Verse 3
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace ... This double salutation combined the common greetings of both Greeks and Hebrews, but with a remarkable extension of the meaning of both. [@Chairein] was the Greek word for "greeting"; but Paul's word [@charis] means "grace," calling attention to God's unspeakable gift to humanity. The Hebrew salutation, [shalom], meaning "peace," was united with an affirmation of its coming through Jesus Christ alone.[2]
In Paul's style of mentioning himself first, then the addressee, and next a formal greeting, he followed the format employed by all educated persons of that era. "When Paul wrote letters he wrote them on the pattern which everybody used."[3] However, Paul always extended the form somewhat in order to adorn it with the distinctive sentiments and teachings of Christianity. In these three verses, it is plain that "The distinguishing feature is its stress upon the sanctity of the church."[4]
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