Grace and Peace | Women's Grace Devotional

"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." - Phil 1:2 KJB

All of Paul's thirteen epistles begin, or greet the readers with, "grace and peace" from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, because Paul's epistles are written specifically to Jews and Gentiles in the dispensation of grace, it is written to the whole world. So what does it mean? Is it simply a kind salutation or something more?

In 2 Corinthians 5:19 we read, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation”. What this means is that instead of God pouring out his wrath on a predominantly unbelieving world, he is offering grace and peace to anyone who is willing to believe the gospel of their salvation (which is how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again for our justification). He's also not chastising the nations today (or individual people) or putting certain "good rulers" in some places or "evil rulers" in other places. God is being kind to all nations and is focused on individual people being saved and coming unto the knowledge of the truth. 

Satan does have a course for this world and he is influencing unbelievers in a direction that will eventually lead to the rise of the anti-christ after the church is raptured out. Paul also tells us that we live in a "present evil world" today and that apostasy in the church will get worse in the latter time's, meaning that apostasy only gets worse as we near the rapture. 

2 Tim 3:1

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come."

Ephesians 2:2-4 KJB

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Galatians 1:4 

4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

2 Thessalonians 2:7a

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:

God isn't blessing one nation more than any other today. However, when a nation has Christian leaders, that can have a positive impact on that nation because they are more aligned with God's word, but only if they are allowing Christ to live in and through them and frankly most politicians today who claim to be believers are simply not doing that. Many of them compromise on Biblical beliefs and Christian moral values for more votes, power and money. Since the world is only waxing worse, we shouldn't really expect a big turnaround on national levels (this doesn't mean however just condoning evil; we can still vote and other such things etc). We should be focused more on getting individual people saved and then edified in sound grace doctrine. Remember, this current world is only temporary until the Lord eventually creates a new heaven and a new earth. God is also NOT bringing in the kingdom on earth right now. That doesn't happen until after the 7 year tribulation on the earth (the church the Body of Christ is raptured out before the tribulation begins) and it has to do with Israel's prophetic program, not with the current dispensation of grace. The "kingdom now" philosophy is a false teaching.

Also specifically regarding the nation of Israel, yes the old testament says that they are a favored nation. However today in the dispensation of grace, they are NOT a favored nation. Today, God is saving both individual Jews and Gentiles when they simply believe the gospel of the grace of God. Israel fell as a nation and God has temporarily put their program aside so that he can form the Church the Body of Christ to fill the heavenly places.

Romans 11:11

11 I say then, Have they [Israel] stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Romans 10:1-4 

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Gentiles can be saved too during Israel's program, but those saved Gentiles will be part of the new earth, and the church the Body of Christ inherits the heavenly places. So, as ambassadors for Christ, we need to share the gospel with the Jewish people as well as with all people around the world. The best way to support the Jewish people is to share the gospel with them so that individual Jews can be saved unto eternal life. When a Jew or Gentile is saved today, they become a member of Christ's body and will live in the heavenly places forever. Beleiving Jews and Gentiles will be raptured out before the tribulation begins. Once the rapture takes place, God will resume His dealings with Israel (all Jews at the very beginning of the tribulation are unbelievers, but perhaps seeing that the church was raptured out while all unbelievers were left behind, "wakes some of them up" as they then see that God keeps his promises, and then some of the Jews and maybe even some gentiles, immediately become believers at the start of the tribulation period) and the Jews will become God's favored nation again. The believing Jews at that time will be persecuted by both unbelieving Gentiles and the religious, apostate (unbelieving) Jews. At that time, any Gentile nation or individual Gentile that helps the believing Jews in the tribulation will be blessed by God in his coming kingdom on earth. But all of that requires a lot of Bible study to fully understand. The most important thing to understand for now is that today in the dispensation of grace, the middle wall of partition is down. 

Ephesians 2:14-18 in the KJB says 

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, [individual Jew and Gentile] and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

We ought to be thankful that God has reconciled the world unto himself through Christ. This means that each individual person can choose to believe the gospel of their salvation and be saved, or they could choose not to believe. Reconciliation here doesn't mean that all people are automatically saved and forgiven, but rather that we are reconcilable. But, we must choose to believe in order to be saved unto eternal life. 

To be saved, understand first of all that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself. Then, simply believe how that Christ Jesus died for your sins, was buried and rose again for your justification. The moment that you believe that gospel, you will have eternal life in Christ Jesus!

1 Cor 15: 1-4 KJB  "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, 👉how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures"👈

**To understand some of these teachings more I recommend studying Romans chapters 9-10 as well as the book of Acts.

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