2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 16Now may the Lord of peace himself continually give you peace through everything and in every situation. The Lord be with all of you. 17I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a sign in every letter; thus how I write. 18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
With these words, the letter comes to a close. Verse 16 is in the form of a blessing prayer. These types of prayers are common in the closing of Paul’s letters. This prayer is similar to Romans 15:13 and echoes the call to peace in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. God is the source of peace and provides this peace to those who come to him in faith. Paul narrows the source of this peace to the Lord. When Paul uses this description, most of the time he refers to Jesus Christ. Peace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in our consciences that all is well with God. The Holy Spirit helps us change our thinking to align with the way of the love of Christ.
From this deep well of peace and love flow assurance and hope in any circumstance we may face. Based on the two letters we have to the Thessalonians, it appears that they faced many challenges and growing persecution for the faith in Jesus Christ. What they really needed was the presence of the Lord to be with them. They could echo Paul’s simple prayer of verse 16 and look for the peace of Christ to flood into their lives.
Verse 17 functions as a form of signature. That Paul would write a short greetings in his own hand indicates that he was the primary voice behind this letter although Silas and Timothy were with him. Paul used the first person plural throughout the letter to include them, but he was the leader and authority.
Verse 18 serves as the final benediction written in Paul’s own hand. Paul may use the full title of Lord Jesus Christ to stress Christ’s sovereignty and salvation. The grace of Christ was what would sustain and help the Thessalonians and what they needed most. Paul learned this from personal experience through his own suffering (2 Corinthians 12:9). Grace is available to all who come to Jesus in humility and faith. Just as Paul started the letter with grace and peace, now he ends the letter with the same hope of peace and grace to those who read it.
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