Grace and Peace to You

So far, we’ve seen that God is the source of peace, and we’ve learned that He wants to give His peace to you.

Today we’ll explore the third truth. The Lord wants you to retain His peace.

But there’s a condition.

We can only enjoy the Lord’s peace when we receive His grace. Today’s reading comes from the end of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.

Earlier in 2 Thessalonians, Paul references somebody who had sent a fake letter with his name to the church. In chapter 3, Paul makes it plain as day that the letter they’re reading comes straight from him as it bears his distinguishing mark.

Then in verse 18, he offers a sort of benediction, a prayer over the church. He prays the grace of Jesus over them all.

When you read Paul’s salutation in his letters, he does this every time. He always writes some form of the phrase,

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”

He uses those two things: grace and peace, and always in that order. Grace to you and peace. Never do you read, “Peace to you and grace.”

You may think, Well, what’s the difference? It doesn’t really matter.

It matters a lot because you can’t experience God’s peace until you first experience God’s grace. Grace always precedes peace, because there is no peace unless you first receive God’s grace. God’s grace is what allows us to be saved and enter into true peace.

You read in Ephesians that you have been saved by grace through faith. We can't earn it. Instead, salvation is a gift from God.

Grace is, as the acronym poignantly states, God’s riches at Christ’s expense. Grace is what opens the door to salvation. And just as grace precedes salvation, grace also always precedes peace.

You’ve probably seen the bumper sticker that says: NO Jesus, NO peace. KNOW Jesus, KNOW peace.

There cannot be peace without Jesus. There cannot be peace until you first receive God’s grace. The good news is that grace and peace are abundant in Jesus Christ.

God lavishes His grace upon those who respond to Him. He doesn’t dole it out with an eyedropper. God just pours it out freely and without measure. If you need His grace, God says to “come boldly before His throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The Christian life starts by grace through faith, and it continues in the same way. To walk with God, we need to keep trusting the Lord every single day. He has abundant grace to help us in our time of need.

And as He pours out His grace upon you, He also pours out His peace upon you.

His grace allows you to enjoy and retain His peace. His grace enables you to have the Lord of peace living inside you. And that’s the greatest blessing of all!

1. How have you experienced God’s grace in your life recently? What difference has this made in how you faced difficult situations?

2. The Bible encourages us to come boldly before God’s throne to ask for mercy and grace. Pray today and ask God to pour His grace and peace upon you.