PAUL AND PRAYER: GREETINGS IN PAUL'S LETTERS

We are taught to use the acronym ACTS to recall the elements of prayer. Recite what each of these letters stands for. But in Paul's letters, the types of prayer he used were divided differently in analogy with the standard format used in secular Roman letters of the time. These elements are listed below, but Paul expanded on each of these elements and occasionally appended the last one or two on the list. At first consideration, it would appear that the two “greetings” sections would be devoid of any prayers. But appearances are sometimes deceiving.

    Greeting

    Prayer for Health

    Thanksgiving

    Special Contents

    Personal Greetings

    (Benediction)

    (Doxology)

Just look at a standard greeting we might use all the time, going through all its variations:

“Morning.” This is a simple statement of fact with no attempt by the speaker to commit himself or herself any further.

“Good morning.” Now it becomes a regular greeting.

“Have a good morning.” This could almost be taken as a command to follow.

“I hope that you have a good morning.” This is a wish that expresses no more reality behind it than “Visualize world peace” or John Lennon's song “Imagine.”

“I pray you have a good morning.” This may mean no more than a mere wish.

“I pray to God that you have a good morning.” This is a true prayer, but only if we keep in mind the attributes of God:

    Omniscience – He knows our needs before we ask.

    Omnipresence – He is with us wherever we are.

    Omnipotence – He is able to answer our prayers.

    Good and loving – His response will always be for a believers' ultimate good.

In reality, all of the above variations might be considered as a true prayer depending on who is saying them. So what about the wording in the opening and closing greetings of Paul's letters? Paul uses two, and sometimes three, key words in his opening greetings. Each one is worth considering:

“Grace” This word in the Greek sounds similar to the ancient letter greeting of “hail” but conveys a much deeper theological meaning.

    chairein – “greetings,” “hail”

    charis – that which causes joy, or a gift given not for recipient's personal enjoyment but in accord with God's will and to further God's purposes

Paul uses this word roughly 100 times in his letters, sometimes as the opposite of wages due or works. Some proposed definitions for “grace” are:

“His strength to match our weakness.”

“ God's unconditional good will toward mankind which is decisively expressed in the saving work of Christ.”

“God's kindness toward us.”

“Mercy” This standard Greek word takes on the nuances of its Hebrew counterpart.

    eleos (Gr) – Showing pity; loving-kindness

    hesed (Heb.) – God's persistent and loyal love; associated with the gifts that come from that kindness, and finally the thankful attitude this awaken the Covenant

Paul only uses this word for his letters to Timothy. Paul treats him as a son and expresses his affection for him by using this word. It is closely related to the idea of grace with a subtle difference. William Hendricksen says, “Grace pardons while mercy commiserates; grace is God's love toward the guilty, mercy his love toward the wretched or pitiable; grace concerns the state, mercy the condition.”

“Peace”

eirene (Gr.)

    1. Absence of war: This is the negative definition of the term according to secular Greek thought.

    2. Inner peace of the soul

    3. Restored relationship between God and man

In Paul's thinking, it is related to the standard Jewish greeting shalom, which means “to be complete, full, perfect.” In Israel, hope for peace always centered upon the coming Messiah, “the Prince of peace.” Peace is an order established by God, as opposed to disorder. One commentator has said, “The richness of peace can only be understood by those who appreciate the implications of alienation from God.”

Paul says, “Christ is our peace.” And he often calls God “the God of peace.”

Peace is not an escape or salvation from the world, but for the world.

Peace is both the content and goal of all Christian preaching. In Ephesians 6:15, Paul uses the phrase “the gospel of peace.”

 “Grace and Peace”

These two terms often appear as a pair in Paul's writings. One error perpetrated over the years is the statement that whenever Paul uses these words in close conjunction, grace always precedes peace. That is because grace is the basis of peace. In fact, Paul always puts grace first in his opening greetings, but in the final greetings the order is reversed. The meaning being conveyed is that grace is the alpha and omega, the beginning and end.

Here are some quotations to show how various commentators explain the relationship between these two greetings:

        “Peace is the mature fruit of grace.”

        “Grace is the fountain and peace is the stream which issues from this fountain.”

        “The grace and peace of God are the first and last and the best which we can petition from God for one another.”

These two concepts actually appear together in a familiar OT benediction:

“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.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

What do we do with these blessings? We pass them on. Jesus instructs the 70 followers to say to whatever house they enter, “Peace to this house.” (Luke 10:5) Many churches practice the passing of the peace between the worshipers. So try greeting one another in this manner the next time you are in church, not as a mere wish but as a sincere prayer. And remember that even if you take your leave of others with a simple goodbye, that word is a contraction of “God be with you."