2 Peter 1:2

2 Peter 1:2
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

The New Testament authors almost always bookend their letters with grace and peace. This is a standard greeting all throughout the New Testament and yet another thing that has fallen from our current practice of Christianity. We enter church not for fellowship but for self edification, we do not go into church with others in the forefront of our minds. We are consumed with our own thoughts. We wonder What will God teach me today? Or we are to paralyzed by our sin to look outside of ourselves. We need to greet one another with grace and peace. Peter is concerned for the people he is writing this letter to. He wants the to grow in Christ. He wants the grace and the peace that we already poses as believes to be multiplied. The Christian life cannot be satisfied with the initial level of grace and peace we are supplied with. This seems strange because upon salvation we have perfect grace and perfect peace inhabiting us through the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is about abundance, the idea that perfection can be multiplied and increase. We are still imprisoned by our flesh and sinful nature as long as we live on this earth but we know God and as we grow in knowledge of Him we are able to shed our old selves and to run into the perfection that inhabits us. Grace and peace are not really multiplied to us but through greater knowledge of Christ our flesh is divided from us. The more we know God the more grace and peace abound so that we can give it to each other. The more I read the word of God I am convinced that everything we do as Christians should be motivated by others. I should strive to know God more so I can represent His grace and peace more accurately to others. His grace and peace is not intended to be hoarded. Seek to know God not for selfish gain but so that you can pour out His grace and peace to others around you. Stop reading the word for personal gain and know God!