Philippians 1:2

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

‘Grace' (charis) was a Gentile greeting and ‘peace' a Jewish one. But on Paul's pen we must not see them just as formal greetings. He had very much in mind the unmerited favour of God (grace) towards them (compare Ephesians 2:8; 2 Corinthians 12:9) and his hope for their spiritual well-being in the hands of God (peace, well-being - shalom), for he treasured them in his heart.

‘From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.' The parallel descriptions bring out Paul's high view of Jesus Christ. The Father is ‘God', Jesus Christ is ‘the Lord', which is the Septuagintal equivalent of ‘God' (YHWH). Both are fully divine (compare 1 Corinthians 8:6), and both are involved in working in grace on behalf of God's people, and in ensuring their well-being.