2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Vs. 1 - “Paul and Timothy” - Timothy has been with Paul since Paul’s second missionary journey, or about 10 years. Few of the others workers, Barnabas, Silas, Mark are with him during his imprisonment in Rome. There are others there with Paul, but they are not necessarily ‘permanent staff’ - they are messengers and couriers between Paul and the local churches.
- “Bond-servants of Christ Jesus” - Paul refers to himself in three of his letters as a bond-servant. According to some of the commentaries and Bible dictionaries, there is a difference between a bond-servant and a slave. The Jew, under the Mosaic covenant, was never a slave in the nation(s) of Israel (or, Judah and Israel - southern and northern kingdoms) as we know slavery, such experienced in America’s South and other places. An Israelite could not own another Jew. Technically, a Jew was not a slave, but a ‘hired hand’ working to pay off a debt. See: Exo. 21:2-6. A Jew could not forced to be a slave for more than six years. The slave under the Mosaic Law was mostly paying off a debt, occurred legally or not. After six years as a servant (slave) the man was freed and the debt forgiven.
(See Note 1 below)A Jew, having served to pay the debt, could decide to stay with the ‘master’ - voluntary servitude. They went through a ceremony in which a hole was punched in the servant’s ear, after which the servant served for life. The term ‘bond-servant’ may refer to this voluntary service. This was a HUGE commitment - not at all like taking a job which you can leave for a better job or in a different location.
What a good picture of our relationship to the Lord Jesus. We are not forced to be saved. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, calls us to believe and be saved. When we believe in our heart Jesus was raised from the dead, and confess Him as Lord and Savior, we will be saved. See: Rom. 10:9-10. Now, we are His. His friends. His servants. His bride. His glory. Our life is not our own, for we were bought for a price. (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23) That price - a perfect sacrifice, is the Lamb who was slain.
The image of a bond-slave is a good picture of our Christian life. The servant, after the debt is paid, volunteers to serve the master. We acknowledge that Christ paid our debt - one we can never pay in full. We must confess that we believe He is our Lord and Savior. This confession is not forced from us. We do it by our free will. Remember, the former slave has no more obligation to the master, the debt has been paid. The former slave publicly announces the desire to serve the master permanently, for life. Our confession of faith is made before other people. The ceremony for the bond-servant is public. All people now know the person is permanently connected to the master. Our ceremony - baptism in conjunction with confession of faith - is a public announcement we are Christ’s possession for life, both physical and spiritual, both here now and for eternity.
The following chart may help to see the similarities:| Slave pays his debt by working it off. | Jesus Christ pays our sin-debt by His Crucifixion and Resurrection. |
| Former slave volunteers to serve the master. | Sinner decides to believe and accept Christ as Lord and Savior. |
| Former slave publicly has a hole punched in the ear to show he is now a bond-servant. | Sinner publicly acknowledges Christ and is baptized to show he is a Christian. |
| Bond-servant is bound to the master for life. | Believer, a Christian, is Christ’s personal possession for life and eternity. |
- “all the saints in Christ Jesus” - Those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior are called saints. We have been moved from sinners to saints. We are “transferred from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”. (Col. 1:13) Sometimes we do not manifest that saintly-ness. We are not yet what we shall be.
- “including the overseers and deacons” - As the church grew and expanded, people were appointed, or called, to provide local leadership and service. See 1 Tim. 3:1-13. See also the discussion in the blog, click: Bible Study Notes. Or, copy the following and paste it in your browser: http://bsn-by-gas.blogspot.com/2018/02/1-tim-31-7-rules-for-overseers.html
Vs. 2 - “Grace to you and peace” - Paul includes this combined blessing in every letter he wrote, and almost every letter in the New Testament has this greeting. It is almost unknown in the Old Testament. The closest we see is : "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is the way you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The LORD bless you and protect 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."' (Num. 6:23-26).
From Guy H. King’s commentary on Philippians, “Joy Way” is this discussion on ‘grace and peace’: “-- just the customary greeting: ‘grace’ , the Western, ‘peace’, the Eastern; but when the Holy Spirit led Paul to combine them here, we may be sure that He intended their use to be something so much more than formal and usual; both writer and reader would be led to see in them very deep and rich meaning… What are these things that the apostle desires for his friends and which are no less desirable for ourselves? (a) ‘Grace’ — a quality which is, at once (i) an Attitude, which He adopts toward us, as in Ephesians ii. 8; (ii) an Activity, which He exerts for our help, as in I Corinthians xv. 20; and (iii) an Accomplishment, which He works in, and out from, us, as in Acts iv. 33. Paul ardently, and prayerfully, desires for his converts everywhere — for he uses the words in all his church letters - that they may experience to the full this ‘grace’… Then comes ‘Peace’ — the ‘God of grace’ is the ‘God of peace’, I Peter v. 10; Romans xv. 33; and it is only by, and after, His grace that we can enjoy His peace. Peace of heart - no condemnation before God; peace of conscience -- no controversy with God; peace of mind — no anxiety about life; peace of action — no grit in the machinery. This gift is an immensely precious boon; and it may be the possession, should be the possession, of every believer.”
Note 1: Jews might be enslaved by Gentiles, e.g., the Jews were slaves in Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. Jews might even own Gentiles slaves.
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