Regardless of how you came to faith—and whatever God used to bring you to the point where you saw Jesus as Lord and Savior—every believer can say that Ephesians 2:1–10 is their testimony. We were all “dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked, following the course of this world,” and we “were by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:1–3). “But God,” Paul says, “being rich in mercy,” loved us still and “made us alive together with Christ,” so that he “might show the immeasurable riches of his grace” that are “in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4–7). He then adds, “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Eph. 2:8).
This is the shared reality of all who are in Christ. We share in the grace of Christ. And it is this wonderful grace with which Paul greets the churches in Galatia.
It was common for Jews in the New Testament period to greet one another with the word shalom or shalom aleichem, meaning, “Peace be upon you.” It was a wish for the peace of God—a peace that referred to wholeness and well-being. It was an all-encompassing peace. For example, when David sent messengers to Nabal, he instructed them to say, “Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have” (1 Sam. 25:6). This greeting communicated complete wholeness and flourishing.
Paul, a Jew himself, was well acquainted with this greeting and undoubtedly used it often. However, when he was struck down by the power of God and saved by the grace of Jesus Christ, he came to understand that true peace is only possible through grace. Peace cannot exist apart from it. So, Paul added grace to the greeting.
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 1:3
Grace and peace together summarize the Lord’s promise of redemption. Aaron, the Old Testament priest, announced a blessing on Israel that resonates in Paul’s greeting. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26). It is with this in mind that Paul introduces spiritual freedom in the epistle for the first time.
The Means of Freedom
Grace is the source of salvation and the sum of all blessings provided by God. It is commonly defined as “unmerited favor.” The Greek word translated grace is charis, which is related to a word meaning “to rejoice.” Grace is something worth rejoicing over. It is everything for nothing. Grace is what everyone needs and what no one can earn. At the same time, it is what God alone can give—and what he gives freely (Rom. 8:32).
Paul uses the word “grace” more than 100 times in his writings—twice as much as any other New Testament author. In many ways, he is the apostle of grace. He loved to speak of it, defend it, and proclaim it. This is why grace appears first in his greeting to the Galatians. But it is also why grace appears at the very end of the letter as well: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen” (Gal. 6:18). Grace frames the entire epistle—just as it frames the entire life of the believer.
Even the closing amen underscores this truth. The Christian life begins with grace, continues by grace, and ends in grace. Paul is intentionally emphasizing grace over against the false emphasis on works promoted by the gospel’s opponents. By wishing “grace to you,” Paul is announcing the divine provision that makes salvation—and freedom—possible for the churches in Galatia.
Grace is the means of freedom. Without it, there is no gospel. Without it, there is no salvation. And without it, there is no peace.
True peace is not achieved through works, but enjoyed through grace received in Christ.
The Experience of Freedom
Although the Jews employed the word “peace” in their greetings, they could never truly experience it if they believed that works of the law made them godly rather than the righteousness of Christ received through grace. In other words, if works replace grace, peace is never actualized. It becomes superficial and counterfeit. The teaching of the Judaizers attacked even this most basic element of Christian greeting—and, more importantly, the gospel itself.
In the original language, the word “peace” (eirēnē) comes from a root (eirō) meaning “to join” or “to bind together.” It pictures the binding together of what had once been separated. To have peace is to be “set at one” again—where we derive our English expression, “having it all together.” Spiritually speaking, peace means rest in God. It is harmony with him.
The works of the law produce no such peace. In fact, they maintain separation from God. No one can obey the law perfectly. Therefore, no one can achieve the perfection God requires through law-keeping. When it comes to the law of God, no one truly has it all together.
Peace comes only through grace—through reconciliation accomplished by Christ and received by faith. Peace is not earned; it is enjoyed. It is the lived experience of freedom that flows from grace.
The Source for Freedom
Both the Father and the Son are equally active in the saving, sanctifying, and glorifying of sinners. The Father wills it. The Son accomplishes it. By naming both “God our Father” and “the Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul affirms the co-equality of the Godhead and shows that salvation is the unified work of the triune God.
God the Father is presented as the loving initiator and gracious architect of redemption. Freedom does not originate in human desire, effort, or resolve, but in the eternal will of the Father. He purposes grace, sends the Son, and delights to save sinners. As Paul teaches elsewhere, it is the Father who “chose us in him before the foundation of the world” and “predestined us for adoption” (Eph. 1:4–5). Grace flows from a Father who loves, plans, and gives. This means that freedom rests on the settled will of God himself. Our peace is secure because our Father is faithful.
The Son is identified in three ways: Lord, Jesus, and Christ. Each reveals something essential about who he is and what he has done.
“Lord” speaks of his authority. It means “Master” and points to his absolute rule and uncontested power. This is the most common title used for Jesus in the New Testament. But it is more than a title—it is a summons. To confess Jesus as Lord is to surrender our will to him completely. “Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matt. 6:33). If Jesus is your Lord, he is the master and owner of your life.
“Jesus,” derived from the Hebrew name Jeshua, means “the Lord is salvation.” This is the name given by the angel because “he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21; Luke 1:31). It points directly to his saving mission.
“Christ” means “Anointed One.” It is the Greek equivalent of Messiah and refers to one consecrated for divine office. Jesus is God’s chosen king, savior, and deliverer. He is the true Adam who obeyed perfectly, the Isaac offered for others, the Joseph betrayed, the Moses who delivers, and the Jonah buried for three days. He is the Lamb of God, the perfect High Priest, the unleavened bread, the firstfruits, the Day of Atonement, the manna from heaven, and the city of refuge. The entire Old Testament points forward to the Anointed One. He is Jesus. And it is through him that grace comes to sinners and peace is enjoyed.
The peace we experience is always in proportion to the grace we receive. Paul wishes for the Galatians to receive the fullness of grace in Christ so that they might experience the fullness of peace—being bound together with their holy God.
John MacArthur captures this relationship well: “Grace is the sum of all blessings provided by God; peace is the enjoyment of all blessings provided by God and experienced by the believer.” Similarly, Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes grace as the fountain from which peace flows:
“Grace is the beginning of our faith, peace is the end of our faith. Grace is the fountain, the spring, the source. It is that particular place in the mountain from which the mighty river you see rolling into the sea starts its race; without it, there would be nothing. Grace is the origin and source and fount of everything in the Christian life.”
And this brings us back to where we began. If Ephesians 2:1–10 is our testimony—if we were once dead but have been made alive by grace—then Galatians 1:3 is the announcement of our freedom. The same grace that saved us now sustains us. We do not graduate from grace; we grow deeper into it. And as we do, peace follows.
We receive the fullness of freedom through the fullness of grace in Christ. And that grace will always be our testimony.
