God’s Greatest Blessings

Ephesians 1:2a declares, Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. What a cordial and comprehensive salutation that is! This verse presents the two greatest, most comprehensive blessings believers possess. While God’s blessings are numerous, the greatest of all are grace and peace.

As noted in an earlier installment, grace is used 12 times in Ephesians and stands out as the key word. Ephesians details what grace really means: The unmerited favour of God toward man manifested primarily through the person and work of Jesus Christ apart from any merit or works of man (see 2:4-9). Grace cannot be earned or purchased; it can only be received.

But Paul adds another word—peace. The Greek word behind this (eirēnē) means “a state of tranquility; the opposite of rage and war; harmony.” It is important that we understand this word in light of the Hebrew word shalom. This is a common greeting which means not so much the opposite of war but rather the opposite of any disturbance in the tranquility of God’s people. Paul in essence “borrows” the depth of the Hebrew word and brings it into the Greek. So because we are “in Christ,” there is tranquility between God and man (compare I Tim. 2:5). There are at least two correlations to observe here.

First, the order in Paul’s writings is always grace then peace because peace is always the result of grace. In fact, we never find peace apart from grace in the doctrinal Epistles. The reason is that God does not give peace apart from grace; neither can we know true peace without accepting God’s grace through the person and work of Christ. Picture it this way: Peace is the stream that flows from the fountain of grace. Why has there always been war and why will there always be wars until Jesus returns to the Earth? Because there can never be peace until man accepts God’s grace.

Second, Paul here couples greetings from the Greek and Hebrew cultures. Again, the Greek word is rooted in Hebrew thought. This is truly amazing. Grace is distinctly Greek in origin and peace is distinctly Jewish. But Paul brings them together in perfect balance. Could a more meaningful Christian greeting ever be found?

But ponder something else: From whom do these blessings come? First, God our Father is the Source of these blessings. God is, indeed, sovereign, holy, and absolutely pure. But praise be to Him, He is also a Father; He comes to us as a loving Father and gives us these blessings. Second, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Means of blessing. God had to have a medium through whom He could bestow His blessings, and it is through Christ alone that we receive grace and peace. May we truly grasp this thought: Without Christ we cannot receive grace and peace. John 1:17 declares: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” And Jesus Himself said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” It is, indeed, only through Jesus Christ that man can be saved from sin. This is not a popular view in our day, but it is still true.