Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
In Christ ... This incredibly important expression carries the thought that: (1) all blessings are exclusively for those in Christ, his baptized followers; (2) perfection and holiness without which no one may see God are achieved by the Christian's identity as Christ; (3) the ultimate grounds of all justification for human beings is the perfect faith and perfect obedience of the Son of God; etc., etc.  For full discussion of this principal theme of the New Testament, see in my Commentary on Romans, especially in  Romans 3, pp. 94-154.  Peter's significant mention of this doctrine in this chapter fully establishes it as having been derived "from Christ himself."[41]