2<\/strong>. Grace<\/em> be to you, and peace<\/em> ] So in the opening words of Rom., 1 Cor., 2 Cor., Gal., Phil., Col., 1 Thess., 2 Thess., Philem., 1 Pet., 2 Pet., and Rev. In the Pastoral Epistles, and in 2 John, the remarkable addition “mercy” appears; in Jude, “mercy, peace, and love.” In these salutations, “Grace” is all the free and loving favour of God in its spiritual efficacy; “Peace” is specially the complacency of reconciliation with which He regards His people, but so as to imply also its results in<\/em> them; repose, serenity of soul; spiritual happiness, in the largest sense. See further on Eph 6:23-24<\/span> below.<\/p>\n from God our Father<\/em> ] To St Paul God is the Pater Noster<\/em> of Christians, in the inner sense of their union by faith with His Son. The Scriptures, while not ignoring a universal Fatherhood of God towards mankind, always tend to put into the foreground the Fatherhood and Sonship of special connexion; that of covenant, of grace, of faith. Among many leading passages see, in N. T., Joh 1:12<\/span>; Rom 8:14<\/span>, &c.; Gal 3:26<\/span>; 1Jn 3:1-2<\/span>.<\/p>\n and<\/em> from the Lord Jesus Christ<\/em> ] He, equally with His Father, is the Giver of eternal blessing, and the Lord of the soul. Incidental phrases of this kind form a testimony to the Proper Deity of the Saviour weightier, if possible, than even that of direct dogmatic passages. They indicate the drift of the <\/em> main current<\/em><\/strong> of apostolic belief. See further on Eph 3:19<\/span> below.<\/p>\n Grace to you, … – <\/B>see the notes, Rom 1:7<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n Verse 2<\/span>. Grace be to you<\/B><\/I>] See Clarke on <\/span>Ro 1:7<\/span><\/span>.<\/P><\/p>\n Blessed be; <\/B>i.e. thanked, praised. We bless God when we praise him for, and acknowledge him in, his excellencies or benefits. <\/P> Who hath blessed us; <\/B>hath vouchsafed or communicated, all spiritual blessings to us. God blesseth us when he doeth good to us: and so the word blessed<\/I> is taken in a different sense from what it was in the former clause. <\/P> With all; <\/B>of all sorts or kinds. <\/P> Spiritual blessings; <\/B>in opposition to temporal and worldly, which the carnal Jews principally expected, and the law mostly promised, {Deu 28:1-14<\/span>} and which were but types and shadows of those spiritual blessings which immediately relate to the spiritual life and salvation of believers. <\/P> In heavenly places; <\/B>Gr. supercelestial, or heavenly: understand either: <\/P> 1. Things; and then it seems to be the same as spiritual blessings, only in other terms. Or: <\/P> 2. Places, in opposition to earthly places, particularly the land of Canaan, in which God had formerly promised to bless his people. These spiritual blessings are in heavenly places, because, though they reach us here on earth, yet they are derived to us from God and Christ in heaven, and in heaven only have their full perfection and consummation hereafter. <\/P> In Christ; <\/B>by or through Christ; upon the account of whose merit, and by whose efficiency, these spiritual blessings are derived from God to us. Or, in Christ as our Head, the repository and seat of all Divine blessings, from whom they flow down upon us as his members, receiving all we have out of his fulness. He seems to have respect to the promise made to Abraham, Gen 22:18<\/span>; That in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed; pointing out Christ as that seed, and those blessings as spiritual. See Act 3:25<\/span>,26<\/span>. <\/P> <\/p>\n 2.<\/B> (Rom 1:7<\/span>;1Co 1:3<\/span>; 2Co 1:2<\/span>;Gal 1:3<\/span>).<\/P><\/p>\n Grace be to you, and peace from God<\/strong>,….<\/p>\n [See comments on Ro 1:7]<\/span>.<\/p>\n Grace. One of the leading words of the epistle. 166 It is used thirteen times.<\/P> <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n 1) “Grace be to you, and peace”<\/strong> (charis humin kai eirene) “Grace to or toward you and peace,” or “may grace and peace be to or toward you all.” Paul desired that the abiding, unmerited favor of God’s goodness might hover over, around, and in the Ephesus saints.