Lessons #07 and 08
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Salutation (1 Cor 1:1-3)
1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have considered the first description of believers in Corinth and so of all believers using the word “sanctified” of the NIV but which we explained in this context refers to those who stand before God purified from sin that would have kept them from being with Him throughout eternity. Thus, believers are those who have been purified and so are in a unique relationship with God. So, we come to the second description of the Corinthians, and so of all believers.
A second description of believers in Corinth is that they are saints or God’s people. It is this description that is given in the verbal phrase of the NIV of verse 2 called to be holy. An alternative translation of the Greek that is found in many of our English versions reads called to be saints. Both the translation of the NIV and the alternative translation give the impression that believers are called to be something, but the Greek simply reads called saints. Thus, the expression to be is added in our English translations since it does not appear in the Greek text. Its addition could create the impression that believers are to do something, so they will be described as saints or according to the NIV to be holy. This is not the case. The description given does not depend on believers’ action but a designation that results from being in Christ. This is important because some claim to make someone a saint which is impossible because the literal phrase called saints implies a designation that is given to those who have been purified by the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, as we will note shortly the word “saint” is never used in the NT Scripture to describe any one believer but it is used in the plural to describe the people of God. In any event, we contend that the verbal phrase 2 called to be holy of the NIV is one that describes those who have been purified or sanctified not that they are called to be what they are not or that they are to merit the description given to them. For sure, those described are required to live up to their description but that is not the focus at this point in the epistle. The apostle is concerned with describing those who form the church of God universally but specifically those in Corinth. It is as we examine the Greek words used that it will become clearer that the apostle is concerned with description and not action that is expected of the recipients of the epistle. We will demonstrate this truth by considering the two Greek words used in the verbal phrase called to be holy.
The word “called” is one that we have considered in 1 Corinthians 1:1 where the apostle applied it to himself. It is not a verb but an adjective that is translated from a Greek adjective (klētos) that pertains to being invited so means “called, invited.” Apostle Paul used it to describe believers in Rome, according to Romans 1:6:
And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
The verbal phrase called to belong to Jesus Christ is more literally (the) called of Jesus Christ which could be interpreted to mean that those referred, belong to Jesus Christ or they are the ones called by Jesus Christ. Either meaning indicates that the Romans did not do anything thing to be called or to belong to Jesus Christ. It is in a similar sense that the apostle used the word to describe the Corinthians as those invited or called without specifying who invited or called them. The Greek adjective conveys the fact that there is no action or activity on the part of the Corinthians to warrant them being described using the word “holy” of the NIV or “saints” in alternative translation. Thus, the word “called” here is to be understood as referring to the elect as those God invited as His own people.
The word “holy” or “saints” is translated from a Greek adjective (hagios) that pertains to being dedicated or consecrated to the service of God and so means “dedicated to God, holy, sacred.” The word may pertain to being holy in the sense of superior moral qualities and possessing certain essential divine qualities in contrast with what is human so means “holy, pure, divine.” It is in this sense that the word is used to describe God whose holiness believers are to imitate, as stated in 1 Peter 1:15–16:
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
When the adjective is used with a definite article in the singular it refers to “the holy” whether of a thing or a person. Thus, it can be used to refer to that which is holy as it was used in Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:6:
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
The description what is sacred may alternatively be translated what is holy. In this meaning of “the holy”, it is used in the NT for Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit but never an individual believer. It is used to describe Jesus Christ several times in the Gospels and in Acts as the Holy One. Demons addressed Jesus as the Holy One in Mark 1:24:
“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Peter used our word with the definite article to describe Jesus in John 6:69:
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Again, when Peter addressed those who witnessed the healing of a crippled beggar, he addressed Jesus as “the Holy One” in Acts 3:14:
You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
Our Greek adjective is used in the singular with the definite article for the Holy Spirit in John 14:26:
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
The examples we cited indicate that when our Greek adjective is used with a definite article in the singular, it means “the holy” but only in reference to deity. There is no single passage in the NT where the Greek adjective is used to describe a human being or any single individual.
