May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Phil 4:21-23
- Ian, what can be left to be said about this verse that you haven’t already said?
- Why single out this verse for comment?
- Just shut the door and turn out the light.
Don’t you see its uniqueness? It’s only one little thing to comment on so I couldn’t resist. It is true that it is not unique as such. This is not the only place Paul used this closing statement. Remember I gave you a list of the ‘doxologies’, which weren’t really doxologies in Gem 2013. Strictly speaking only two in that list were doxologies. Can you spot them? There are two brief statements in Romans 16:25 and 27 which qualify as a doxology and then another in Philippians 4:20. All the others are merely closing prayers or wishes. Yet writers often call them doxologies.
I listed all the closing statements in Gem 2013 in order to give you the raw material for this Gem. Do you see that Paul repeats what he wished for the Philippians in this letter and in three other letters. So from that point of view it is not unique as such. But it is still worthy of comment.
- Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Galatians 6:18
- May the Lord be with your spirit and may his grace be with all of you.2 Timothy 4:22
- May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Philemon 1:25
I am sure it is clear to you now that the “uniqueness” is found in the statement: May the grace of Lord be with your spirit.
Most of the other closing comments, but not all, wish the Grace of God or the Grace of the Lord or the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ on the recipients. The full and complete version that has come down to us is “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” However, this form in Philippians 4:20 is curious. Indeed in these four examples Paul wishes the Grace on the spirit of the members of two churches and on two individuals, Timothy and Philemon, a former slave and now a freedman.
Usually Greek letters began and ended with grace. On occasions Grace and Peace, the Greek and Hebrew greetings and leave takings, were mentioned specifically at the beginning and end of Greek letters. A quick look at the list I gave you in Gem 2013 will show you the standard form is:
“May God’s Grace be with you.” – with variations as to whose Grace it is. In the full and complete version above, the parting words are given in a trinitarian form.
- May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
- the love of God,
- and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
So why in the letter to the Philippians, the church perhaps of which Paul was the fondest, did he use this form, “May the Grace of Christ be with your spirit”? Was it because these people were those to whom Paul felt a close special bond? That can’t be the reason because the Galatians are included in this category. They were the ones for whom he had his most scathing remarks. Well not for the Galatians Christians as such, but more for the Judaisers who were working among them. Although he did call the church members foolish. So that can’t be the reason.
But our other question has to be: Does this idea of Jesus being with our spirits carry a greater weight of significance or is it just a written expression that flowed from Paul’s pen and carries no greater significance than any of the other statements? You might say “Whether the Grace of the Lord is with us or with our spirits, it’s the same thing. It carries no greater significance and adds nothing to the meaning.” Really? I get the feeling that there is significance to it. After all we are body, soul and spirit; tripartite beings and our spirits are the eternal part of us. For the Grace of God or the Grace of Christ to rest upon our spirits I sense carries greater weight. It’s like the conclusion at the end of Luke 11:1-13 and the greater significance given to the spiritual. [Sorry: only those of you who have graduated Deeper Bible 401 will fully understand that comment. All the more reason for those of you who haven’t progressed that far in Deeper Bible yet to do so.]
I suspect that is the reason for Paul’s curious wish that the Grace of the Lord would be with the spirits of the afore mentioned people. That would then make sense of the inclusion of Galatians in the list. But I will leave this puzzle with you to ponder and close the Gem here. But for those of you who are familiar with Bible Gems know the next thing to do is to Review. To go back over the Book of the Bible we have just finished and to review it. I will take a break for a month to give you time to do that before I start gemming the next book. I believe I know what book to do next, but I am open to your reader suggestions.
I have had a night where God has been reminding me of things and He has put together a plan in my mind. Friday. Christmas Eve, I am going to offer you an amazing Christmas present to appropriate at the LORD’s leading.
Do you want to know a secret? Next Gem, the last on Philippians, I am going to let you in on a major secret of Paul’s before we take a month’s break. Be on your toes!
Wait for it. Like the precious Christmas Gift that you always wanted. You don’t want to miss the next Gem. It truly is Gold.
By popular request, I will now post the Why Jesus is better than Santa series. Three of you have asked for it. I have posted these quips, quotes, call them what you will, for the last few years each Christmas by request. Why would this year be any different?
WHY JESUS IS BETTER THAN SANTA CLAUS!
Santa lives at the North Pole. JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh. JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year. JESUS is our ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies. JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited. JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited.
You have to wait in line to see Santa. JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap. JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn’t know your name, all he can say is “Hi little boy or girl, what’s your name?”JESUS knew our name even before we were born.Not only does He know our name, He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa says “You better not cry”. JESUS says “Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.”
While Santa puts gifts under your tree. JESUS became our gift and He died on a tree so you could have Zoē LIFE. The cross!
I thought that the answer would be Romans and Philippines because they were the only 2 doxologies that gave the glory back to God.
Yes, right on Kev. You’ve got it. So now I don’t have to put the answer in the next Gem. Thanks, you saved me one extra step for the final Gem on Philippians. The next Gem is not to be missed.