Grace and Peace
Excerpt
Paul’s greetings have always combined the Greek (“grace”) and Hebrew (“peace”) greetings, but they are also theologized as an eschatological promise that the Christian experiences God’s grace and the peace in an entirely new way as a result of what God and Christ have done. What the Greeks and Hebrews symbolically sought in their greetings has now been actualized in Christ. Finally, we can truly experience God’s grace and find peace. The reason is that God is our Father, establishing a whole new intimacy in our relationship with him, and Christ has become our Lord as a result of his resurrection (see especially v. 4 above).
Osborne, Grant R. Romans. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004. Print. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series.
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