3

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Many Christians greeted one another in this way (verse 3) in the early days of Christianity. It is as if Paul was saying a prayer, asking God to bless those he was writing to.

Grace and peace: This was a greeting and blessing Paul often used in his letters. (For example, 1 Corinthians 1:3, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2).

Grace: The word Grace in this context means “kindness, favor, good will, or blessing.” Paul was asking God to be kind to those to whom he was writing. He wanted God to favor them. Try to think of ways in your language for asking God to bless someone. The term Grace is an important term in the New Testament. See “grace”, sense A2(b) in Key Biblical Terms.

peace: Paul meant “peace of heart” here. This results from a person having peace with God. The term peace also implies “peace with one another.” People who have peace of heart normally live in peace with one another.

to you: The word you is plural here and thus includes all the people whom Paul addressed in the first two verses.

God our Father: For Christians, God is like a father, one who loves us and cares for us.

Lord: The word Lord here in verse 3 means “master” or “leader.” Jesus Christ is our spiritual leader. We who are Christians should obey him as a servant obeys his master. See “Christ”, sense 4 in Key Biblical Terms .

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