Philippians 1:2 – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today I want to ask a couple of questions regarding verse two of chapter one, hopefully inviting more of a discussion. We’ll take the weekend to dialogue about the questions I pose for today’s post. Please join in with your comments, thoughts, insight, and questions. (Note: I have changed the setting so that anyone can comment – you don’t have to have a blogger account now. So join in. You don’t even have to label who you are, but it is nice to know.)
Paul loved to incorporate the words grace and peace into his writings, for he paired them in the greeting section of every one of his thirteen letters. A study note in my New Geneva Study Bible states that grace and peace are “a concise expression of the effect of Christ’s saving work …” Once we have received Jesus, His work delivers unto us grace and peace.
1. What is grace?
2. What is peace?
3. Obviously our source for these things is God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. But why does Paul mention them separately here? If they are one in the same, why doesn’t he just mention one or the other? Why are they distinctly named in this verse?
You know, as I sit here and think about grace and peace, I’m dumbfounded that there is NOTHING we can do to earn them. We have never, can never, will never be able to do anything that would give us rights to even a morsel of His grace and peace by our own efforts. Frankly, I am humbled, having received His glorious grace and His calming peace, that the Holy God of all would lavish these beautiful gifts on one so unholy. The formula is simple yet perplexingly and illogically profound.
I can’t help but be reminded of a song as I type. If you are a worship music guru as I consider myself to be (although I’m quite picky – no Jesus-is-my-boyfriend type songs!), you would appreciate the work of Sovereign Grace Music. The Gospel message is weaved through their songs reminding us of who God is and who we are. Anyhow, I’ll end today’s post with Always Forgiven. Spend some time over the weekend studying and pondering these questions. As you do so, continually give thanks for the gifts of God’s grace and peace.
I don’t deserve to be Your servant
And how much less to be Your child
Anger and wrath, sure condemnation
Should be my portion, my just reward
Never have seen it, never will know it
Your lovingkindness enfolds my life
All You have shown me is grace, love, and mercy
Now and forever, I am Your child
Freely You pour out Your loving kindness
Father of Grace, You welcome me in
All of the sin I have committed
Was placed upon Your righteous Son
And now You see me through His perfection
As if I’d never done any wrong
Always forgiven, always accepted
No fear of judgment before Your throne
©2003 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries.
From Worship God Live. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
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6 comments:
Wish I could hear you sing it!
I was thinking about grace and peace and it may be that one is the cause and the other the effect. God's grace gives us God's peace. I don't think it would work the other way around (God's peace gives us God's grace). I'm thinking grace comes first. Like first you're born, then you breathe. (I think there's a poem there somewhere).
And now I'm curious! What does a "Jesus is my boyfriend" song sound like? Can you give me an example? Maybe sneak it to me if you don't want to name names. :)
alice
Alice, girl, I love ya! You crack me up. First of all, great insight into the grace first then peace thing. Never thought of that. Seems true though.
I'll send you a list of songs if I can even remember b/c usually I dismiss them all.
Carmen says:
I believe that grace is not only something that God gives to us, it's something we must give to others. We must learn to treat others with Grace in this life in order to 'tolerate'(for lack of a better word) others that we come into contact. Especially those that aren't in Christ or those that are new in Christ. Grace is a loving way in which we handle circumstances and encounters that are not always easy. Even amoung brothers and sisters in Christ we have differing opinions and desires within the body. These situations require grace. We must learn to give some of the Grace God has given to us.
To add some thoughts to Paul's last letter, it's notable that he is cold and still uncomfortable. He wants Timothy to bring a coat and to come before winter. Yet he is always praising God and not dwelling on any of these discomforts....he has no regrets following Christ to the end.
Carmen says..again,
Grace was such big deal to Paul, because he felt he was certainly the most undeserving person to receive it; afterall he persecuted Christians and cursed our Lord.
Peace is the result of knowing God and with whom you belong. They are entirely different.
Grace is God's free gift of salvation. Peace is the result of receiving God's Grace....'the peace that passes all understanding.' Phillipians 4:7
this from Carmen's husband, Alan
Carmen, I love your comment about us needing to extend grace to others. So true, so true! I can spend a lot of time griping and groaning about people (and they can about me!), how much better it is to remember that "we all like sheep have gone astray" and that we are being true children of God when we don't demand our own way or insist that people shape up or ship out.
alice
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