Galatians 1:3
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”.
Grace and peace are what the Lord extends to us. This is what our guilty, anxious souls crave. It’s not what we would expect from the Lord. Most of the religions of the world were generated by humans. These reflect the originators concept of God.
The religions based on nature are harsh and punitive. Those gods tend to be angry and require appeasement. If one crosses a stream improperly, then sacrifices need to be made. This produces paranoia.
Other religions were created in hostile settings, so those gods are warlike. The aim of those gods is subjugation. These worshippers also seek to appease a disappointed god, as well as conquer others. This doesn’t bring peace.
Some belief systems aren’t godbased, but are centered around human improvement and tranquility. These expend much effort seeking self betterment and meditation.
The God of the Bible trying to reach people. All throughout the Old and New Testaments He is reaching out to us. We all sense something is missing and fulfillment is sought through a myriad of means. The Bible says that people are flawed and separated from God. Thus God sent Jesus to rescue us.
He took care of the guilt issue by substituting His life for us. Now we can be reconciled to Him. It’s then that we are in a place that we were created for. That feeling of angst dissipates. The war is over.
In that state, the Lord offers us grace and peace. His grace is the unmerited favor He offers. The almighty God thinks very highly of us and wants to shower us with kindness and blessing. We are supposed to have been raised in environments that are warm and accepting. The Lord offers that.
Next comes His peace. The guilt we feel is meant to be wiped away through Christ. God is satisfied with us in Christ. By faith, we accept that He has made us clean and that God is no longer concerned about sin. We have been united with with a holy God who has nothing but good thoughts towards us. We can rest. That’s peace.
We gain peace in another way. Peace is part of His nature, by being in His presence, His peace fills us. It’s the vibe that accompanies Him.
Lord, thank You for Your grace and peace. You have done much to bring that to us. Help us to embrace it.