual commodities. The only source of these spiritual commodities is found in God.
