The Gospel Seminar

"Luther Quotations": #2

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ..."
                                                                                      (Galatians 1;3)

What is the meaning of this phrase: "...PEACE to you from God.."?

This "peace " describes Gods disposition toward the Christian. At one time Gods disposition was one of anger and hostility toward the sinner (Romans 5;10, Ephesians 2;3). Now, in Christ, and because of what Christ has accomplished, God's disposition toward the Christian is one of PEACE, not anger. All of God's hostility toward you is permanently gone and replaced with a state of reconciliation and "peace" (Romans 5;1).
Wonderfully, this peaceful disposition of God toward the Christian is permanent and irreversible (Romans 11;29)!

This dispositional PEACE is what Jesus announces to his apostles after their
betrayal and his resurrection:

   John 20; 19: "Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'PEACE be with you!' "

   John 20; 20: "Again Jesus said, 'PEACE be with you...' "

   John 20; 26: "Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them
                          and said, 'PEACE be with you!' "

     Christian, the moment you came to faith in Christ, God declared himself
     to be no longer hostile and angry toward you but instead declares himself to be
     reconciled and at peace with you! Christ, and Christ's efforts alone, permanently
     extinguished the Fathers anger and replaced it with PEACE toward the Christian.
     Forever!
     Amazing!

This is the gospel (Ephesians 6;15)!

Christian, pause now to worship the Lord who has "preached PEACE to you who
were far away and PEACE to you who were near" (Ephesians 2; 17)