2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. These words have become the universal sanctuary utterance of the Christian Church. As Paul wrote them, how real and full of meaning they were! Now, alas! they have too much degenerated into a mere signal for terminating public worship, anxiously anticipated by the weary - an empty appendage, for which might adequately be substituted a bare announcement, "The meeting is over." Yet how beautiful is this benediction! how suggestive! how full of teaching! It is a summary of Christianity, a revelation of the Trinity and of the great threefold Divine work for human redemption and exaltation. I. THE MATTER OF THE BENEDICTION. 1. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. (1) Remark the title. Lord - the Divine One and the Master. Jesus - the Saviour and the Man. Christ - the Anointed of God, the long promised Messiah. A trinity of qualification. (2) The grace. The favour, and all that the favour of such a Being involves. The blessings of Christ's rule as Master, of his redemption as Saviour, of his boundless resources as the Divine Messiah. If we are the objects of his favour, how inestimably rich we are! 2. The love of God. The apostle has just spoken of God as the God of love (ver. 11); now he desires for the Corinthians the love of this God of love. The riches of Divine love are the Christian's portion. Here is specially referred to the love of God as our Father. It was through the Father's love that the Saviour was given, but it is through the Saviour's work, and our participation in it, that we enter into the enjoyment of the love of God as the love of our Father. This is the covenanted love of God; his special fatherly affection for those who have become, through Christ, his sons and daughters. Thus the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" is made to precede "the love of God." 3. "The communion of the Holy Ghost. The participation in the Holy Ghost. This we enjoy through Christ (Galatians 3:13, 14). Who can estimate the value of this? The great work of sanctification, the constant effective teaching of the truth, preservation in times of spiritual peril, comfort in sorrow, ability to carry on Christian work, - all these depend upon our participating in the Holy Ghost. Quench not the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). If in aught we hinder the Divine Spirit's working within us, in that measure we become spiritual suicides. II. THE EXTENT OF THE BENEDICTION. It is for all Christians; it is not for any special order or class, but forevery individual. Some privileges were associated with the apostleship, some with certain of mark and power in the early Church, but the privileges which are of supreme value have ever been the common heritage of God's people. Some smaller favours may be for the few, the greatest are for the many. III. HOW MAY WE COME UNDER THIS BENEDICTION? A very important question. To be beyond its reach must be to be in peril and misery. As it is for all the people of the Lord, those must become the people of the Lord who would share in its blessings. If we are willing to be blessed, God is willing to let this benediction rest upon us. By the way of repentance and faith and sincere striving to do the Divine will we pass from under the curse and abide under the benediction. - H. Parallel Verses KJV: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. |
    |