Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:2).
In journalism, there's an old adage: "Don't bury the lede." It simply means to make sure to put the most important part of the story near the beginning.
Don't play tricks or games with your audience. Let them know right from the top the critical info of your story. Don't bury the lead.
A couple of thousand years before The New York Times or "60 Minutes," the Apostle Paul practices good news writing. He doesn't bury the lede. He makes sure the folks in Ephesus get the most critical data at the top.
Don't play tricks or games with your audience. Let them know right from the top the critical info of your story. Don't bury the lead.
A couple of thousand years before The New York Times or "60 Minutes," the Apostle Paul practices good news writing. He doesn't bury the lede. He makes sure the folks in Ephesus get the most critical data at the top.
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ" (v2). Let's face it. It's VERY easy to blow right past this sentence and get to the meat of the letter.
Isn't this the same as starting a letter or email with "Hope life is treating you and your family well?" Nope.
What if THIS is the point of Paul's letter? What if THIS is the meat? What if THIS is the Gospel? What if THIS is the lead story in the Good News? Are you tracking with me?
Isn't this the same as starting a letter or email with "Hope life is treating you and your family well?" Nope.
What if THIS is the point of Paul's letter? What if THIS is the meat? What if THIS is the Gospel? What if THIS is the lead story in the Good News? Are you tracking with me?
Grace and peace. Paul didn't bury the lede.
A couple of points that support this idea. First of all, this is the very same way the apostle opened each and every one of his 13 letters.
Go ahead. Check for yourself. We'll wait for you. (Cue the "Jeopardy" final round music now.) Told you.
If that's the case then Paul must think it's critical to include in every epistle. Biblical authors use repetition as a way of letting us know what's important.
If so, the apostle's use of grace and peace at the beginning of all his letters should tell us to wake up and smell the coffee.
Think of it this way. If you're rotting in a Roman prison cell and writing critical info to folks you love, you wouldn't be wasting time, ink and valuable paper to pass pleasantries.
In the words of the great philosopher and theologian Joe Friday, "Just the facts, ma'am."
Go ahead. Check for yourself. We'll wait for you. (Cue the "Jeopardy" final round music now.) Told you.
If that's the case then Paul must think it's critical to include in every epistle. Biblical authors use repetition as a way of letting us know what's important.
If so, the apostle's use of grace and peace at the beginning of all his letters should tell us to wake up and smell the coffee.
Think of it this way. If you're rotting in a Roman prison cell and writing critical info to folks you love, you wouldn't be wasting time, ink and valuable paper to pass pleasantries.
In the words of the great philosopher and theologian Joe Friday, "Just the facts, ma'am."
Grace and peace. Don't bury the lede.
The second thing to see is that Paul closes this letter with grace. "Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible" (Eph 6:23-24).
And you've probably figured out what I'm going to say next. Yup. It's how he ends every last stinkin' letter. All 13 of'em.
Every take off: grace and peace. Every landing: grace.
And you've probably figured out what I'm going to say next. Yup. It's how he ends every last stinkin' letter. All 13 of'em.
Every take off: grace and peace. Every landing: grace.
And one more thing. There's a very subtle but very important change of words each time. "Grace TO you" (v2, emphasis added). "Grace be WITH you" (Eph 5:24, emphasis added).
Paul makes his readers aware of the God's amazing grace at the start of his letters: "Grace TO you." We're to open our eyes to the fire hydrant of His grace that's blowing us away.
And as he wraps things up, he wants us to stay smack dab in the path of Jesus' overwhelming goodness. "Grace WITH you."
The apostle sends his readers grace in his opening lines. He leaves them with grace as he signs off.
Think of it as a Grace Sandwich. Everything in between is what it looks like to live in light of God's gift of salvation we receive in Jesus.
Paul makes his readers aware of the God's amazing grace at the start of his letters: "Grace TO you." We're to open our eyes to the fire hydrant of His grace that's blowing us away.
And as he wraps things up, he wants us to stay smack dab in the path of Jesus' overwhelming goodness. "Grace WITH you."
The apostle sends his readers grace in his opening lines. He leaves them with grace as he signs off.
Think of it as a Grace Sandwich. Everything in between is what it looks like to live in light of God's gift of salvation we receive in Jesus.
So what's the big hairy deal about grace and peace anyway? What's so dad blamed important about these words?
Well, they represent the heart of Jesus' Good News. Grace is the root of Gospel. Peace is the fruit of the Gospel.
It all starts with grace (Gr. χαρις/charis). This is God's overwhelming goodness. His undeserved and unmerited favor.
We've done absolutely NOTHING to deserve it. That's why our very salvation is God's gift to you and me.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph 2:8-9).
God showers us with His grace when we place our complete trust in Him. It's His gift to us.
That's because we're spiritually bankrupt and bring nothing to the table. Or as William Temple says, "The only thing of our very own that we contribute to our own salvation is the sin which makes it necessary."
Well, they represent the heart of Jesus' Good News. Grace is the root of Gospel. Peace is the fruit of the Gospel.
It all starts with grace (Gr. χαρις/charis). This is God's overwhelming goodness. His undeserved and unmerited favor.
