2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This verse contains a normal salutation of a New Testament epistle.
2 Grace to you (plural)
“Grace” is what God does for the believer. He has cornered the market on grace; He is the “God of all grace” (1 Pe 5:10). He is free to offer His resources to the Christian because Jesus paid for all sin of all time. People do not go to hell because of their sin; Jesus paid for that. They go to hell because they reject what Jesus did for them. Jesus did this for the group of believers in the sin-soaked city of Corinth—plural of “you.”
and peace
“Peace” always follows “grace.” We have peace because God granted His grace to the believer. He gives His very own peace (Php 4:6-7). We experience this peace when we fix our minds on the Lord (Isa 26:3) and not on ourselves.
from God our Father
The word “from” indicates source. God is the source of both grace and peace for the believer.
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only is the Father the source of grace and peace, but the Lord Jesus Christ is as well. The combination of the Father and Christ shows the deity of Christ (Jn 5:23, 17). Paul could not have said, “from God our Father and Paul.” That would have been outrageous.
PRINCIPLE:
We cannot have God’s peace without first encountering His grace.
APPLICATION:
A person can never possess peace with God or the peace of God without God’s grace (Ro 5:1). The blood of Christ gave us peace with God (Co 1:20). These two dynamics should never be detached.
We do not merit God’s grace. Grace is something He bestows freely because Christ made it possible by His death on the cross. God is the God of “all grace” (1 Pe 5:10). God’s grace super-abounds toward the believer (Ro 5:20). He gives “more grace” when we need it (Jas 4:6). God gives grace, then He gives more. We can come boldly (confidently) to the throne of grace (He 4:16). If we do, He will give us His peace (Isa 26:3; He 13:20).
Grace super-abounds for the believer (Ro 5:20). There is always grace for any need a Christian might have. We do not earn or merit grace. God always provides it for us because of Christ, not because of some merit on our part. God gives grace to the humble (1 Pe 5:5). Because of this, God’s grace is enough for any problem (2 Co 12:9). We need God’s grace because all of us face heartache and trouble.
