“Grace and peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”Titus 1:4
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men…”
Luke 2:14a
In the opening of his letter, Paul desires that Titus, his spiritual son, would be the recipient of ‘grace and peace’. Especially this time of year, we read and hear that phrase so often, that perhaps it has lost its true meaning…
Grace and peace, as Paul writes, is from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Notice that ‘peace’ follows ‘grace’. It is grace, from God the Father, which provides the context that we, sinful people, though we ought to die because of our sin, are granted unmerited favor…
God stoops down to help the undeserving and to pardon the helpless sinner.
1. Grace declares that humans are helpless
2. Grace declares that God is able and is merciful
3. Grace declares a God-enabled radical new way of living
So what is the form of God’s unmerited favor? The better question is ‘who’ is the form of God’s unmerited favor! His only Son Jesus… And it is through the Son that true peace is afforded…
Peace with God… "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
Peace with others… "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14
Peace in adversity… “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27
Peace within… "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
The Grace of God is the Peace of Christ!
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men…looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” – Titus 2:11,13
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