In our zeal to get to the wonders awaiting us in reading through a book of the New Testament, we often dash through the opening remarks of greeting. Yet there is a wealth of insight available to us if we would just pause and reflect on the words.
In Philippians 1:2 the Apostle Paul wrote: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
GRACE TO YOU – In every man made religion, “grace” stands ready to meet you at the top of the mountain. Once you ascend the mountain of God, His grace is waiting to meet you and to confer on you the blessings and rewards your efforts have deserved. How different this is from the Biblical picture where our problem is revealed to be a lot worse than we thought, and the solution, more dramatic and amazing than our minds could have ever conceived.
The Biblical picture is this. Man is not well, nor is He sick; He is actually dead towards God. He needs much more than a miracle healing and far more than a moral or religious pep talk. He needs life. He needs resurrection. Writing to the Christians at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul explains their former condition and what God did to remedy it: Continue reading
Romans 1:1-4 1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord