2 Corinthians 13 14

2 Corinthians 13:14 kjv

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:14 nkjv

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:14 niv

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14 esv

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14 nlt

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13 verses

2 Corinthians 13 14 Meaning

This verse is a profound benediction, a concluding prayer and blessing from Paul, invoking the three distinct persons of the Godhead—Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit—upon the Corinthian believers. It articulates the essential components of Christian experience: the undeserved favor and enablement from the Lord Jesus Christ, the unconditional and benevolent affection of God the Father, and the shared participation, fellowship, and partnership brought about by the Holy Spirit. It serves as one of the clearest New Testament affirmations of the Holy Trinity, expressing a unified divine work of grace, love, and fellowship for the entire Christian community.

2 Corinthians 13 14 Context

This verse serves as the powerful closing benediction of Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. Throughout the epistle, Paul has been defending his apostleship, confronting rebellion, urging repentance, correcting moral issues, and calling for unity within the deeply divided and often fractious Corinthian church. The preceding verses (2 Cor 13:11-13) urge the believers to rejoice, aim for restoration, comfort one another, live in peace, and greet one another with a holy kiss—all commands pointing towards spiritual maturity and unity. Against this backdrop of significant challenges and pastoral warnings, this benediction is not merely a polite closing but a potent prayer. It invokes the full divine blessing upon the congregation, appealing to the active presence of the Triune God to overcome their internal strife, strengthen their faith, and unify them in Christian fellowship. Historically, the Corinthian church was a diverse community grappling with a blend of Greek philosophical influences, pagan practices, and internal rivalries, making Paul's emphasis on grace, divine love, and Spirit-wrought fellowship a critical anchor for their identity and conduct.

2 Corinthians 13 14 Word analysis

• The grace (Greek: ἡ χάρις - hē charis):

  • Word: Charis fundamentally means unmerited favor, goodwill, loving-kindness, or a gift freely bestowed without expectation of return. In a theological sense, it refers to God's divine influence on the heart and its reflection in one's life.
  • Significance: It underscores the undeserved nature of God's blessings and salvation, foundational to Christian belief. It is the starting point of spiritual life.
  • Database knowledge: Charis in Pauline theology is central to salvation (Eph 2:8), calling (1 Cor 15:10), and the enablement for ministry (2 Cor 12:9). It directly counters any human effort or boasting in spiritual standing.

• of the Lord (Greek: τοῦ Κυρίου - tou Kyriou):

  • Word: Kyrios is a title meaning "Lord," master, owner, or sovereign ruler. When applied to Jesus, it unequivocally affirms His divinity, authority, and supreme lordship, a title reserved for God in the Old Testament (Septuagint translation of YHWH).
  • Significance: Acknowledges Jesus' divine status and authority over believers. His grace comes from His sovereign person.

• Jesus Christ (Greek: Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ - Iēsou Christou):

  • Words: Iēsou is Jesus, the personal name given to God Incarnate, meaning "God saves." Christou is Christ, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, meaning "Anointed One."
  • Significance: Connects His person with His office as the divinely appointed Savior and King. Grace is personified in Him, earned through His atoning work.
  • Database knowledge: The pairing of Kyrios and Christos with Iēsou highlights both His divine nature and His specific role in God's redemptive plan.

• and the love (Greek: καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη - kai hē agapē):

  • Word: Agapē describes God's distinctive, unconditional, self-sacrificing, benevolent love. It is volitional, active, and focused on the good of the beloved, irrespective of their merit.
  • Significance: This is the deep, fundamental affection from which all divine acts flow. It’s not an emotion but a commitment of will and action.
  • Database knowledge: Agapē is considered the highest form of love in Christian ethics (1 Cor 13). It is the very nature of God (1 Jn 4:8) and the standard for believers' love towards God and neighbor.

• of God (Greek: τοῦ Θεοῦ - tou Theou):

  • Word: Theos means God, referring here to God the Father, the ultimate source of all being and the author of love.
  • Significance: Points to the Father as the supreme fountainhead of divine love and benevolence, from whom both grace and fellowship ultimately originate.

• and the communion (Greek: καὶ ἡ κοινωνία - kai hē koinōnia):

  • Word: Koinōnia encompasses fellowship, participation, sharing in common, partnership, communion, and close association. It implies a mutual sharing of life, blessings, and responsibilities.
  • Significance: It’s not merely acquaintance but a profound, active sharing and partnership. Here, it refers to the spiritual bond created by the Holy Spirit among believers and between believers and God.
  • Database knowledge: Koinōnia is a vital aspect of early Christian community (Acts 2:42), referring to sharing in the Spirit, the suffering of Christ (Phil 3:10), and the resources of fellow believers. It underpins church unity.

