Opening Greetings: Part 3 - 1 Thessalonians 1:1c

Opening Greetings: Part 3 - 1 Thessalonians 1:1c
Written by LaRosa Johnson
Friday, July 24, 2009

We've covered two-thirds of 1 Thessalonians' opening greeting; today we will look at the final third. Thus far, we have looked at the authors (Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy), as well as the recipients (the group of believers in Thessalonica), and we have unearthed a wealth of information from just a handful of words. Today, we will conclude by studying the formal greeting that Paul gave to the Thessalonians. So, if hearts and minds are ready to study spiritual truth, then let's open our Bibles and begin.

Quote :

1 Thessalonians 1:1c (NASB) - ...Grace to you and peace.

Following the format of a typical Greco-Roman letter, after stating the author and the recipients, Paul finishes the opening with a formal greeting, "Grace to you and peace." At face value, it seems a simple enough greeting, and one that is often used today by Christendom when concluding a letter or wishing another well. There is more to be said about this greeting, though, and that is what our study will focus on today.

If we were to survey the sum total of Paul's epistles, we would find that "grace to you and peace" is a shortened form of Paul's customary greeting that he used in his epistles. As you investigate his other epistles, you will find variations of his longer greeting. The longer form of his greeting typically reads as follows: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." This greeting can be found almost verbatim in Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon, with slightly different readings in 2 Thessalonians and Titus. Paul also chooses to add "mercy" to grace and peace in his two epistles to Timothy. The only book that's been omitted is Colossians, where the greeting is slightly shortened, leaving out Jesus Christ. Finally, of note, regarding the structure of the greeting, there is a textual variant in the Greek manuscripts, primarily with the Majority text (NKJV) that adds the longer ending to this verse; scholars agree that this is likely a scribal addition to the manuscript, as it's more likely for text to be added than it is for it to be removed.

Moving on, let's look at a bit the meaning behind this greeting because it's a magnificent salutation. Being both Greek and Hebrew in its origin, Paul is able to unify the two languages for a single greeting to Thessalonica Bible Church. The greeting starts with "grace." Grace comes from the Greek word charis (Strong's G5485), which BDAG defines as: a beneficent disposition toward someone, favor, grace, gracious care/help, goodwill. For the Greeks, this was a customary salutation that typically carried the meaning of "greetings" or "rejoice." So, here we can clearly see that Paul is wishing for the Thessalonians to be greeted and for them to rejoice at the reception of this letter. The word for peace is interesting; it is the Greek word eirēnē (Strong's G1515) and carries the same meaning as the English word. But this Greek word, eirēnē, has its roots in the Hebrew language, coming from the familiar word shalom (Strong's H7965). The word shalom is the customary Hebrew greeting meaning "favor," "prosperity," and "well-being." In all respects, though, eirēnē and shalom are equivalent in the two languages. So, not only is Paul wishing greetings upon his readers, but he is also wishing them well, like any good friend would do.

It's easy to think that this would suffice for a study of these words, but if you do further investigation, you begin to see the deep richness of the theology that is to be had in this greeting. First, a study of these two words will unveil that they always occur in this order in the New Testament, grace first, and peace second. The spiritual and theological implications of this are rather significant. When you look at grace, you see that it is God's undeserved favor toward the sinner by granting them eternal life through Jesus Christ. Then you have peace, which is the result that comes from accepting Jesus as Savior, a peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7). If you look at it, you will notice that God's grace always comes first, and you cannot have peace without having God's grace.

I'll let that be the closing thought for today. We cannot have true peace unless we first allow God's grace to permeate our lives through the work of His Son Jesus Christ. And that is how Paul chooses to greet his fellow believers, wishing God's grace and favor upon them in each of his letters. Who knew that such a simple phrase could be so theologically deep & meaningful? Next time, we'll start getting into Paul's thanksgiving for Thessalonica Bible Church, which will carry us through to the end of the chapter. Until then, engulf yourself in God's grace!

devotion courtesy of Trailblazin Ministries
http://www.trailblazinministries.com/devotions/1thess012