<\/p>\n 2) “From God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus <\/strong>(apo theou patros hemon kai kuriou lesou christou) Men, whose fellowship with God has been broken by depravity and sin-deeds, may have their fellowship with God restored by Grace, which brings reconciliation between God and the sinner. Peace is a fruit of accepted grace and salvation Rom 5:11<\/span>; Rom 1:7<\/span>; 1Ti 1:2<\/span>. God’s saving grace calls man to growing grace, 2Pe 3:18<\/span>; and giving grace; 2Co 4:15<\/span>; 2Co 8:1<\/span>; 2Co 8:6-7<\/span>; 2Co 8:19<\/span>; 2Co 9:14<\/span>; Rom 6:1<\/span>.<\/p>\n (2) Grace be to you, and peace.<\/strong>On this, St. Pauls all but invariable salutation in every Epistle (found also in the Epistles of St. Peter, 2 John, and Apocalypse), see Note on Rom. 1:7<\/span>.<\/p>\n (2 a.<\/em>) In Eph. 1:3-6<\/span>, the first section of the Introduction, the Epistle ascends at once into the heavenly places, naturally catching therefrom the tone of adoration and thanksgiving. It dwells on the election of the children of God by His predestinating lovean election based on His will, designed for His glory, and carrying with it the blessings of the Spirit, through which they become holy and unblamable before Him. On the whole section comp. Rom. 8:28-30<\/span>.<\/p>\n 2<\/strong>. <\/strong> Grace<\/strong> The first of all blessings. <\/p>\n And peace<\/strong> The blessed result.<\/p>\n God<\/strong> The first fountain of grace<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Christ<\/strong> The great maker of peace<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The benediction is the beautiful precursor of the delightful sunshine reigning through the whole epistle. Though a prisoner’s chain was on his arm, the rapture of blessing was in the apostle’s heart.<\/p>\n (2) Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n I detain the Reader at this verse only to remark, that when the Apostle pronounceth this blessing of grace and peace, it will be proper for us to consider, that the latter is the fruit of the former. Grace is the source and cause of all our blessings, because this is the free, unpurchased, everlasting love and favor of Jehovah, in his threefold character of Persons, towards the Church in Christ, and from whence all the effects in pardon, mercy, and peace, result. And when the Apostle adds; from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost is included, because neither of, those mercies could be known by us, much less enjoyed by us, but from the manifestation of them by the Lord the Spirit. It is blessed, indeed, to observe, bow each glorious Person graciously cooperate in this, and every act, as it concerns the Church’s welfare. God the Father manifests grace in the original choice of the Church in Christ before all worlds. God the Son manifests grace in the betrothing the Church to himself from everlasting, and in the time-state of the Church, makes her peace in the blood of his cross. And God the Spirit manifests grace in regeneration from the Adam-nature of the fall, and revealing all that we are brought into acquaintance with, of the love and favor of each glorious Person, for our joy here, and, our happiness hereafter. Hence, Paul, upon another occasion prays, that the Lord, (that is, the Holy Ghost,) may direct the hearts of the redeemed into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. 2Th 3:5<\/span> .<\/p>\n 2 Grace be<\/em> to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from<\/em> the Lord Jesus Christ. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Ver. 2. Grace be to you, and peace<\/strong> ] These go fitly together; because we must seek our peace in the free grace and favour of God. The ark and mercy seat were never sundered. <\/p>\n 2<\/strong> .] After <\/strong> . <\/strong> <\/strong> . <\/strong> <\/strong> .<\/strong> supply rather than ; see 1Pe 1:2 ; 2Pe 1:2<\/span> ; Jud 1:2<\/span> . On the form of greeting, cf. Rom 1:7<\/span> ; 1Co 1:3<\/span> ; 2Co 1:2<\/span> ; Gal 1:3<\/span> , &c.<\/p>\n The Socinian perversion of the words, ‘ from God, who is the Father of us and of our Lord Jesus Christ<\/em> ,’ is decisively refuted by Tit 1:4<\/span> , not to mention that nothing but the grossest ignorance of St. Paul’s spirit could ever allow such a meaning to be thought of. We must not fall into the error of refining too much, as Stier, on and , as referring respectively to and : see [1] above, where these last epithets do not occur.