Grace to you and peace from God
Sun, 29 January, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this verse Paul greets the church in Rome as he begins his letter to them.
What do we learn from this?
God’s effectual call is for all whom He loves. As we look around us, we can’t see who is going to be saved and who isn’t. But we do see the visible church. We see the people who have made a public profession of faith and who gather together to worship and serve God in a local church body.
Paul looks at this body of believers in Rome, and tells them that they are loved by God, and that God has called them to be saints. He has declared them to be righteous in His sight, because of the Person and work of Jesus Christ, and this has an effect upon their conduct. They are called to be saints.
Paul then tells them that because of God’s love of them, God’s peace and grace is also extended to them as well. Because of God’s effectual call that brings salvation, we are not only justified, but we have received God’s grace and are now at peace with God. We are no longer at war with God, and we are no longer under His wrath against our sins.
So we see that for those who are God’s people, Paul tells us of the blessings we have: God’s love, grace and peace are ours.
Where is Christ in this passage?
God’s love, grace and peace come to us from the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father, based upon His love, chooses His people from the foundation of the earth. Jesus Christ then comes to earth to live the perfect life, earning the righteousness we need, and then die on a cross to pay the penalty for the sins we have committed. Finally, the Holy Spirit works in all the elect to bring them infallibly to saving faith.
