Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 6:23-24 NLT
I have always loved the Apostle Paul’s grand greetings from his letters to churches and individuals. I never realized in signing off, in his salutations, Paul posted some powerful theology.
▫️Romans, “All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.”
▫️ 1st Corinthians, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.”
▫️ 2nd Corinthians, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
▫️ Galatians, “Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”
▫️ Philippians, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
▫️ Colossians, “Remember my chains. May God’s grace be with you.”
▫️ 1 Thessalonians, “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
▫️ 2 Thessalonians, “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”
▫️ 1 Timothy, “May God’s grace be with you all.”
▫️ 2 Timothy, “May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you.”
▫️ Titus, “May God’s grace be with you all.”
▫️ Philemon, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Paul’s phrase, “May the grace…” is the most used, twelve out of thirteen letters. Also noted is the Lordship of Christ. A few times, Paul closes with encouragement that Jesus “be with your spirit.” And uniquely writes “and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,” to the Corinthian churches! However, as far as titles go, to the churches in Ephesus he gives proper titles to “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
I’ve always wondered if we could see growth or changes in the Biblical writers as they age. I compare John’s gospel to his letters to churches and I see a lifetime of wisdom and tremendous growth as a result of suffering.
If you are interested in the chronological order of Paul’s letters, you can use this link: https://bit.ly/PaulChrono. Thessalonians was his first letters, and 2 Timothy was his last. Seven out of thirteen letters were written from Roman imprisonment or house arrest. Paul wrote Ephesians about 15/16 years into his missionary journeys. It just strikes me that Paul uses the powerful full titles of both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ to the churches in Ephesus. Robin and I have been to the ancient city of Ephesus. It is amazing, but sad. There are virtually no churches left there and very few followers of Jesus. There are a few Catholic buildings, but they are more touristy than anything else. Did we lose both salutations and valedictions in fast-paced texting? Who hand writes letters anymore? I still hand write birthday cards, hundreds a year. Let’s not lose the art of a well spoken or written greeting and valediction!
Valediction:
May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, bless you, keep you and give you peace. Amen.