<\/p>\n [1] When, in the Gospels, and in the Evangelic statement, 1Co 11:23-25<\/span> , the sign () occurs in a reference, it is signified that the word occurs in the parallel place<\/em> in the other Gospels, which will always be found indicated at the head of the note<\/em> on the paragraph. When the sign () is qualified<\/em> , thus, ‘ Mk.,’ or ‘ Mt. Mk.,’ &c., it is signified that the word occurs in the parallel place in that Gospel or Gospels, but not in the other or others<\/em> .<\/p>\n Eph 1:2<\/span> . : Grace to you and peace<\/em> . Supply , on the analogy of other optatives, e.g.<\/em> , in 1Pe 1:2<\/span> ; 2Pe 1:2<\/span> ; Jud 1:2<\/span> . This is the Christian rendering of the greeting with which letters began. It combines the Greek form with the Hebrew, but translates the of the former into the evangelical . What Paul desires for his readers is the enjoyment of the free, loving favour of God and the peace which results from it. This is the usual form which the opening salutation takes in the Epistles of the NT. So it is in Romans , 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians , 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Phm 1:1<\/span> and 2 Peter; as also in Rev 1:4<\/span> . It is not, however, the only form. In James, but only in him, we have the old formula (Eph 1:1<\/span> ). In 1 and 2 Timothy and 2 John (but not in Titus according to the best reading) it is , , ; and in Jude we find . : from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ<\/em> . The grace<\/em> and peace<\/em> desired for the readers by the writer are blessings which come only from God the Father and from Christ. The “Lord Jesus Christ” is named along with “God our Father” as the giver of the grace and peace a collocation impossible except on the supposition that the writer held Christ to be of the same rank with God or in a unique relation to Him. There is a distinction indicated here between God and Jesus Christ. But it is not in what they are able to give; for the gifts of grace and peace come from both. Nor is any distinction suggested here in respect of nature<\/em> . But there is a distinction in respect of relation<\/em> to believers. To the receivers of grace and peace God is in the relation of Father<\/em> ; to the same subjects Christ is in the relation of Lord<\/em> . God is Father<\/em> , having made them His children by adoption. Christ is Lord<\/em> , being constituted Head of the Church and having won the right to their loving obedience and honour; cf.<\/em> MacP., in loco,<\/p>\n Grace. App-184. Occurs twelve times in Eph. <\/p>\n from. App-104. <\/p>\n Father. App-98. <\/p>\n Lord. App-98. <\/p>\n 2.] After . . . supply rather than ; see 1Pe 1:2; 2Pe 1:2; Jud 1:2. On the form of greeting, cf. Rom 1:7; 1Co 1:3; 2Co 1:2; Gal 1:3, &c.<\/p>\n The Socinian perversion of the words, from God, who is the Father of us and of our Lord Jesus Christ, is decisively refuted by Tit 1:4, not to mention that nothing but the grossest ignorance of St. Pauls spirit could ever allow such a meaning to be thought of. We must not fall into the error of refining too much, as Stier, on and , as referring respectively to and : see [1] above, where these last epithets do not occur.<\/p>\n [1] When, in the Gospels, and in the Evangelic statement, 1Co 11:23-25, the sign () occurs in a reference, it is signified that the word occurs in the parallel place in the other Gospels, which will always be found indicated at the head of the note on the paragraph. When the sign () is qualified, thus, Mk., or Mt. Mk., &c., it is signified that the word occurs in the parallel place in that Gospel or Gospels, but not in the other or others.<\/p>\n Eph 1:2<\/p>\n Eph 1:2<\/p>\n Grace to you-This is a prayer that God would give them all the blessings they were capable of receiving and enjoying.<\/p>\n and peace-Peace is a state of freedom from war. As war conveys the idea of discord and numberless calamities and dangers, so peace is the opposite, and conveys the idea of concord, safety, and prosperity. Thus to wish one peace is the same as to wish him safety and prosperity. The word peace is used in contrast with that state of agitation and conflict which a sinner has with his conscience. The sinner is like the troubled sea which cannot rest. (Isa 57:20). The Christian is at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:1).<\/p>\n from God our Father-God is the Father of all Christians, as they have been begotten by him unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1Pe 1:3), have been adopted into his family, and are like him. (Mat 5:45; 1Jn 3:1-2). The expression here is equivalent to a prayer that God the Father would bestow grace and peace on them.