I have a confession to make. I often skim over parts of the Bible that seem familiar, formal, or just—this part is painful to admit—unimportant. I’m embarrassed to write that. I’ve championed the doctrine of divine inspiration for years, encouraging and exhorting others to take the authority of God’s Word seriously. I’ve quoted Proverb 30:5—and meant it! “Every word of God is pure.” But recently, God exposed a patch of neglect in my garden that needed tending. Maybe if you poke around a bit, you’ll find one too. 

I’m not alluding to passages that list tabernacle dimensions, detail the steps for cleansing a leper’s pad, or report the genealogical backlog of Isaac's grandparents. Readers eager to discover treasure gloss over those passages too and miss priceless gems. But that’s a blog for another day. Trust me. There’s gold in them there hills.  

No, the verses I’m talking about are not tucked away in an Old Testament narrative or genealogy. They’re hiding in plain sight. In fact, I’ll wager you’ve read them hundreds of times and never given them much thought—which puts us in the same category. 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are  Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. -Ephesians 1:1-2

Anything stand out to you in that verse? Just your standard, run-of-the-mill, apostolic greeting, right? That’s what I thought. I mean, it doesn’t exactly have an earth-shattering ring to it. I’ve read opening statements in the New Testament epistles like that countless times and thought, “Nothing to see here. Move along,” as if police tape was wrapped around the passage. 

Religious formality, middle eastern salutations, apostolic baby steps into deep theology. I suppose we all have our reasons for ignoring introductions or viewing them like a child views the wrapping paper on a Christmas gift. Quick! Rip it off. The good stuff’s inside. 

But here’s the problem. This is the inside. God doesn’t invite us to edit or triage His Word, separating the important stuff from what we perceive as filler. When it comes to God’s revelation, the editing’s finished. The critical, powerful, and profitable stuff remains. 

Now, I realize the danger in overcorrection and getting clobbered by that pesky pendulum as it swings back. I’m not expecting anyone to frame “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus” on their living room wall. My concern is that in our mad dash to run across the beach and plunge into the ocean, we pass by a partially emerged beautiful shell and miss an occasion to deepen our wonder of God. Beauty sometimes hides in surprising places.    

The apostle John closed his gospel with a mind-blowing statement. He wrote, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” Of the many take-aways for a truth like that, here’s one: God only gave us one book. Only one. Every word matters. Two words stand out in Paul’s intro: grace and peace. Don’t yawn.

Paul wrote thirteen letters in the New Testament. He begins each of them with this statement. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Peter and John do the same. Combined, that’s seventeen times. Every word matters. 

Last Sunday my sermon was on “Grace and Peace” from Ephesians. I was preaching to myself. I’ll never cruise through the beginning of Paul’s letters again without pausing to acknowledge my gratitude for those realities. John Stott said those two words summarize the entire message of Ephesians. “Peace through Grace,” he called it. 

What’s Paul saying? Three things, at least. 

Christians need more grace and peace. This probably goes without saying, but assumptions are dangerous. Paul is not talking about the grace that converted us and changed our status from enemy to child. That doesn’t mean it’s any less amazing though. Everything we receive from God as his children flows from his grace. Oxygen. Relationships. Food. All grace. 

Same with peace. It’s true that we now have peace with God. But Paul is talking about the peace of God. This is not about our status with God. That’s fixed. It’s about our enjoyment of that status. We continually stand in need of the grace and peace that preserve, protect, equip, empower, and sustain us.   

Paul puts no conditions on this. He assumes we all feel our need. He didn’t say, “God has more grace and peace for you…unless of course you have enough.” Not possible. That’s like saying we currently have within us all the oxygen we need to live on for the rest of our lives. Take a deep breath and smile.   

When I started driving, my mother had to remind me of two things when I left the house. “Don’t forget your lunch, son. Here’s your keys.” Without my keys, I wasn’t going anywhere. Without my lunch…it would be a long, intolerable day—for everyone. That’s grace and peace. Can’t live without them. We shouldn’t try to. And we need more.   

God has more grace and peace to give. This is a powerful reality and wonderful partnership. Our need finds God’s provision. Don’t miss the source here. “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” If Grace and Peace are water, then God is Niagara Falls and his nature is gravity. He possesses an abundance and receives joy to lavish us with more of his bounty. God is giving. May we receive.  

God wants us to pass them on. According to the rest of Paul’s letter—and the whole Bible, really, we’re supposed to be imparting this grace to others, and leaving a trail of peace. Salt and light. A pleasant aroma. We’re on mission. Listen to the way Paul ends his letter. It’s not much different from how he began:

Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus…” Ephesians 6:23–24

 Do you see it? Chapter one, “Grace and Peace come to you.” In Chapter six, “Grace and Peace go with you.” As image-bearing believers, we’re temples on wheels. We carry God’s presence wherever we go and demonstrate His power to transform. Our lives are the showroom floor for God’s mission in the world. May they see in us grace and peace.     

Taking all of the Bible seriously meant that I stop passing over phrases that seem to be throwaways. Instead, I must pause and ponder. Paul is shepherding us if we’ll let him. He’s trying to form us as God’s people. He and the other writers want those words to be the first words that come into our minds when we think about God. Grace and Peace. Paul is praying for us to possess, enjoy, and to impart them to others.  

So since an endless supply of grace is available, and since we are in constant need, and since God is willing to lavish us with more and more, then we should seek humility. Remember, grace flows downhill. Stay low to live high. James helps us here:  

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6–8).

Experience the grace and enjoy the peace. But don’t keep them to yourself. Don’t live like a cul-de-sac Christian. Be an on-ramp to a world of need. Spread the love.