The situation is different when the Greek adjective is in the plural and used with the definite article. When the Greek adjective is used with the definite article in the plural, the meaning is “the holy ones.” The phrase “the holy ones” most often rendered with the word “saints” in our English versions is one that is used in the Scripture to describe God’s people, that is, those in a covenant relationship with Him. In the OT, the psalmist used it to describe God’s people in Psalm 16:3:
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
Daniel used the word “saints” for God’s people in Daniel 7:25:
He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
In both passages of psalm and Daniel the word “saints” from the Septuagint literally reads “the holy ones” because the plural of the definite article and plural of our Greek adjective are used. In the NT, the combination of the plural of the definite article and our Greek adjective is used primarily to describe believers in the Lord Jesus Christ where, the Greek phrase is commonly translated “saints” in our English versions.
The very first use of the Greek phrase translated “saints” to describe believers in Christ is given in Acts 9:32:
As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.
Apostle Paul used the phrase to describe believers in Romans 12:13:
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
The phrase God’s people is literally the saints. That the word “saints” is used to describe God’s people or believers is also evident in 1 Corinthians 6:2:
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
In the first question of this verse, Apostle Paul indicates that the saints will judge the world. These saints are described in the second question as the Corinthians because of the personal pronoun you. The apostle did not make any distinction between the Corinthians based on their spiritual condition in this question, indicating the word “saints” refers to believers.
We have cited passages where the Greek word that appears in 1 Corinthians 1:2 is translated as “saints” but primarily in the epistles of Apostle Paul but that does not mean that he is the only NT writer to use the Greek word to describe believers. The author of Hebrews used it in Hebrews 6:10:
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them
The phrase his people is literally from the Greek to the saints. Jude used the phrase to describe believers in Jude 3:
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
Apostle John used the phrase to describe believers in Revelation 5:8:
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Therefore, it should be clear that the word “saints” is one that is used to describe believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in the NT times.
Let me emphasize that the word “saint” is never used in the singular to describe an individual believer in the NT. As we said previously, the Greek adjective rendered “saints” is used only in the singular with the definite article to describe either Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit. For that reason, there is no biblical warrant for using the word “saint” for any individual believer since the word “saints” is used collectively for believers or God’s people to indicate that they are consecrated to Him. The point then is that when the apostle wrote literally in 1 Corinthians 1:2 saints he meant the local church in Corinth consists of individuals that are consecrated to God or they are God’s special people. Thus, the Corinthians and so all of us as believers are saints collectively in the sense that we are consecrated to God as His special people.
It is our assertion that the epistle to the Corinthians is written to all believers in Christ, but it was specifically addressed to the local church in Corinth as its first recipient. This assertion is bolstered by the fact that the apostle implied he had in mind all believers in the next clause of 1 Corinthians 1:2 together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.
The apostle had described the Corinthians as those who have been sanctified or purified and as saints or God’s special people. These descriptions he extends to other believers as conveyed by the phrase together with that is translated from a Greek preposition (syn) that may be uses as a marker of accompaniment and association as it is used by the apostle to describe someone who might travel with him, as recorded in 2 Corinthians 9:4:
For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident.
The verbal phrase come with me has the sense of “travel with me.” The Greek preposition may mean “in addition to” as it is used in Luke 24:21:
but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
The clause And what is more is more literally but in addition to all these. The Greek preposition may be used as a marker of linkage with focus on addition of a person or a thing as the apostle used in his prayer for the Ephesians that extends to other believers called saints in Ephesians 3:18:
may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
It is in the sense of maker of linkage that the apostle used it to indicate that his descriptions of the Corinthians apply to believers universally, that is, the universal church.