<\/p>\n and the Lord Jesus Christ.-The two graces are here in their due order; for there is no peace without grace. They cover the whole space of the believers life; for it begins in grace, its latter end is peace. [There is a certain intensity of bright suggestion in the asserted origin of these blessings. The Father is the God of all grace (1Pe 5:10) and the God of peace (Heb 13:20); and equally so grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Joh 1:17), and he is our peace (Eph 2:14). But the Father is the original fountain of all blessings, and Jesus Christ is the dispenser of the blessings to the faithful believer.]<\/p>\n Rom 1:7, 2Co 1:2, Gal 1:3, Tit 1:4 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Psa 85:8 – unto his Dan 4:1 – Peace Luk 11:2 – Our Rom 15:13 – fill 1Co 1:3 – General Gal 1:4 – our 1Th 1:1 – Grace 2Th 1:7 – his mighty angels Phm 1:3 – General<\/p>\n (Eph 1:2.) -Grace to you and peace. The apostolical salutation is cordial and comprehensive. Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor, greeting-Paul to the Ephesians, grace and peace. It is far more expressive than the , , or of the ancient classic formula. The same or similar phraseology occurs in the beginning of most of the epistles. , allied to and the Latin gratia, signifies favour, and, especially in the New Testament, divine favour – that goodwill on God’s part which not only provides and applies salvation, but blesses, cheers, and assists believers. As a wish expressed for the Ephesian church, it does not denote mercy in its general aspect, but that many-sided favour that comes in the form of hope to saints in despondency, of joy to them in sorrow, of patience to them in suffering, of victory to them under assault, and of final triumph to them in the hour of death. And so the apostle calls it -grace in order to well-timed assistance. Heb 4:16. <\/p>\n – Peace, is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew , H8934-a term of familiar and beautiful significance. It includes every blessing-being and wellbeing. It was the formula of ordinary courtesy at meeting and parting. Peace I leave with you, said our Lord; but the term was no symbol of cold and formal politeness-not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Joh 14:27. The word in this connection denotes that form of spiritual blessing which keeps the heart in a state of happy repose. It is therefore but another phase, or rather it is the result, of the previous . Stier distinguishes these two blessings, as if they corresponded to the previous epithets , grace being appropriate to the saints, as the first basis of their sanctification; and peace to the faithful, as the last aim or effect of their confidence in God. But grace and peace are often employed in salutations where the two epithets of saints and believers in Christ Jesus do not occur, so that it would be an excess of refinement either to introduce such a distinction in this place, or to say, with the same author, that the two expressions foreshadow the dualism of the epistle-first, the grace of God toward the church, and then its faith toward Him. Nor can we, as Jerome hints, ascribe grace to the Father and peace to the Son as their separate and respective sources. A conscious possession of the divine favour can alone create and sustain mental tranquillity. To use an impressive figure of Scripture, the unsanctified heart resembles the troubled sea, in constant uproar and agitation-dark, muddy, and tempestuous; but the storm subsides, for a voice of power has cried, Peace, be still, and there is a great calm: the lowering clouds are dispelled, and the azure sky smiles on its own reflec tion in the bosom of the quiet and glassy deep. The favour of God and the felt enjoyment of it, the apostle wishes to the members of the Ephesian church in this salutation; yea, grace and peace- <\/p>\n -from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The source of these spiritual blessings is now stated. Erasmus, Morus, and some Socinian interpreters, would understand the connection as if were governed by , and not by -From God our Father, the Father, too, of our Lord Jesus Christ. This interpretation would sever Jesus from the bestowment of these blessings, as, in such an exegesis, they are supposed