Philippians 1:2

Philippians 1:2. Grace unto you. Although St. Paul has not called himself an ‘apostle in writing to this church over which he had so much reason to rejoice, he yet employs the apostolic form of words in his benediction. According to the most accepted MSS., the words are not found in this complete form in St. Paul's first written Epistle (1 Thessalonians 1:1), though they stand there in the A. V. But, as will be seen from the marginal references, the form was nearly fixed from an early date. The grace is first invoked, without which the rest of the benediction cannot be made good, and by the mention of this grace, the Holy Spirit is included in the benediction as well as the Father and the Son, and thus the blessing of the Trinity is the apostle's invocation.

and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament peace was the blessing most constantly invoked (cf. Numbers 6:26), and ‘grace' is used mainly in the phrase ‘to find grace in the sight of God or man, when some blessing is spoken of as bestowed (cf. Genesis 6:8). God's first revelation had not made known to man the doctrine of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and till that was revealed and promised, words like these of St. Paul could have no place. In this is one part of Christ's fulfilling, that is, making complete, the law. The peace of the old covenant blessing is retained, the grace is the greater light of the new covenant.