Next Sunday will be Trinity Sunday. So in this blog I will reflect on Paul’s triple benediction found in 2 Corinthians 13.13, There the Apostle Paul concluded with the words: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (Good News Bible)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you
When I was a boy I learnt to play the piano. To help me read music my piano teacher taught me to remember the notes on the lines by saying to myself ‘Every Good Boy Deserves Favour’. But God is the very reverse of this mnemonic, for God favours not only the good, but also the not so good. God favours all of us. Grace is God’s undeserved favour.
We see God’s grace in the life and death of Jesus. In this very letter Paul wrote:
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8.9 GNB)
When God sent his Son into our world to live and die for us, he was gracious beyond measure. There was no reason for God’s to love us so much. As a child, I was taught that GRACE is spelt ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense’. God in his grace offers us forgiveness and new life – gifts which were costly beyond to him, but gifts which are free to you and me.
But God’s grace is seen not only in the Cross. For grace is something which as Christians we may experience in the here and now. We see this in 2 Corinthians 12.9 where Paul spoke of an occasion when the Lord said to him: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (GNB). Paul was finding it difficult to cope with a “thorn in the flesh”. He longed for God to remove this “thorn” in his life. Three times he prayed that the Lord would set him free from the “thorn”. We cannot be sure of what this ‘thorn’ was. Some have suggested that it was poor eyesight or epilepsy or migraines. Whatever, God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you”.
The love of God be with you
I find it sad that in the English language the term ‘act of God’ normally refers to some uncontrollable natural event: for example, an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. Some insurance policies cover everything bar ‘acts of God’. God it seems is to be equated with havoc and destruction. What a false picture this is of God. In the Bible we discover that he is not a God of destruction, but a God of love. What’s more, God’s love comes to clearest expression in his greatest act: namely, in the sending of his Son to be the Saviour of the world. As Paul wrote: “God proves his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (GNB).
Yes, at times life does give nasty knocks. Many Christians have experienced the pain of suffering or bereavement; they have known the heartbreak of broken dreams and the anguish of disillusionment. They have wondered – and perhaps still wonder – why God allowed their lives to take the shape they have. They have cried out aloud to God on many an occasion, “Why, God, why?”, but received no answer. Yet amidst all life’s uncertainties, of one thing we can be certain that God is love. God has proved his love to us, for Christ died for us on the Cross. If they are tempted to doubt God’s love, they only need to look to the Cross, which should resolve all their doubt.
The fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you
The question which faces us here centres around the question: ‘Is Paul talking about fellowship with the Holy Spirit or fellowship created by the Holy Spirit?’ People have suggested that Paul may have had both in mind.
In the first place, we may know the friendship God’s Spirit offers. This is the way in which Eugene Peterson translated this phrase: “The intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (The Message). In the farewell discourses recorded by John in his Gospel (John 14-16), Jesus described the Holy Spirit as the ‘Paraclete’, which in English has been variously translated as the Helper, the Comforter, the Encourager, the one who draws alongside us in our need. The Spirit is the presence of Jesus in his absence. He is there to help us in our weakness.
However, I have little doubt that although it is true that we may have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, the context in which Paul was writing, shows that Paul had in mind the fellowship which the Spirit creates. The Holy Spirit is the one who creates unity. He makes real not only our relationship with God, but our relationship with one another. The sad fact is that the church at Corinth suffered from all kinds of social and theological divisions. Right at the start of 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote:
“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you may be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” (1 Corinthians 1.10 GNB)
With the needs of a divided church Paul prayed that they would know the love of God not just within their own individual lives, but also within their life together.
On Trinity Sunday, and indeed on every Sunday, when ministers pronounce this blessing from 2 Corinthians 13.13, I hope that as a result of today’s blog the blessing will have greater meaning to all those who read today’s blog.