We've done absolutely NOTHING to deserve it. That's why our very salvation is God's gift to you and me.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph 2:8-9).
God showers us with His grace when we place our complete trust in Him. It's His gift to us.
That's because we're spiritually bankrupt and bring nothing to the table. Or as William Temple says, "The only thing of our very own that we contribute to our own salvation is the sin which makes it necessary."
God saves you and me only out of His overwhelming and overflowing goodness.
I can't save myself. I'm dead (Eph 2:1). Corpses can't save themselves. But God floods us with grace and brings us to life (Eph 2:5). He offers us His grace through the completed work of Jesus.
Again, don't miss Paul's repetition in his opening lines. Grace may be his main theme, but Jesus is the main character.
Three times in first two verses he makes it drops His glorious name. "Christ Jesus" (v1 twice). "Lord Jesus Christ" (v2).
Grace isn't just some abstract concept. It's real. VERY real. And it finds it's source in a VERY real Person. Jesus.
He lived the perfect life that we fail to live. He died the brutal death that we should have died. He rose to new life that we don't deserve.
We place our complete trust in what He's done for us that we could never do. Ever.
And when we do, something absolutely mind-blowing occurs. A trade. An exchange. A switcheroo. He takes all our sin from us and hands us His utter perfection.
"For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2Cor 5:21).
Out of His jaw dropping goodness and grace, He gives us His perfect righteousness while taking on our disgusting filth.
I can't save myself. I'm dead (Eph 2:1). Corpses can't save themselves. But God floods us with grace and brings us to life (Eph 2:5). He offers us His grace through the completed work of Jesus.
Again, don't miss Paul's repetition in his opening lines. Grace may be his main theme, but Jesus is the main character.
Three times in first two verses he makes it drops His glorious name. "Christ Jesus" (v1 twice). "Lord Jesus Christ" (v2).
Grace isn't just some abstract concept. It's real. VERY real. And it finds it's source in a VERY real Person. Jesus.
He lived the perfect life that we fail to live. He died the brutal death that we should have died. He rose to new life that we don't deserve.
We place our complete trust in what He's done for us that we could never do. Ever.
And when we do, something absolutely mind-blowing occurs. A trade. An exchange. A switcheroo. He takes all our sin from us and hands us His utter perfection.
"For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2Cor 5:21).
Out of His jaw dropping goodness and grace, He gives us His perfect righteousness while taking on our disgusting filth.
That's grace. Paul didn't bury the lede.
Then there's peace. When we embrace the grace of Jesus we experience the peace of God.
We need peace because we've been shaking our fists in rebellion against our King since our first parents ate the forbidden fruit salad in the garden (Gen 3).
"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds" (Col 1:21). The only way to end the war is to surrender and wave the white flag of Jesus.
You see, "He Himself is our peace" (Eph 2:14). We go from being God's enemies to adopted into His family. Yeah, I know. Crazy talk.
But there's a second kind of peace that God gives us. As we trust in Him and in His goodness, we experience "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Phil 4:7).
His peace is so wonderful, so fabulous, so overwhelming that we can't wrap our brains around it. It surpasses all understanding.
We need peace because we've been shaking our fists in rebellion against our King since our first parents ate the forbidden fruit salad in the garden (Gen 3).
"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds" (Col 1:21). The only way to end the war is to surrender and wave the white flag of Jesus.
You see, "He Himself is our peace" (Eph 2:14). We go from being God's enemies to adopted into His family. Yeah, I know. Crazy talk.
But there's a second kind of peace that God gives us. As we trust in Him and in His goodness, we experience "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Phil 4:7).
His peace is so wonderful, so fabulous, so overwhelming that we can't wrap our brains around it. It surpasses all understanding.
Peace. Paul didn't bury the lede.
So what do I do with this? What impact does God's grace and peace have on my life?
First of all, let me be a conduit of God's goodness. I'm blessed to be a blessing. His grace doesn't stop with me. It flows through me to those around me.
Tullian Tchividjian calls grace "God's descending, one-way love." Not only do I need to remember His love for me each and everyday, but I let me be the hose connected to the hydrant that drenches all of those around me.
And second, let me truly experience His peace. That means the end of striving to save myself. I no longer have to worry if God is standing on the edge of cloud in heaven with a lightning bolt in His hand just waiting for me to mess up.
By placing my trust in Jesus, I have His peace. If that's not enough, I have His ongoing peace as a member of the royal family.
Grace is the root. Peace is the fruit.
First of all, let me be a conduit of God's goodness. I'm blessed to be a blessing. His grace doesn't stop with me. It flows through me to those around me.
Tullian Tchividjian calls grace "God's descending, one-way love." Not only do I need to remember His love for me each and everyday, but I let me be the hose connected to the hydrant that drenches all of those around me.
And second, let me truly experience His peace. That means the end of striving to save myself. I no longer have to worry if God is standing on the edge of cloud in heaven with a lightning bolt in His hand just waiting for me to mess up.
By placing my trust in Jesus, I have His peace. If that's not enough, I have His ongoing peace as a member of the royal family.
Grace is the root. Peace is the fruit.
Grace and peace. Paul didn't bury the lede.
©2013
Jay Jennings
©2013
Jay Jennings
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