That the descriptions of the Corinthians apply to the universal church of God is conveyed in the clause all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle in this clause describe all those who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and so worship Him as the Corinthians do when they assemble in wherever they worship the Lord Jesus Christ. As we have indicated, every description the apostle applied to the Corinthians apply to all believers in the universal church of God. Thus, the apostle intended for us to recognize that although the epistle was addressed to the Corinthians as its first recipients, he understood that ultimately the epistle was addressed to the universal church of God that consists of all those who worship the Lord Jesus Christ and not any other group that may claim to worship God. We insist that it is only those who worship the Lord Jesus Christ in wherever they assemble that are included as the ultimate recipients of this epistle because of the clause who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What does the apostle mean in this clause who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ? To answer this question, we need to examine the Greek word translated “call” in our passage. The word “call” is translated from a Greek verb (epikaleō) with a range of meanings. The word may mean “to pray” as it is used to describe Stephen’s prayer while he was being stoned to death, according to Acts 7:59:
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
The sentence Stephen prayed is more literally Stephen was calling out and saying. To call may mean “to worship” as it is used to describe believers in Acts 9:14:
And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
The word “call” may mean to address or characterize someone by a special term, as it is used to describe Apostle Peter in Acts 11:13:
He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
To call may mean “to appeal” a decision of a lower court to a higher judicial authority, as it is used with Paul’s appeal to Caesar in Acts 26:32:
Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
The verbal phrase not appealed to Caesar is literally not called upon Caesar. The Greek word may mean to invoke in an oath, that is, “to call on someone as a witness”, as it is used in 2 Corinthians 1:23:
I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
Of the many meanings of our Greek word we considered, the question is; which of these fit our context? There are two related possible meanings, either “to pray” or “to worship.” This will lead to two possible interpretations of the clause we are considering.
The clause who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may mean either those who pray to Him or those who worship Him. This interpretation goes back to the OT Scripture where the verbal phrase call on the name is used. It is used in the sense of worshiping the Lord in Genesis 12:8:
From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
Since Abraham built an altar before calling on the name of the Lord, it means that his calling on the name of the Lord refers to his worship of the Lord that involved praise or giving of thanks to the Lord. The verbal phrase call on the name is used as a reference to prayer in Zechariah 13:9:
This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”
The verbal phrase call on my name means to pray to the Lord since the promise I will answer is one that is associated with prayer. Hence, there is no doubt that the verbal phrase is a reference to either praying or worshipping the Lord. This notwithstanding, it is our interpretation that the clause refers to those who worship the Lord Jesus Christ. This interpretation is supported by two facts. First, the second interpretation includes the first since praying is a part of worship. Second, the Greek uses a present participle that in our context is used as an adjective to describe the individuals in view. It is unlikely that the apostle meant those who habitually pray to the Lord since the present tense in this context may imply a habit, but it is more fitting to use the present tense to describe the state of someone who constantly worships the Lord. In effect, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ could be better described as His worshipper. This description would be similar to how Jonah described himself as the worshiper of the Lord in Jonah 1:9:
He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”
Thus, the clause who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ refers to believers as worshippers of Christ. They are those who recognize Jesus Christ as Lord as the apostle and the Corinthians do, as in indicated in the last phrase of 1 Corinthians 1:2 their Lord and ours. The pronoun “ours” refers to Paul, his associates and believers in Corinth. All believers have the same Lord, a fact the apostle mentioned in his epistle to the Ephesians as we read in Ephesians 4:4–5:
4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
In any event, the apostle had indicated that this epistle while directly given to the local church in Corinth is ultimately for the universal church of God in Christ. Therefore, we should have confidence that the contents of this epistle are applicable to us who are Christians at the present time.
The apostle having identified himself as the human author of epistle and having identified the local church in Corinth as the immediate recipient with the implication that the ultimate recipient is the universal church of God, proceeds with greetings to the original recipients as in 1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The greeting is indeed a prayer wish that contains two important words “grace” and “peace.”
What then is this grace the apostle wishes on the recipients of this epistle? This question is important first because the word “grace,” like love, is one of the most difficult terms to define in a concrete fashion since the Scripture nowhere gives us its definition. Moreover, it is because the word “grace” is a word with different meanings depending on the object and context. To substantiate this assertion, let us consider the range of meanings of the Greek word (charis) rendered grace in our English versions. In effect, we should consider the various meanings assigned to the Greek word translated “grace” in the NT.
Grace in the NT as a word used in relationship with a person may refer to that which is attractive or appealing in someone that draws favorable reaction from others. It is this meaning that is used to indicate how appealing the teaching of our Lord Jesus was to the audience that heard His teaching so our Greek word is translated “gracious” in Luke 4:22:
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
It is with this same meaning of grace that the Apostle Paul used it in his instruction regarding believer’s speech or communication in Colossians 4:6:
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
The instruction let your conversation be always full of grace means that believer’s conversation should always be pleasant. Thus, the word “grace” here means “charming, pleasant, attractive.”