to descend from God, who is our Father, and who is at the same time designated as Christ’s Father. This construction is wholly unwarranted. Father and Son are both specified as the sources of grace and peace. Grace and peace are not earth-born blessings; they descend from heaven, from God on His glorious throne, whose high prerogative it is to send down those special influences; and from Christ at His right hand, who has provided these blessed gifts by His sufferings and death-who died to secure, and is exalted to bestow them, and whose constant living sympathy with His people enables Him to appreciate their wants, and prompts Him out of His own fulness to supply them. God is described as our Father-. Our sonship will be illustrated under Eph 1:5. The universal Governor being the parent of believers, who have a common fatherhood in Him, grace and peace are viewed as paternal gifts. <\/p>\n The Saviour is characterized as Lord Jesus Christ; Lord, Master, or Proprietor. is often applied to Jesus in the Pauline writings. It corresponds to the theocratic intimations of a king-a great king-to preside over the spiritual Sion. Psa 110:1. Gabler, in his New Theological Journal, iv. p. 11, has affirmed, that in the New Testament , without the article, refers to God, and that is the uniform appellation of Christ-a distinction which cannot be maintained, as may be seen by a reference to Rom 15:11; 1Co 10:26; Heb 8:2; for in all those passages the reference is to God, and yet the article is prefixed. Winer, 19, 1. Like in many places, it is often used without the article when it refers to Christ. In about two hundred and twenty instances in the writings of Paul, denotes the Saviour, and in about a hundred instances it is joined to His other names, as in the phrase before us. Perhaps in not more than three places, which are not quotations or based on quotations, does Paul apply to God. It was a familiar and favourite designation-the exalted Jesus is Lord of all-He has made Him both Lord and Christ. He has won this Lordship by His blood. Php 2:8; Php 2:11. He has been exalted, that every tongue should salute Him as Lord. 1Co 12:3. While the title may belong to Him as Creator and Preserver, it is especially given Him as the enthroned God-man, for His sceptre controls the universe. The range of that Lordship has infinitude for its extent, and eternity for its duration. The term, as Suicer quaintly remarks, refers not to , but to . And as He is Head of the Church, and Head over all things to the Church-its Prop rietor, Organizer, Governor, Guardian, Blesser, and Judge-whose law it obeys, whose ordinances it hallows, whose spirit it cherishes, whose truth it conserves, and whose welcome to glory it anticipates and prepares for; therefore may He, sustaining such a relation to His spiritual kingdom, be so often and so fondly named as Lord. The apostle invokes upon the Ephesians grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ, whose supreme administration was designed to secure, and does actually confer, those lordly gifts. <\/p>\n The mention of spiritual blessing fills the susceptible mind of the apostle with ardent gratitude, and incites him to praise. In his writings argument often rises into doxology-logic swells into lyrics. The Divine Source of these glorious gifts, He who gives them so richly and so constantly, is worthy of rapturous homage. They who get all must surely adore Him who gives all. With the third verse begins a sentence which terminates only at the end of the 14th verse, a sentence which enumerates the various and multiplied grounds of praise. These are:-holiness as the result and purpose of God’s eternal choice-adoption with its fruits, springing from the good pleasure of His will with the profuse bestowment of grace-all tracing themselves to the Father: pardon of sin by the blood of Christ-the summation of all things in Him-the interest of believers in Him-these in special connection with the Son: and the united privilege of hearing, and trusting, and being sealed, with their possession of the Earnest of future felicity-a sphere of blessing specially belonging to the Holy Ghost. Such are the leading ideas of a magnificent anthem-not bound together in philosophical precision, but each suggesting the other by a law of powerful association. The one truth instinctively gives birth to the other, and the connection is indicated chiefly by a series of participles. <\/p>\n Eph 1:2. Grace and peace are commented upon at Gal 1:3. In every instance of this kind of passage the point is emphatic that God and Christ are the source of these good things.