Colossians 1:2 (ESV)
[2] To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Grace and peace. The Greek word for grace is charis. It means favor. The word in and of itself does not clarify whether that favor is merited or unmerited. Charis was a typical Greek greeting. For the Greeks favor meant more than just approval. Fundamentally the word means to lean toward someone to share a benefit with them. For the early Christians this word took on new and significant meaning as they understood that in Christ God leaned toward us, an undeserving people, with the purpose of sharing the benefit of forgiveness, new life, restored relationship and eternal hope. Christians understood God's grace to be unmerited, unwarranted and undeserved.
The word peace is the Greek word eirene. It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word shalom. For the Hebrew it meant much more than peace. It meant wholeness of life. It meant all that God promised in the Mosaic Covenant. It meant completeness, soundness, welfare and peace. What they did not understand, but what the early Christians did understand, is that Christ is our peace. Shalom was the typical Hebrew greeting.
The Christians put these two typical greetings together, connected them to Christ and brought to them theological significance that neither the Greeks nor the Hebrews understood. In light of the Colossian heresy of adding philosophy, asceticism and mysticism to the finished work of Christ, this introduction, reminding the Colossian Christians that God is the source of their grace and peace, becomes significant.
It seems that people are always looking for something to provide them with goodness, wholeness and peace. People seem to be willing to run after every new promise of wholeness. That is exactly what the Colossians were doing. We need to stop running after pipe dreams and empty promises. As believers in Christ we have all that we need. That is why Paul's prayer for the Colossians is for knowledge and understanding. When we understand what we have in Christ we can learn to rest in him and stop running after empty and destructive promises.
Father, thank you for your grace and peace. May I truly rest in the finished work of you son, my savior, Jesus Christ.
By His grace,
Rick
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