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “grace” is that beneficent disposition toward someone, that is, favor, help or care, goodwill shown or received by another. Grace as a favor that one grants to another without any obligation on the part of the one who grants the favor is reflected in 2 Timothy 1:9:
who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
Grace in this verse is that special favor that God granted us in Christ Jesus.
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “grace” is exceptional effect produced by generosity. Thus, when God enabled the Macedonian believers to be generous towards their fellow believers, especially, those in Jerusalem, then that enablement or action of God on them is described by Apostle Paul as His grace in 2 Corinthians 8:1:
And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
The same enablement or action of God that caused the Corinthians to be generous towards others is described as grace in 2 Corinthians 9:14:
And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.
So, in both passages grace refers to enablement or God’s action on believers that causes them to be generous towards others. Of course, it is in this sense of enablement that results in power that the word “grace” is used by the apostle in 2 Corinthians 12:9:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
The enablement that God gives that is also described as grace may in fact be understood as “gift.” It is in this sense of the meaning “gift” that the word grace is used in 1 Peter 4: 10:
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
The phrase God’s grace in its various forms may be read God’s gift in its various forms. Still another meaning of the Greek word translated “grace” is “thankfulness, gratitude” as a response to generosity or benevolence, as the word is used in describing what is expected of believers who are filled of the Spirit and the word of God in Colossians 3:16:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
The phrase with gratitude is literally in grace.
Our considerations of the various meanings assigned to the Greek word rendered “grace” indicates that when the word is used in connection with God, the primary meaning of the word refers to His undeserved love and limitless kindness toward people. However, it is the context that determines the specific meaning that is applicable. There is no doubt that the apostle had in mind various ranges of the meaning of the Greek word translated “grace” in this epistle but in the first use of the word in his greetings, the primary meaning in his mind was probably God’s enabling gracious care or help to the believer. This meaning is supported by the word “peace” that we will get to in a moment. But before we do, we should ask the question: Why did the apostle use the word “grace” in his prayer-wish or greetings to the Corinthians?
A surface answer for the use of the word “grace” in the greeting part of the epistle is that it has probably become a pattern at the time of the writing of this epistle among believers to join grace and peace as part of greeting formula. We say this because the word “grace” and “peace” are joined in the apostle’s greetings in his epistles. In writing to the Romans, the apostle used this formula in Romans 1:7:
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
This formula is repeated in his epistles to the local churches he wrote such as the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Thessalonians, and also in his pastoral epistles, as in Titus 1:4:
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
The Apostle Paul is not alone in enjoining grace and peace in his greetings, so did Apostles Peter and John, as indicated in the following passages:
1 Peter 1:2:
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Revelation 1:4:
John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,
Thus, it appears that joining of the words “grace” and “peace” had become a standard practice among believers in the time Apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Corinthians. Thus, we are on a sound ground when we assert that his surface reason for using the word “grace” in his greeting is that it had become a formula of greeting to join the words “grace” and “peace” in formal greeting among believers at the time of the writing of this epistle.
There is perhaps a deeper reason for the use of the word “grace” in the greeting or prayer-wish of 1 Corinthians 1:3. It is because the apostle wanted the recipients to begin to think more broadly about the concept of grace since in the epistle the apostle described the many failures of those he called “saints” so they will recognize that it is because of grace or God’s kindness that such position is possible. They are purified and qualified to have an eternal relationship with God because of His grace as revealed in Christ. Furthermore, the apostle considered spiritual gifts that are also demonstration of God’s grace since no one earns any spiritual gift. Thus, the fact that many have different spiritual gifts is due to God’s grace, implying that it is important that Corinthians orient their thinking towards the grace of God, as such orientation should remove any sense of superiority of some members over others in the local church because of their spiritual gifts. Everything that God does for us arises from His goodness and kindness towards us, the undeserving, and so the word “grace” should help us begin to think of God’s goodness in all that He has done for us and is still doing for us. Therefore, it is important we recognize that there is nothing in us that would have led God to do the great things He did for us in Christ, such as, being included among His people and receiving of any spiritual gift. Hence, you should orient your thinking to God’s grace in terms of His undeserving love and unlimited kindness to you as we study through this epistle.
