Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Truth to Learn
God’s grace and His love are unfading and eternal.
Behind the Words
“Grace” is translated from the Greek word charis. This is from the verb chairō, meaning “to rejoice.” It specifically refers to “an undeserved act of kindness causing joy or gratification, which is done without expectation of anything in return.” Here it is a specific reference to the joy that comes from knowing that God has granted salvation to those who don’t deserve it.
The word translated “Lord” is kurios, which is derived from kuros, meaning “might” or “power.” Thus, kurios refers to “someone who has legal power or supreme authority over you.”
“Sincerity” is from aphtharsia, which is derived from aphthartos, meaning “incorruptible” or “imperishable.” When used as it is here it refers to the way in which we love our Lord. In other words, it refers to a love that does not fade away or decrease, an incorruptible love.
The word “Amen” is transliterated from the Hebrew word amen, meaning “to be firm, steady, trustworthy, certainly, or completely true.” When used at the end of a statement or prayer, as it is here, it means “this is certainly the truth.”
Some translations end this verse with “amen,” but that word is not in the better Greek texts.
Meaning Explained
As we mentioned in yesterday’s verse, Paul is concluding this letter with a benediction, good words expressing his desire for those who read this letter. It is declared here as an implied prayer. In the previous verse he expressed his desire for all Christians to know the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding (Philippians 4:7), the love of God demonstrated by the gift of His only begotten Son (John 3:16), and saving and sanctifying faith which gets us through even the most difficult times (Ephesians 6:16).
In today’s verse he adds to these a joyous heart. Many of us have been taught in the past that “grace” means “unmerited favor.” In a sense that is true when it is referring to the gracious act that God has done for us. However, in its root meaning it really refers to the joy which is produced in our hearts as a result of God’s unmerited favor to us. We are all sinners and the penalty for our sins is death (separation from God for all eternity). For anyone who has accepted God’s gift of salvation, however, there is unspeakable joy in knowing that our sins have been forgiven. That joy can never be taken away from us, even in the face of physical death because we have a joyous hope of being in God’s presence forever.
Finally, in closing this letter Paul tells us something about the love that we Christians have for our God. This love, like our joy, not only will not cease, it will never diminish or fade.
Application
No matter what kind of difficulty you may go through, if you are a Christian you can rest on the fact that God loves you as if you were His only child, and He has forgiven you all your sins. Paul teaches elsewhere that you can never do anything to lose that salvation because you didn’t do anything to earn it; it is God’s gracious gift. Therefore, you will never be separated from God or from His love. You may suffer heartache or pain, but you will know eternal peace and joy because of His love.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved