Verse three opens with a salutation of grace and peace, a common expression for Paul that functions both as a reminder and as a segue to his prayer. He reminds his audience that God is the source of grace and peace and that they are the recipients of that grace.

Grace becomes the great theme of Paul’s thanksgiving prayer. He’s enamored with it, amazed by it, and begins to thank God for how grace has enriched the community to whom he’s writing. It was grace that brought the message of Christ to the community; it was grace that confirmed the message—that transformed their lives.

It was grace that enriched this community; it was grace that brought them out of their poor and underprivileged positions and into the family of the living God. This is a grace worthy of our consideration, of our amazement. For, as the Apostle reminded his audience later in chapter one: “Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth” (v. 26).