Grace and peace
The phrase "Grace and peace" is a common salutation in Paul's epistles, reflecting a deep theological significance. "Grace" (Greek: "charis") refers to the unmerited favor and love of God towards humanity. It is the foundation of the Christian faith, emphasizing that salvation is a gift from God, not earned by works. "Peace" (Greek: "eirene") signifies not just the absence of conflict but a profound sense of well-being and wholeness that comes from being reconciled with God. This peace is a result of the grace received through faith in Jesus Christ. Historically, this greeting would resonate with both Jewish and Gentile audiences, as "peace" (Hebrew: "shalom") was a traditional Jewish greeting, while "grace" was a concept familiar to Gentiles.

to you
The phrase "to you" personalizes the greeting, indicating that the message of grace and peace is directed specifically to the recipients of the letter, the churches in Galatia. This personal touch underscores the relational aspect of Paul's ministry and the intimate connection he seeks to maintain with the believers. It reflects the communal nature of the early church, where letters were read aloud to congregations, fostering a sense of unity and shared faith.

from God our Father
"From God our Father" establishes the divine source of grace and peace. By referring to God as "our Father," Paul emphasizes the familial relationship believers have with God through Jesus Christ. This paternal imagery conveys care, provision, and authority, reminding the Galatians of their identity as children of God. Theologically, it affirms the doctrine of adoption, where believers are brought into the family of God, enjoying the privileges and responsibilities that come with being His children.

and the Lord Jesus Christ
The inclusion of "and the Lord Jesus Christ" highlights the centrality of Christ in the Christian faith. "Lord" (Greek: "Kyrios") denotes authority and divinity, affirming Jesus' sovereignty and His role as the mediator of God's grace and peace. By coupling Jesus with God the Father, Paul underscores the unity and co-equality of the Father and the Son, a foundational tenet of Trinitarian theology. This phrase also serves as a reminder of the redemptive work of Christ, through whom believers receive grace and peace. Historically, this acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord would have been a bold declaration in a Roman context, where allegiance to Caesar was expected.

(3) Grace . . . and peace.--See Note on Romans 1:7.

God the Father.--We may see by this verse how the title "Father," originally used in the present formula to distinguish between the Divine Persons, came gradually to contract a wider signification. God is, through Christ, the Father of all who by their relation to Christ are admitted into the position of "sons" (Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:5-7). Hence, where no special limitation is imposed by the context, this secondary sense may be taken as included.

And from our Lord Jesus Christ.--Strictly, it would be more in accordance with the theology of St. Paul to say that grace and peace were given from the Father, by, or through, the Son. Here the one preposition from is used to cover both cases, just as by had been used in Galatians 1:1. It is equally correct to use the word "from" with reference to a mediate and to the ultimate stage in the act of procession. Water may be drawn not only from the fountain-head, but also from the running stream.

Verse 3. - Grace be to you and peace (χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη); grace to you and peace. Here, as often, we have combined the form of salutation prevalent among Greeks, χαίρειν (found in its unaltered form in James 1:1, "wishing joy"), Christianized into χάρις, grace, which denotes the outpouring of Divine benignity in all such spiritual blessings as sinful creatures need; and the Hebrew greeting, shalom, which in its transformation into εἰρήνη may be supposed to have dropped in its Christianized signification some of its originally comprehensive meaning, which comprised all "health and wealth" as well as "peace," and to have generally expressed the more limited idea of that calm sense of reconciliation and that perfect security against evil which constitute the peculiar happiness of a soul which believes in Christ. It is nevertheless conceivable that εἰρήνη, as used in Hellenistic Greek, may at times have widened the sense proper to it in ordinary Greek into the more comprehensive import of the shalom, which it was regularly employed to represent. From God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ (ἀπὸ Θεοῦ πατρός καὶ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Ξριστοῦ). These words regularly form a part in the apostle's formula of greeting. With slight variations they are found in all his Epistles, except, perhaps, the First to the Thessalonians, where, though read in the Textus Receptus, they are omitted by recent editors. "Our" is added to "Father" in at least seven of St. Paul's Epistles (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon). This warrants the belief that, when as in 1 Timothy, Titus, and here, he wrote "God the Father," he most probably did so with reference to God's fatherly relation to the members of Christ's Church. Tregelles and the margin of the revised Greek text, in fact, read ἡμῶν after πατρὸς here, omitting it after Κυρίου. Uniformly in this formula of greeting we find only one preposition, "from" (ἀπό), before the two names, "God" and "Jesus Christ;" as in the first verse in this Epistle there is only one preposition, "through," before "Jesus Christ" and "God." The apostle, looking upwards, discerns, as St. Stephen did, in the ineffable glory, the supreme God in whom he recognizes "our Father," and with him Jesus Christ, "our Lord;" that is, our Master, Head, Mediator, "through whom are all things, and we through him." Grace and peace coming down from heaven, must come from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. From the very nature of the case it is obvious that the blessings referred to come to us through Christ, though also "from" him; as also that St. Paul's delegation as apostle, spoken of in the first verse, originated from a volition and appointment of God the Father, as well as was brought about "through" the ordering of his providence. But in each case the preposition used by the apostle preserves its proper force, not to be confused by our thrusting into it another notion not just then in the writer's view.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Grace
Χάρις (Charis)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5485: From chairo; graciousness, of manner or act.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

peace
εἰρήνη (eirēnē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1515: Probably from a primary verb eiro; peace; by implication, prosperity.

to you
ὑμῖν (hymin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

from
ἀπὸ (apo)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

God
Θεοῦ (Theou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

our
ἡμῶν (hēmōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

Father
Πατρὸς (Patros)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the Lord
Κυρίου (Kyriou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962: Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.

Jesus
Ἰησοῦ (Iēsou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

Christ,
Χριστοῦ (Christou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.


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NT Letters: Galatians 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God (Gal. Ga)