Galatians 1:3

‘Grace to you, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.'

‘Grace to you.' Nothing can be more desirable than to have God looking on us and acting towards us in love and favour, and this is what is signified by ‘grace' (GRACE - God's Riches At Christ's Expense). It speaks of the undeserved saving activity of God in all who believe. Thus Paul wants the Galatians to know that what he desires for them is simply that they enjoy the experience of the grace of God, which does not need to be earned but is freely given.

‘And peace.' Peace results from grace, but the kind of peace mentioned here is also God's gift, flowing from Him to us. Once we know that we are right with God, and experience His graciousness towards us, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1), and the result will be that we will be flooded with His peace (Galatians 5:22) and enjoy such peace, prosperity and success of spirit that our hearts can only overflow. For the truth is that however much things may seem to smile on us, if God is not pleased with us, we cannot fully know peace. The very foundation then of peace in our hearts is the favour of God, by which we enjoy true and genuine prosperity of spirit through the work of His Spirit, and find the peace of God which passes all understanding guarding our thoughts and hearts (Philippians 4:7). And it is this that Paul was wishing for, and praying for, for the Galatians.

‘From God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.' Note how the two are linked together. What a combined source of power and grace and peace we have here. On the one hand we have ‘the Father', and on the other ‘the Lord'. This continual linking of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ with God the Father in perfect equality clearly demonstrates Paul's view of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2 and often, and contrast Colossians 1:2). Compare when he says we have one God, the Father, --- and one Lord, Jesus Christ' (1 Corinthians 8:6). This is especially significant in view of the fact that the description ‘Lord' (kurios) was the very word used by the Greek translators to render the name of God, YHWH. And Jesus is declared to be both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). The Jew could say, ‘we have one Lord and one God, the Lord our God, the Lord is One'. Paul agrees. ‘Yes', he says, ‘we have one God the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, and they are one in fullness and in being.

Paul further confirms this in Philippians 2:9 when he declares that as ‘Lord' Jesus has been given ‘the Name that is above every Name'. And there was, in fact, only one Name above every name and that is the Name of YHWH. Thus when used of Jesus the title ‘Lord' equates with ‘God. That is why he can later speak of ‘our God and Saviour Jesus Christ' (Titus 2:13; compare 2 Peter 1:1).