<\/p>\n These words may be considered two ways, 1. As a religious salutation, taken from the manner of the Jews, who expressed their desires for one another’s well-doing, by wishing peace, that is, all kind of happiness and prosperity to each other; Christianity doth neither forbid or abolish, but doth spiritualize and improve, civility, humanity, and common courtesy. <\/p>\n The words may be considered as an apostolical benediction, in imitation of the priest’s blessing, Num 6:1. The apostles were the patriarchs or spiritual fathers of the church of the New Testament, as the sons of Jacob were of the Old; accordingly they bless their children, wishing grace from God the Father, or grace from God as a Father; thereby denoting, that God bestows not his grace as a Creator, but as a Father in Christ, in a discriminating way and peculiar manner. And peace from our Lord Jesus Christ; he being the purchaser of our peace, he upon whom the chastisement of our peace was laid, and he that made peace for us by the blood of his cross; and thereupon God of his free grace accepts us, justifies us, and is at peace with us.<\/p>\n Learn, That such as have received most grace from God, stand in farther need of supplies of grace from him; they are thankful for peace, but they cannot content themselves with peace without grace; they desire both to have the heart and love of God set upon them, as well as pacified towards them; they desire to be pardoned, but above all seek to be beloved of the Father.<\/p>\n Grace [be] to you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ. <\/p>\n Grace and peace are the request of the apostle. He asks for these items to be extended from two sources – both the Father and the Son. Rather well speaks to the truth of the trinity, that the members of the trinity act independently and that they are separate, yet God. Only God can extend grace and peace. <\/p>\n Ought we to refer back to what people think of you? How do they see you as a believer? Do they consider you full of grace? Do they consider you at peace? <\/p>\n How often I’ve seen believers falling apart over minor occurrences in their life – how do the unsaved see this type of action? I rather expect they see a person that believes in a very small God – one that can’t help them through the difficulties of life – so why should they listen to you when you tell them that your God can help them through the hard times? <\/p>\n Since Paul asked God and Christ to shed forth grace and peace upon the believers at Ephesus, might we not have an example that we should, in our prayer meetings\/times, be asking for grace and peace upon those we pray for, our missionaries, our pastors, our teachers, our children, our EVERYONE? I think this is an excellent addition to anyone s prayer list. Help those you pray for along by asking God to give them grace and peace. <\/p>\n Know, on the other hand, that if they don’t have grace and peace, that God may bring trials into their lives so that they can learn grace and peace. This might be something to consider as it relates to this passage – maybe Paul knew they were facing some times where they would need grace and peace and he was asking God to bring into their lives those things that would give them grace and peace. <\/p>\n The term peace is related to that which is opposed to war. If you have war, you have conflict and you need to work at finding peace. Peace is not a given, it is a sought after and found item that is not all that easy to gain. <\/p>\n Imagine also the person in Ephesus that has been going through hard times. He goes to church and hears that Paul is asking God to give you grace and peace. That had to have been a great encouragement and comfort for them. Maybe your missionary could use that encouragement from you in a letter today – after you have asked God to give it to them. <\/p>\n My goodness, what an encouragement we should be to our missionaries and pastors. Pray for them as often as you can. I was going to say as often as you think of them, but that may not be adequate. <\/p>\n Now, to the question that I am sure has come to some of those logical minds reading this. Why would Paul seek grace and peace from both members of the Trinity? Let’s