Recipients Of Grace Become Persons of Peace

We will never agree on everything.

We disagree about what restaurants are best, which regions of the country are most beautiful, how much coffee is too much (hint, it’s not), who is the most trustworthy politician and who is not, where the best sports teams play and far more.

We can agree on some things, though. Everyone can agree that cookies are yummy, puppies are cute and barbecue smells great.

We can probably also agree that grace and peace are good and desirable.

In Galatians 1 (as well as most of his other books), Paul prays for the Galatian believers to experience grace and peace. I love that he chooses this wish for them rather than success and prosperity.

Receiving grace and peace in life is far more necessary than receiving success and prosperity. In fact, we need grace and peace precisely because we are never promised success, ease or prosperity.

This world will always offer one more enticement for us to chase. From every angle, we are bombarded with the message that we can be more successful and more prosperous. If we are not careful we will drown in the message that we need more. We need more of everything. We need more more. Anxiety and Hopelessness are often the result of believing a lie that we have less than we need.

The message that we don’t have enough or that we need to accumulate more is the message of what Paul refers to as “this present evil age”. This was the message of Satan in the garden of Eden (he told Eve she didn’t have enough and that she needed the “more” of the forbidden tree). It is also the message which today steals our grace and peace.

According to Paul, Jesus offers us grace and peace by rescuing us from the evil of this present life. Here’s how that works:

• Grace and peace both find their origin in the same place. It’s the same place as Paul received his apostleship (hint: not himself).

• The critical factors in Paul’s identity are the death and resurrection of Christ and his adoption as a son of God.

• Salvation has its origin in God’s will, not man’s plans, actions or mechanisms

• We experience grace and peace when we embrace our identity under the Father and in Christ.

• When we value the forever offered by Christ as better than this present age, we will experience the grace and peace He designed us to appreciate.

• Those who have been given grace and peace must extend grace and peace. As we offer grace and peace to others, we'll discover it multiplied in our own lives.

Watch below for more...

(follow up with small group discussion questions if you want)

Truth Matters - A Study in Galatians 06-25-2017 from The Gathering on Vimeo.