2 Corinthians 13:11-14
“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
2 Corinthians 13:11-14 NIV
It is wonderful that this last word is a word of peace. The apostle sees beyond all the fragmentation in Corinth to the basic unity of the church. God created that unity, and it is there even though there is divisiveness, quarreling, jealousy, and division in the assembly. Christians belong to each other. They are part of the family of God, and they ought to act that way, he says. Beyond the rebellion he sees the grace and the power of God, which is able to heal these breaches and restore people even to the point where they are able to give a holy kiss to one another. That was the standard greeting of that day. We have lost that today, although some cultures retain that tradition. Today we have substituted a handshake, but I am happy when I see Christians greeting one another with hugs. Hugs are a much warmer and more accurate expression of Christian love and acceptance, one with another. The apostle is urging this upon these Christians and us today. Change your ways. If Jesus Christ is in you, you can do it. That is his point. You cannot go on living like everybody else if Jesus Christ lives in you. This is the fundamental reason there must be a difference in Christians. Paul loved the people in Corinth and wanted to make sure that they were growing in their faith. He wanted them to be encouraged to keep going in their faith. He wanted them to be at peace with one another and he wanted them to be in fellowship with God and each other. The same should be for us as well. We should be striving to love God and love one another more. We should be striving to become more mature in our faith and our walk with God. We should be encouraging one another. We should be striving for peace and unity at a time with divisiveness is very apparent. Notice how the apostle closes. What a beautiful greeting this is. It is the clearest reference to the Trinity that there is in the New Testament: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” What a gracious word from this great apostle as he closes this letter to the church at Corinth! History does not tell us what happened in the church there, whether it was able to recover and obey this word or not. But Paul has left with us a tremendous testimony as to what constitutes Christianity at work in a pagan world.I have a friend in Jesus who has taught me the power of sharing a spiritual blessing with others. I can't think of a better one than the short blessing in today's verses. Grace, love, and fellowship, all rooted in the eternal, sacrificial, and gracious nature of our God. We share these blessings with God's children all around the world. Today let us encourage one another like Paul encouraged the Corinthians. Let us be about rejoicing about the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Let us love God and one another more and more. And let us be about sharing peace that comes through Jesus Christ!!!
Father thank You for this day and the majesty that comes to us in the economy of words, the choice of expressions, these incredible summations, that are so deep and far-reaching. Lord let Your abundant blessings pour out over my friend and family today. Lord we pray that everything would be put in order in our lives, individually and collectively. Lord we pray for our affection, that our love would be manifest on every front. Lord we pray that we might be blessed, and in that being blessed, we might give You the glory and the praise that is due Your great name. Lord use my friend to be a bold witness of Your great and Holy Name to all today. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !
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