Consider this: if you could somehow receive an e-mail from Paul, Peter or any of the other original apostles, how would it start? What greeting would they use to begin the correspondence?
The majority of the ''books'' comprising the New Testament weren't originally written as books at all (at least in the way that we think about books). Instead, they were composed to be letters written to individual churches of the day. In biblical parlance, they are epistles. An epistle is a letter.
Word Study: The word "epistle" comes from a Greek word meaning "send news."
Thus, we are able to answer the hypothetical scenario posited above by looking at the way those letters were begun - by looking at the specific greetings which were used. It is a worthy analysis because it can provide an important spiritual glimpse into the thinking of the first-century Christian mind.
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE ROMANS:
''To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: 'GRACE TO YOU and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.' " ~1:7 (emphasis mine)~
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS:
''Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.'' ~1:3~
THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS:
''Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.'' ~1:2~
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE GALATIANS:
''Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ...'' ~1:3~
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE EPHESIANS:
''Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.'' ~1:2~
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS:
''Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.'' ~1:2~
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS:
''To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: 'GRACE BE UNTO YOU, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.' " ~1:2 (emphasis mine)~
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS:
''Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: 'GRACE BE UNTO YOU, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.' " ~1:1 (emphasis mine)~
THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS:
''Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.'' ~1:2~
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO TIMOTHY:
''Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: 'GRACE, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.' " ~1:2 (emphasis mine)~
THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO TIMOTHY:
''To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: 'GRACE, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.' " ~1:2 (emphasis mine)~
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO TITUS:
''To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: 'GRACE, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.' " ~1:4 (emphasis mine)~
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO PHILEMON:
''Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.'' ~3~
THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER:
''Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: 'GRACE UNTO YOU, and peace, be multiplied.' " ~1:2 (emphasis mine)~
THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER:
''Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord...'' ~1:2~
THE SECOND EPISTLE OF JOHN:
''Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.'' ~3~
THE REVELATION OF SAINT JOHN THE DIVINE:
''John to the seven churches which are in Asia: 'GRACE BE UNTO YOU, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne...' " ~1:4 (emphasis mine)~
A PATTERN EMERGES
From Romans to Revelation, we see a clear pattern appearing in the introductory lines of the Epistles. Grace unto you. This greeting of grace is repeated over and over, and not only by Paul. In each instance, grace is the first word selected. Think about the assortment of spiritual words which could have been called upon to begin the greetings. We see peace, mercy and love thrown into the mix, but grace is always placed first.
We can see the supreme value and importance of grace from the aforementioned fact. Grace comes first because it makes all the other blessings of God possible. Grace opens the doors of Heaven from which flow peace, mercy and love. Without grace, those heavenly doors would remain shut as surely as no man could open the doors of Noah's ark once God closed them.
HOW TO BECOME GRACE-CONSCIOUS
What if we adopted ''the grace greeting'' for our present-day interactions with one another? Every time we meet one another, or call, or text, or e-mail, or communicate on social media - imagine the positive effect if we say, ''Grace unto you! Grace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!''. By doing this we would begin to condition our minds to think in terms of grace. We would develop a grace-consciousness. We would make the grace of God an ever-present thought.
We can take this idea a step further. If we really want to be ''doers of the Word," then we will incorporate grace into not only our greetings, but into our goodbyes or parting words as well.
THE CONCLUDING VERSES OF ROMANS:
''...the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen...The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.''
THE NEXT TO THE LAST VERSE OF 1 CORINTHIANS:
''The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.''
THE LAST VERSE OF 2 CORINTHIANS:
''The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.''
THE LAST VERSE OF GALATIANS:
''Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.''
THE LAST VERSE OF EPHESIANS:
''Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.''
THE LAST VERSE OF PHILIPPIANS:
''The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.''
THE LAST VERSE OF COLOSSIANS:
''The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. GRACE BE WITH YOU. Amen.'' (emphasis mine)
THE LAST VERSE OF 1 THESSALONIANS:
''The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.''
THE LAST VERSE OF 2 THESSALONIANS:
''The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.''
THE LAST VERSE OF 1 TIMOTHY:
''...Grace be with thee. Amen.''
THE LAST VERSE OF 2 TIMOTHY:
''The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.''
THE LAST VERSE OF TITUS:
''All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. GRACE BE WITH YOU ALL. Amen.'' (emphasis mine)
THE LAST VERSE OF PHILEMON:
''The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.''
THE LAST VERSE OF HEBREWS:
''Grace be with you all. Amen.''
