Tag: Book of 2 Corinthians

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. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.

It was John Newton who wrote this rendition of the Apostle Paul benediction to the Corinthian Church to the tune Sardis by Ludwig van Beethoven.

May the Grace of Christ Our Saviour

May the grace of Christ our Saviour,
And the Father’s boundless love,
With the Holy Spirit’s favour,
Rest upon us from above.

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. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.

This is the pronouncement of the blessing of God upon the congregation of God’s people with a prayer for God’s guidance in the days ahead. It is the invoking of the Triune God to make a good way for His people as they are committed to the Lord’s perpetual care.

Lord Dismiss Us

Lord dismiss us with Thy blessing, May Thy peace our ways attend!
Send us forth to do Thy bidding, Leading men to Christ our Friend.
May we never, may we never, Stray from Thy almighty hand!

2 Corinthians 13:11-13 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. Greet one another with an holy kiss. All the saints salute you.

The Apostle Paul’s ministry was not a one man’s work but undergirded by the prayers and support of God’s people who knew him and are co-labouring with him in unseen, often unheard, also unknown to the church in which he was ministering. Here he shared with the Corinthian church that there were other saints who were concerning and were upholding them in prayer and support.

2 Corinthians 13:11-12 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. Greet one another with an holy kiss.

A kindly affection out borne of God’s love filled the heart of the Apostle Paul has he sends a final greeting, concluding his letter to the Corinthian church. He sends them an holy kiss, an sanctified expression of his love for them that God has first imparted to him. It genders peace, God’s peace. A state of harmony and unity, strength and rest amongst the people of God undergirded by the desire to glory God’s Name according to His Word. This is his prayer for the brethren.

2 Corinthians 13:11 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.

We need to be assured time and again that the Lord is with us to aid us along in life. Have you sent anyone off in the airport before? If you have, you will know that we are quite helpless to provide for the needs of the person who may leave for long periods of time either for work, studies or migrating to a foreign land. Where does our help come? Psalm 121 is a truly blessed traveler’s psalm, to remind us that in our temporal sojourn in this earth, it is God that sustains and keeps us by His power. He says to them, keep trusting the Lord, He will be with you to help you.

2 Corinthians 13:11 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.

The Apostle Paul sought for the Corinthian church to have the mind of Christ, living in spiritual unity and peace.

Romans 8:5-8 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

2 Corinthians 13:11 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.

Parting words. Last words. It can be emotionally charged when the bond of relationship is precious and therefore parting hard. The relationship between the Apostle Paul and the Corinthian church was very close. The church were begotten because the good Lord constrained His servant to initate the relationship by the preaching of the gospel that resulted in the new births. It is a precious emotional relationship of love between the mother and her child. How the mother through much tribulation brought forth the child. And the nurturing of the initial years painstaking. This was the spiritual bond that God has brought forth that is eternal and beautiful.

2 Corinthians 13:10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

The Apostle Paul’s desire was that the Corinthian church will be strenghtened in the faith. To be spiritually thriving and maturing in their Christian faith. This was his prayer which he expressed in the writing of this letter.

He would rather write while absent from them that these results might be secured, than that being present he should have to use sharpness, as authorized by the Lord. But even if he were present and dealt severely with them, it would still be for their edification and not for their destruction. [MacDonald]

2 Corinthians 13:9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.

The Apostle Paul’s desire was for the Corinthian church to move toward spiritual maturity, to be spiritually equipped and strong. He sought that the sinning ones in their midst will come back to God, repent of their sins and be restored in fellowship with God’s people. Hodge said well, “Paul prayed that they might be perfectly restored from the state of confusion, contention and evil into which they had fallen.”

As to why they were glad when they were weak? Gill observed well, “Appear to be so, look like persons disarmed of all power and authority; the apostles rejoiced when they had no occasion of exerting themselves, and of exercising that high office, and extraordinary commission they had received of Christ Jesus.”