1 Corinthians 1:3

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

NASU

 

Paul concludes his greetings to the Corinthian church with two incredible words and an explanation of the source of the expressions.

 

 1.  “Grace” |  (charis / khar’-ece) :  the God willed divine favor bestowed upon a life.  Also, the divine influence upon the heart of the recipient.  Simply:  God’s favor.

 

2.  “peace” |  (eirene / i-ray’-nay) :   the restful, tranquil condition of a soul and mind that is assured of salvation through Christ.

 

3.  “…from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” | Paul is careful to include the source of the grace and peace.  Realizing that true rest and favor can only come from God.

 

As Paul writes this letter to the Corinthians, he chooses his words very wisely and deliberately.  The Corinthian church was in a state of turmoil and dissension.  Many factions had formed within the church.  Immorality had become prevalent within Corinth to the point that the word Korinthiazomai (“to act like a Corinthian”) became synonymous with “practicing fornication”.  So, Paul understood the Corinthians’ need for “grace” and “peace”.  His words would have been received with significance. 

 

Throughout our day we use an incredible quantity of words, verbal and written.  Of the thousands of terms and phrases that come from our mouths, how many have true significance?  We have become a people that “speak much” and “say little.”  Through his divinely inspired words, Paul utters a statement so noteworthy in the life of a believer that the resonance of the phrase endures to this very moment… “…Grace to you and peace..”.  How desperately we need to hear this blessing lamented over our individual lives!  Oh, how the trials and strains of life could be soothed by the healing ointment of God’s divine favor and rest bestowed upon us!   Who among us would not eagerly accept the divine grace and peace of God poured out over the difficulties of lives engulfed with deadlines, uncertainties, turmoil, anxieties, and heaviness?   Let us receive today the divine favor, blessing and rest that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are so prepared to furnish!

 

Application/Challenge:  Will each of us “weigh” our words to others as we speak today?  Will we so carefully monitor our vocabulary that our words will carry significance to those that hear?  Challenge yourself today to verbally bless someone with God’s grace and peace.  Utter words of significance to others today and listen for weight in the words of others.