THE CONCLUDING VERSES OF 1 PETER:
''...THE GOD OF ALL GRACE, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you...By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that THIS IS THE TRUE GRACE OF GOD wherein ye stand.'' (emphasis mine)
THE LAST VERSE OF 2 PETER:
''...GROW IN GRACE, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.'' (emphasis mine)
THE LAST VERSE OF REVELATION (AND THUS THE BIBLE)
''The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.''
SAYING GRACE
Grace, grace, grace! The blessing of grace appears at the beginning and ending of the Epistles with few exceptions. What if we applied this truth to our everyday lives, including our speech? What if the grace of God permeated our conversations and communication? What if we walked away from every interaction with grace on our minds and hearts?
We can minister grace with our words. The power of grace can flow through human speech. This gives new meaning to the phrase ''saying grace''!
Ephesians 4:29
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
What exactly is ''corrupt communication''? There are various forms of communication, some of which do not require the use of words or speech. Body language is a form of communication. Facial expressions can communicate very clear messages, as can hand gestures. But the scripture quoted above is referring to verbal communication - the words we speak - because it exhorts us to not let a certain form of communication proceed out of our mouths. The words we speak matter.
It's uncommon to label speech as ''corrupt'' in our modern vernacular. Instead, we refer to ''bad words,'' ''negative talk'' and ''obscene language.'' (Colossians 3:8 tells us to ''put off'' filthy language.) We tend to think of corruption in terms of shady dealings by those in positions of authority. Type in "corrupt" on Google News and you will get back one article after another concerning corrupt governments or corrupt leaders.
Word Study: The Greek word translated as ''corrupt'' in the King James Version of Ephesians 4:29 means ''rotten'' in the sense of being worthless. The root word from which it sprouts means ''to putrefy.'' If something has rotted and putrefied, it will emit a most objectionable odor. Do our words stink?
Most other translations use the word ''unwholesome'' rather than corrupt. Let no unwholesome communication proceed out of your mouth. Just think: this admonition was given thousands of years before the invention of social media. As Christians who are committed to living according to biblical principles, can we honestly say that our tweets are wholesome? How about our posts on Facebook and other social media platforms? In this case, we have to guard against letting unwholesome communication proceed from our fingertips as we type. The Bible is relevant in our day, right where we live.
Since unwholesome communication is a no-no, what sort of words should be proceeding out of our mouths? The criterion is clear and simple: if it is ''good to the use of edifying,'' we should speak it. If it edifies those within earshot, it passes God's test. (Of course this same principle would apply to the words we type, since nowadays verbal communication to a large degree has been supplanted by texting and social media.) To edify is to build up. Words can build up or tear down. Words can bless or curse (James 3:10). It is incumbent upon us to do the former with the communication that proceeds out of our mouths.
When we use our words to bless and to build up, something wonderful happens as a result. The edifying communication actually ''ministers grace unto the hearers.'' Think about this: grace can flow through human speech. We can minister grace to others by the right selection of words. We know that words are the carriers of ideas, and they can also carry the grace of God. We can literally ''say grace'' by speaking grace-filled words!
Colossians 4:6 (New International Version)
6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
How often should we incorporate grace into our conversations? ''Let your conversation be ALWAYS full of grace...'' (emphasis mine) It's not enough to speak grace-saturated words in church. That's easy. It won't do much good if you speak grace one moment, then turn around and revert to unwholesome, negative talk the next moment. If your speech is not seasoned with grace, it will be ''rotten'' with corrupt communication.
''...so that you may know how to answer everyone.'' The world is looking for answers. The grace of God is the answer. When they hear grace proceeding from your mouth, it will minister to them. You will be an effective witness for Christ when your words minister grace unto the hearers.
GRACE IN REVIEW
2.) We can see the supreme value and importance of grace.
3.) Grace comes first because it makes all the other blessings of God possible.
4.) What if we adopted ''the grace greeting'' for our present-day interactions with one another?
5.) If we really want to be ''doers of the Word,'' then we will incorporate grace into not only our greetings, but into our goodbyes or parting words as well.
6.) The blessing of grace appears at the beginning and ending of the Epistles with few exceptions.
7.) What if the grace of God permeated our conversations and communication? What if we walked away from every interaction with grace on our minds and hearts?
8.) We can minister grace with our words.
9.) The words we speak matter.
10.) Let no unwholesome communication proceed out of your mouth.
11.) Words can build up or tear down. Words can bless or curse.
12.) We can literally ''say grace'' by speaking grace-filled words!
13.) It won't do much good if you speak grace one moment, then turn around and revert to unwholesome, negative talk the next moment.
14.) If your speech is not seasoned with grace, it will be ''rotten'' with corrupt communication.
15.) You will be an effective witness for Christ when your words minister grace unto the hearers.
© Matt Decker
» This post is an excerpted chapter from my book GRACE IN A MAZE: How to Make it Through
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