16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. 17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16–18 (ESV)
In today’s text, the Apostle Paul’s second epistle to the Thessalonian believers comes to a conclusion. Paul shared his final thoughts to this faithful church. It was a benediction of encouragement, integrity, and comfort.
Paul encouraged the Thessalonian believers when he wrote, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” The Thessalonians experienced conflict from opponents to the Gospel (3:1-5). Paul encouraged them by praying for the Lord of peace to give them peace. This would occur because the Lord is the source and originator of peace.
Peace (εἰρήνης; eirenes) refers to tranquility and freedom from worry (Rom 5:1-2; Philippians 4:6-7). This tranquility is because of the Lord’s presence with all believers in union with Christ.
“The Lord of peace is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is he who established peace through his cross. It is he who not only pronounces it but actually imparts it,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.[1]
“Implied in the peace is the fellowship, which, however, because of its superlative worth, merits special mention. Hence, there follows The Lord (i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ) with you all (with the verb “be” understood). Note: you all, not even the disorderly ones are excluded! Did not the writers proceed from the idea that the censored persons were, after all, brothers? Cf. 1 Cor. 16:24; 2 Cor. 13:13.”[2]
Paul also appealed to his apostolic integrity. He wanted these young believers to know how genuine he loved them. He wrote, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.” Although inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), the words Paul wrote were sincerely his own.
“Paul always wrote the closing greeting with his own hand, but he did not always make a point of saying so. He did not need to. The difference in handwriting in the original copy between the closing greeting and the body of the letter would reveal two different writers to those who would see the epistle. In any case, Paul sometimes made a note that he was writing the greeting, probably for the benefit of listeners. His epistles were read aloud to Christian congregations, and not all of them could see the difference in handwriting between the body of the letter and Paul’s self-written closing. But all of them could hear him make a note of it,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
Dr. Hendriksen asks, “Why did the apostle, here in 2 Thess. 3:17, call special attention to this mark of genuineness? The following reasons have been suggested and may well point in the right direction:”
a. “To prevent the disorderly persons from being able to say, “We admit that the letter which was read to us during the service (II Thessalonians) contained some rather uncomplimentary things with respect to us, but we do not believe that it actually represents the thought of Paul. We deny that he either wrote or dictated it.”
b. To discourage the spread of spurious epistles and/or the claim that someone had in his possession (or had seen) a letter from Paul stating that the day of the Lord had already arrived; see on 2:2.”[3]
Finally, Paul wanted to comfort these believers who God led him, Silas and Timothy to evangelize and disciple. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” How comforting this was, and is. Regardless of who they were, the well regarded or the rebuked, Paul wanted them all to know God’s grace would be with them all.
“Take some time to skim the book of 2 Thessalonians today and note a teaching or two that are particularly applicable to where you currently find yourself. Ask the Lord to help you follow the teaching and to give you the courage to stand on God’s Word. Thank Him for this Apostolic instruction and for the spiritual life that it gives,” concludes Dr. Sproul.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of I-II Thessalonians, vol. 3, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 207.
[2] Ibid.208.
[3] Ibid. 208–209.
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