Finally, Brethren, Farewell

2018-03-10

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. (12) Greet one another with an holy kiss. (13) All the saints salute you. (14) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians 13:11-14)

After a difficult letter of love and rebuke, Paul concludes with this message.

  1. Be perfect. Be sanctified, be Christlike, be complete, be mature, and be perfect. Maybe this is impossible this side of heaven, but while seeking and serving the Lord, we are moving in the right direction. 2 Corinthians 13:11
  2. Be of good comfort. Even with all the hard truth contained in this letter, Paul told them to be encouraged. Having eternal life, we can rest in Christ and do what He requires of us. The encouragement from the Lord spurs us on to trust in Him more and forsake sin. 2 Corinthians 13:11
  3. Be of one mind. Unlike the divisions they had experienced (1 Corinthians 1:10-11), they were encouraged to “be of one mind.” Unity facilitates a strong body of believers to help each other mature in Christ and be effective for His name. 2 Corinthians 13:11
  4. Live in peace. With unity comes peace. 2 Corinthians 13:11
  5. The God of love and peace shall be with you. With the previous four prerequisites comes God’s love and peace. When we do God’s commandments, we know that He is with us. 2 Corinthians 13:11
  6. Greet one another. A “holy kiss” might seem rather foreign to us, but the emphasis is that we should greet one another and know one another. We cannot have unity one with another without knowing them personally! 2 Corinthians 13:12
  7. Saints salute you. The word “saints” refers to other Christians, not some elite few with a lofty title. Saints that were with Paul send their greetings. Even considering their sin, Christians care about other Christians, and their welfare. 2 Corinthians 13:13
  8. The Trinity is with you. We see that Paul blesses them, that each Person of the Trinity would be with them. 2 Corinthians 13:14
    1. Grace of Jesus. By the grace of Jesus Christ, we are saved, having faith that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again (Ephesians 2:8).
    2. Love of God. God showed us His love by sending His Son to die for us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).
    3. Communion of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit indwells and leads us into all truth (John 16:13).