Clowney on the Blessing in 1 Peter 1:2

Commenting on 1 Peter 1:2 , Edmund P. Clowney says of “May grace and peace be multiplied to you,” that: “What makes a greeting a blessing? Peter gives the answer in the words that precede his blessing. It is the work of the Spirit. When a minister of God’s word pronounces a blessing at the end of a worship service, it is the action of God’s Spirit that gives power to his words. Grace, is a gift; God is the giver. Our words of blessing are not magic; they do not communicate grace by their own power, or because we speak them. But when they are spoken in faith to the people of God, God honours them. They are much more than wishes; more, even, than prayers. They declare God’s own favour to those who are in Christ.” (The Message of 1 Peter, IVP, 1988)