Grace and Peace, Paul’s Letter to the Romans | Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Romans Word Cloud

In most of the New Testament letters, rather than the typical Greco-Roman greeting chaire, literally joy, one finds the formula “grace and peace” (charis kai eirene).

The typical Jewish greeting is shalom, which the Greek Old Testament usually translates eirene. “For the Hebrews and the people of the New Testament peace was not so much the absence of war or strife as the presence of positive blessing” (Wright, 53).

Thus Paul incorporates a variation of the usual Greek greeting and the usual Jewish greeting into the blessing that he offers these Roman Christians–Grace and Peace.

Grace (charis) is central to the Book of Romans.

Christ encompasses both worlds, the Greek and the Jews. He offers unmerited free grace, and peace for the soul.

Immense concepts worth lingering and praying over.

Paul wrote immensely long sentences. Some of his sentences are the longest in the entire Bible, particularly those in Ephesians. It sometimes helps one to grasp his thought better if we split them up, almost as if they were a poem.

And so–deep breath– I embark on the Book of Romans.

Romans 1

¹ Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle
and set apart for the gospel of God—
² the gospel he promised beforehand
through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
³ regarding his Son,
who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David,
⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness
was appointed the Son of God in power
by his resurrection from the dead:
Jesus Christ our Lord.

⁵ Through him we received grace and apostleship
to call all the Gentiles to the obedience
that comes from faith
for his name’s sake.
⁶ And you also are among those Gentiles
who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

⁷ To all in Rome
who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.