The closing words of 2 Corinthians bestow a profound wish for its Christian audience. The passage reads,

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” (2 Corinthians 13:13)

This is more than a simple feature of Greco-Roman letter-writing etiquette; it is a call upon the full presence of God. The closing verse is also an affirmation of the biblical concept of the Trinity. Finally, we will consider the unique emphasis of “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.”

The Presence of God

As with most ancient letters of the New Testament period, 2 Corinthians ends with a cordial farewell wish. The wish is ultimately that the Christians in Corinth would bask in the triune blessings which accompany the Lord Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit.

This is emphasized by the phrase, “be with all of you”; or, in an alternative translation, “be within your company.” Paul sends forth, then, a blessing to his brethren that the church in Corinth is accompanied by grace, love, and community. God does not only gives us blessings; in truth, we live our lives under the influence of their presence.

Grace, love, and community express the ways the church experiences the presence of God, to experience what the gospel is all about. When we fail to exhibit grace, love, and community, we fail to experience the blessings Paul longed to see. The church needs to be vigilant so that it does not forget its purpose: to be a place where forgiven people help others experience God’s grace, love, and community.

The Trinity Affirmed

The apostolic testimony to the Trinity is clear and strong. Peter describes the Christians in Asia Minor as “elect exiles” in keeping with the Godhead (1 Peter 1:2):

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood." (1 Peter 1:1–2)

In Matthew’s record of Jesus’ immersion by John (3:13–17), the narrative demonstrates the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus converging at that moment (3:16-17). Likewise, in the “great commission” (Matthew 28: 18–20), Jesus declares that disciple-making is accomplished by immersing believers “into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (19).

In 2 Corinthians 13:13, Paul not only wishes a blessing of grace, love, and community, but also that the blessings are those which are uniquely given by the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. It is not that these blessings are lacking outside the church; instead, it is their new coloring by the presence of God reframes their purpose and experience.

The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

The biblical subject of the Holy Spirit is rich and comes with its element of complexity. There are, nevertheless, many passages that speak to the personhood of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4, 15:28; John 14-16:15; 2 Corinthians 4:17–18, 5:5, 6:7).

Paul’s blessing of “fellowship” (“partnership, a close mutual relationship”) is associated with the Holy Spirit. Fellowship is a subject of considerable concern for Paul when he writes to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:9, 10:16; 2 Corinthians 6:14, 9:13). Instead of being a community of darkness and self-centeredness, sharing in the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit” fosters us to participate in the redemptive work of Jesus.

Ask this: “Am I being gracious, loving, and participating?” If your actions represent God’s presence, how does He look?

Hymn: Glorify Thy Name

---