Grace and Peace

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

GRACE AND PEACE

1 Cor 1:1-3

1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ — their Lord and ours: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

We are still in the introduction of this letter and having considered the change that occurred in the life of Sosthenes and us, then how we have been declared sacred and set apart exclusively for God, we now turn our attention to this grace and peace. Although Paul uses this phrase often and it might be a common way if an introduction to a letter, it would not be that common, as this would not have been used among the Jews who wrote letters to each other nor would it have been used by any gentile. So then it might be common with Paul, as he writes to this new church formed around Jesus Christ. We noticed he has not called them Christians as that term has yet to be identified with those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. As for this grace and peace, we have delved into those Greek words before, and still, they are always interesting to meditate on. The Greek word translated here as grace is Charis, which is directly used as graciousness, (as gratify), however, it is specifically seen within the spiritual sense as the divine influence upon our heart and, its reflection in life, including gratitude. So then when Paul says to them that Grace is upon them, he may well be saying that the divine influence of Christ is in your hearts, and having His influence in your hearts, your life should reflect it. This then would also apply to us, as we are among those everywhere who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The question then begs to be asked. Do we reflect the divine influence that is in our hearts? The fact is that this divine influence is there. That is not in question. Jesus is there, and yes, through the power of the Spirit, who is actually dwelling within us. He is there and making his influence known to us, however, we are still the ones who must yield to His influence. He does not force himself upon us, making us into some form of robot or puppet, He having the controls or being the puppet master. We must learn to listen to his influence and allow him to be reflected in our lives. The Greek word translated here as peace carries a direct meaning of tranquility. It can be used as the opposite of war, such as in national tranquility, however, this is not how Paul is directing this word. It is meant to be directed into the hearts of men, much as grace is. So then in that sense, it carries this meaning of the tranquil state of our soul, assured of our salvation through Christ, and thus fearing nothing from God and content with our earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is. This is meant to be applied to every aspect of our lives, nothing is to be excluded. So then nothing should matter in regard to our condition in life, for we should be content. We have considered this before in regard to the opposite of content, which is discontent, which leads to envy, jealously, greed, lust, and all sorts of trouble within our hearts and minds. Discontentment can lead to disappointment and even discouragement or even depression. However, that too would have its root in refusing His divine influence. We need both his grace and peace in our lives if we are to live.  How rightly paired are grace and peace.