Closing his letter to the Ephesians, Paul turns to familiar themes: peace, love and grace. He mentions all three in every one of his writings, and ends every one with “Grace be with …” These were not just idle salutations, but were evidence of the overriding reflection of what was most operative in his life.

“Peace be to the brethren,” reflects his particular theme in this letter, the peace between believers, regardless of the Jewish or Gentile backgrounds. The Christian faith trumps nationalism, ethnicity, and racial backgrounds. Our unity in Christ is one of the main goals of the Holy Spirit, who has sealed us in Christ (Eph 1:13). We have all been “bought” and are now Christ’s possession. We are equally possessed and owned by Him.

“Love with faith,” captures the heart of the Christian walk. Paul wrote much on the subject of love (see 1 Cor 13). “Now faith, hope, love, abide these three, but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:13). It is the first listed of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22). This love, though, is closely associated with faith, for one cannot love truly without an unreserved faith that God loves first. And both peace and love find their source in God.

Finally, grace. This is considered by many to be Paul’s trademark teaching. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9).

When the apostle ends his letters this way, these are the things he desires for his readers—that these may be their experience. His hope is that these qualities that are true of God (He is a God of peace, love and grace) may become our defining qualities. That our experience of growing in God’s peace, would be reflected in how we handle conflict with other Christians. That our growing experience of God’s love toward to us, who once were enemies of the cross and now can be quite selfish in our behaviors, might be reflected in our sacrificial love for others. That our experience of God’s continual grace in our lives when we deserve nothing good from Him might result in our gracious acceptance and deference to others.

The standard is the Lord Jesus Christ whose love is unchanging and untarnished. Let us take Paul’s teaching and focus on Christ, the one who loves us.