Greetings of Grace & Peace

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:1-2

Every letter of the apostle Paul in the New Testament begins with a variation of this greeting: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:1-2). Paul’s letters to Timothy include “mercy” along with grace and peace, and in a few of his letters, for example, the one to the Romans, there is much more description interpolated into the simple formula, but they too eventually include the same blessing: “Grace to you and peace.” 

In some ways, this is not remarkable. In its basic formula, it is the same greeting with which all letters began at the time: in the book of Acts, when Paul was arrested in the temple, and the Roman tribune sent him on to the governor, the tribune begins his explanatory letter in this way, “Claudias Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings" (Acts 23:26). Peter and Jude also begin their letters in similar ways: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect…may grace and peace be multiplied to you” (1 Peter 1:1-2). “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Christ Jesus: may mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you” (Jude 1-2). Even John begins Revelation with “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come” (Revelation 1:4). 

What a difference, though, between the “greetings” of the tribune to the governor and the “grace and peace,” the “mercy, peace, and love” of Paul and the other disciples to the saints in Christ! Each time Paul greets the saints of the church, he makes sure to bless them – no mere “greetings”. What is the nature of our greeting of others? Do we just say “hi” and move along, or do we bless them?

My wife was at our neighborhood Trader Joe’s the other day. We have a large family. She spends a lot of time at Trader Joe’s. One result of this is that she has developed relationships with several of the employees – and the week prior, she had met someone new and had spent a few minutes talking with her as she restocked the shelves. When this lady saw her again, her face brightened in a delighted smile, and she said, “Hi, Laura!” with such a contagious joy that you couldn’t help but smile yourself. When you greet someone with the grace and peace of Christ, even if you do not use the words “grace and peace,” you can share the joy that you have as a saint in Christ. 

By way of contrast, I confess that I sometimes allow myself to be too preoccupied to greet someone with the warmth that I ought to as their brother in Christ. How could I be more gracious? When I hold out the grace of Christ to another, I can overlook my own “needs” (which are mostly not really needs) and think more of my brother than myself. I can put aside the things that falsely claim my attention and give it instead to my sister. How can I show the peace of Christ to another? As Proverbs states, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word turns up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). If I greet someone with the peace of Christ, any resentment they may hold against me for having offended them (or vice versa) dissolves. Does your demeanor, and do your words, extend grace and peace to those with whom you interact? Or do you rather extend your anxiety, irritability, and preoccupation? You have a choice – you can share Christ in you with others, or you can share your sin. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)

In the book of Ruth, Boaz greets the men reaping his field, “The Lord be with you!” and they respond to him, “The Lord bless you” (Ruth 2:4). I don’t necessarily think that we should insist on saying these words instead of a more usual “hello, friend!” – but our face, our voice, our attention, and our time can still say to others “grace to you and peace, in the Lord Jesus Christ.”