Be that as it may, we insist that grace as used in 1 Corinthians 1:3 is concerned primarily with God’s enabling gracious care or help to the believer. We say this because of the association of the word “grace” with “peace” in the expression of 1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peace is a word that brings to our mind the thought of the state of concord, tranquility or harmony among people. The word peace also refers to that condition in which there is no trouble, or in which one is free from worries. However, because of the influence of the Hebrew word (šālôm) that means peace that is used in greetings among the Jews, the Greek word (eirēnē) translated “peace” means also a state of well-being and so means “welfare, health.” It is in this sense of wellbeing that the word is used in James 2:16:
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
The expression Go, I wish you well of the NIV is literally Go in peace so it is evident that the translators of the NIV used the meaning of “well-being” in their translation of the Greek word that literally means “peace.” When the apostle used the Greek word translated “peace” in 1 Corinthians1:3, it is the well-being of the Corinthians that he had primarily in mind. However, like the use of the word “grace”, the apostle’s use of the word “peace” was also intended to cause the Corinthians to think of the state of concord or harmony, because there is division among them as the apostle discussed in this epistle. Discord or rancor is an indication of absence peace either individually or collectively. I am saying when there is division, it is because there is no peace in the souls of those involved since it is usually when a person is troubled in the soul that such a person wants to pick a fight with others. Believers who have peace in their souls are those who could maintain unity in the Christian community, as the Holy Spirit implied through Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:3:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
This is possible; first because believers have peace with God since they have been justified, as the Holy Spirit states through Apostle Paul in Romans 5:1:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Those who have peace with God are capable of personal peace that God provides if they live in accordance with truth. For example, if we stop worrying about our problems and commit them to the Lord in prayer, He will grant us His peace, according to Philippians 4:7:
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In any event, the apostle was first concerned with the well-being of the original recipients, and so we know that God is certainly concerned with your well-being as a believer.
The apostle did not want the original recipients and so all of us to think of grace and peace as if these are concepts that are associated with humanity or concepts that humans produce. Therefore, he tells us of the source of grace and peace in the phrase from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This phrase is concerned with two members of the Godhead, the Father and the Son as the source of grace and peace. In all his greetings, the apostle generally indicates that the Father and the Son are the source of grace and peace without any reference to the Spirit. We do not have any definite reason for this practice except perhaps that the Holy Spirit is the means of administering peace since peace is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
The fact that the apostle never included the Holy Spirit as source of grace and peace does not mean that the Holy Spirit is not also the source of grace and peace for He is, being a member of the Triune God. That all three members of the Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Spirit are the source of grace and peace is evident in the greetings in the book of revelation that we previously cited, but we cite it again this time to include verse 5, that is, Revelation 1: 4–5:
John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
This passage indicates that grace and peace is from the Triune God. It is true that the word “Father” does not appear but He is the One described in the clause him who is, and who was, and who is to come. This is because the phrase seven spirits before his throne refers to the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ is clearly identified as the source of grace and peace, so the only member of the Godhead not mentioned is the Father. He is the one described in the clause him who is, and who was, and who is to come.
We have considered the introduction of this epistle, but as we leave it, you should be aware that you are included among the saints and so you are expected to live a lifestyle that is befitting those who are considered God’s special people, those in a unique relationship with Christ Jesus. You should also remain mindful of God’s grace in the sense of undeserved love and limitless kindness toward you. This means that you should be appreciative of such grace by again living in a way that proves you understand what God did for you in Christ Jesus. You should experience the peace that comes to those whose sins have been forgiven. You should enjoy personal peace in that you live a life that is worry free because you have faith in God’s ability to take care of you in every way. You will have peace as you follow the instructions given by the apostle in his letter. Peace we know is one aspect of the filling of the Holy Spirit; therefore, if you want peace you must be filled of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, since peace means the normal state of the soul in relation to God, then the issue is that you should maintain a complete focus on God so that you can have peace. It is as you focus on Him that your soul will be functioning the way it was intended to be and that is when you can experience His peace. This is what Prophet Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 26:3:
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
You cannot put your trust on any human or material things and expect peace. Therefore, if you want peace, your focus and trust must be in the Lord. Furthermore, you should aspire to live righteously since that will lead to peace, according to Isaiah 32:17:
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
With these words we are now prepared to begin our study of this epistle.
12/22/17