GALATIANS 1:3

“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,”

When I was a young boy of 5 or 6, I would follow my brother everywhere. When he and some of his buddies got up a game of baseball, I had to be right there in the midst of them. He watched out for me. We shared the same bed until he went off to college. That was pretty common back in those days. You could say we were pretty connected.

But our connection paled in comparison to the connection Paul shows us in today’s verse. He gives his common salutation to the Galatians of “grace to you and peace,” and then includes “from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this simple statement, Paul is showing the eternal connection between God the Father and God the Son. They are inseparable. They are the source of all grace and peace.

APPLICATION

So, what do we do with this? It’s a pretty simple statement but also so deep. The Expositor’s Greek Testament commentary says this about this verse. “These include the lifegiving power of the spirit as well as the assurance of God’s forgiving love in Christ and peace with an accusing conscience.” You see, you can’t separate “grace and peace” from the Father and the Son. Wow! That’s deep, right?

John 10:30 simply reads, “‘I and the Father are one.’” Jesus said this, so we know it’s true. There was no separation between them even when Jesus was on the earth in the form of man. He did not make a move that wasn’t directed by the Father. In John 5:30 He said, “‘I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.’”

These questions need to be asked then. Are you connected to God? Are you connected to Jesus? What is your connection? Did you know, as a believer, the Holy Spirit is your connection to God? He lives in you and also coexists with the God the Father. I don’t understand it, but I am sure glad He does. Stayed connected through Him. Listen to Him. Seek Him daily as you pray and read God’s Word.

We are connected, Father, through Your Spirit and through the blood of the Son. Hallelujah!