observe. <\/p>\n a. There must be a reason for this request – it isn’t just an introduction to a letter that he uses as part of a template in his Word processor – something he says anytime he sends a letter to someone. It was something he had thought out and that he wanted to say. <\/p>\n b. Both members of the Trinity must be able to extend both items requested. <\/p>\n c. God the Father is the Father, while Christ the Son is our brother. There may be a truth in the thought that a father’s grace and peace might be different than a Brothers grace and peace. You might consider this for further study; we won’t delve into it here. <\/p>\n If both members of the Trinity can extend the items, then Paul must have thought the Ephesian believers needed a double dose of them. On the same plain, why not give the people every benefit that he can, relating to grace and peace. <\/p>\n d. Though there is subservience in the Trinity, it might be possible that the Father must authorize the extension of grace and peace, while the Son would be the source and delivery system. I doubt that this is the case. <\/p>\n e. Since one of the fruits of the Spirit is peace, then it would seem that all members of the Trinity can extend peace. So, why didn’t Paul include the Spirit in his introduction? Is there something different between the peace of the Spirit and the peace of the Father and of the Son? I rather doubt it. (Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”) <\/p>\n I am not sure that the doctrine of the Spirit was really developed in the mind of the church at this point in time. This doctrine wasn’t discussed till much later in the early church’s life. Paul may have just been using terms and concepts that he knew the believers could understand and grasp. <\/p>\n I suspect he just wanted to gain grace and peace for the believers so requested it from the Lord in a general way. <\/p>\n This passage also points up the thought of praying to Christ as well as to the Father. There is nothing wrong in praying to Christ, but our primary prayers should be aimed toward the Father as is in keeping with the “Lord’s Prayer,” “Our Father which art in heaven….” <\/p>\n I might make mention of the idea of praying to Jesus. Again, nothing wrong about it but the example is “Our Father” thus should be our focus. To use the earthly name of Christ, Jesus, as your focus in life to me is rather inconsistent with the Word. The term Jesus is seldom used alone in the New Testament epistles; it is normally linked to “Lord” or “Christ” which tends to relegate the earthly name of our Lord to a subservient position. He is God first and completely, “Jesus” only relates to thirty some years of His eternal existence – seems incorrect to dwell on the minor when there is so much major to concentrate on. <\/p>\n By way of application, I would encourage you to consider your ways if you are one that uses this sort of introduction to your personal letters. Doing this is not wrong, nor do I demean those that do it, but I would encourage you to give serious thought each time you use such a greeting. Be sure you are being serious and thoughtful in your words, rather than just jotting down a greeting to be spiritual or to satisfy a habit. <\/p>\n Paul greeted his readers by wishing God’s grace and peace on them, as he did in all of his other epistles. Grace (Gr. charis<\/span>) expresses God’s unmerited favor and divine enablement, which are the portion of every saint. Peace (Gr. eirene<\/span>, which translates the Hebrew shalom<\/span>) is our condition resulting from God’s grace to us. We have peace with God and we can experience the peace of God, the fullness of His blessing, because of His grace (cf. Num 6:25-26).<\/p>\n "So if we want a concise summary of the good news which the whole letter announces, we could not find a better one than the three monosyllables ’peace through grace’." [Note: Stott, p. 28.] <\/span><\/p>\n Grace [be] to you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ. 2. Grace be to you, and peace ] So in the opening words of Rom., 1 Cor., 2 Cor., Gal., Phil., Col., 1 Thess., 2 Thess., Philem., 1 Pet., 2 Pet., and Rev. In the Pastoral Epistles, and in … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ephesians 1:2”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29147\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Greek Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"