• of the Holy Ghost (Greek: τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος - tou Hagiou Pneumatos):

  • Words: Hagiou means holy, sacred, set apart. Pneumatos means spirit, breath, wind. Combined, "Holy Spirit" refers to the third person of the Trinity, the divine agent of God's presence, power, and sanctification in the world and in believers.
  • Significance: The Holy Spirit is the active agent who applies grace and love, enabling and fostering the experience of spiritual fellowship—both with God and among believers. He seals, comforts, teaches, and unifies.

• be with you all. (Greek: μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. - meta pantōn hymōn.):

  • Phrase: "May it be with all of you."
  • Significance: This is an optative clause, expressing a strong wish or prayer that these divine blessings would be continually active and present in the lives of every single member of the Corinthian community. "All" emphasizes inclusivity and unity amidst their divisions.

• Amen. (Greek: Ἀμήν. - Amēn.):

  • Word: An affirmation, meaning "so be it," "truly," "certainly."
  • Significance: Concludes the prayer with an emphatic expression of agreement and strong desire for the blessing to be realized. It also reflects a communal affirmation.

Words-group analysis

• "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ": This phrase highlights the foundational work of salvation. Jesus, in His role as Lord and Christ, provides undeserved favor through His sacrifice and resurrection. It’s the enabling power for Christian living. This grace reconciles sinners to God.

• "and the love of God": This emphasizes the initiating, sustaining, and ultimate benevolent source of salvation. God the Father's boundless, unconditional love undergirds everything, prompting Him to send His Son and offering continuous care to His creation. It’s the motivation for redemption.

• "and the communion of the Holy Ghost": This part describes the practical application and experience of divine life within the believer and the community. The Holy Spirit is the active agent who creates and maintains this profound spiritual sharing, connection, and partnership with God and with fellow believers, manifesting unity and common spiritual experience.

• The Triune Blessing: The arrangement of grace, love, and fellowship (communions), linked distinctly to Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit respectively, provides a classic, concise, and explicit Trinitarian benediction. It's not just a listing but implies the distinct yet unified work of each person of the Godhead in the believer's life and the church's existence:

  • Grace (from Christ) enables salvation and new life.
  • Love (from the Father) defines God's character and sustains the relationship.
  • Communion (by the Spirit) applies these truths to life, fosters unity, and deepens experience.The order may also subtly reflect the historical outworking of salvation: God's love initiates, Christ's grace achieves, and the Spirit's communion applies. This unified divine activity is essential for the reconciliation and restoration Paul desires for the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 13 14 Bonus section

This benediction in 2 Corinthians 13:14 is not merely an elegant turn of phrase; it is recognized as the most developed Trinitarian formula in any of Paul's letters, setting a high benchmark for Christian understanding of the Godhead. Its structure — naming Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with distinct but complementary blessings — echoes similar patterns found in liturgical practices throughout Christian history. Early church fathers frequently referenced this verse in their articulation of Trinitarian theology, solidifying the understanding of three distinct persons within one God. The choice of 'grace' from Christ, 'love' from God, and 'communion' from the Spirit also points to specific aspects of divine-human interaction: grace as redemptive action, love as ultimate relationship, and communion as ongoing participation. Furthermore, against the backdrop of a polytheistic Roman-Greco world, Paul's invocation of a single Triune God presenting distinct blessings would have starkly contrasted with pagan concepts of frequently competing deities, offering a coherent and unified source of all divine good.

2 Corinthians 13 14 Commentary

2 Corinthians 13:14 is more than a simple farewell; it is a profound theological blessing encapsulating the very essence of the Christian faith in the active presence of the Triune God. After a demanding letter filled with admonitions, defense, and appeals for repentance and unity, Paul concludes by invoking the full blessings of God upon the fractious Corinthian church. The verse simultaneously articulates fundamental Christian doctrines and serves as a powerful pastoral appeal. It asserts the distinct roles and unified operation of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

The "grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" signifies the undeserved favor, the atoning sacrifice, and the continuous redemptive power derived from Christ, which is the very foundation of salvation and enablement for holy living. It is by His grace that believers are saved and empowered. The "love of God" (referring primarily to the Father) speaks to the ultimate, originating benevolence and sacrificial nature of God, who initiated the plan of salvation and sustains believers with His boundless compassion. This love is the supreme motivating force behind all divine action and the character believers are called to emulate. Lastly, the "communion of the Holy Ghost" refers to the intimate fellowship, active participation, and shared spiritual life that the Holy Spirit makes possible—both between God and believers, and among believers themselves. The Spirit unifies, empowers, teaches, and makes the divine grace and love palpable in daily existence, drawing individuals into the communal body of Christ. This blessing emphasizes the interdependence of the three persons of the Trinity in their work among humanity and serves as a prayer for their complete work to manifest in the lives of the Corinthians, promoting peace and unity amidst their conflicts. Practically, this benediction reminds believers that their identity, sustenance, and unity stem entirely from the Trinitarian God, fostering reliance on Him rather than human efforts.