2 Thessalonians 3:18
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Paul closes the letter by praying that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ would be with all of them.
What Does 2 Thessalonians 3:18 Mean?
Paul ends as he began, with grace. His final word is a prayer that "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" would rest upon them all. The letter opened with grace in its greeting, and now it closes the same way, framing everything in between within the unmerited favor of Christ. Grace is the first and last word.
Once more he says "you all," leaving no one out, not even those addressed in correction. Whatever the church has faced, persecution, fear, or internal trouble, Paul's deepest wish for them is the grace of the Lord Jesus, the same grace that saves, sustains, and carries believers home. The closing "Amen" seals the prayer, a firm "so be it." It is a fitting end. Everything Paul has written rests on grace, and he sends the letter off entrusting his beloved church to the One whose grace never fails.