March 1, 2014
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians
Tom Lowe
Chapter V.C: Benediction (6:18)
Galatians 6:18 (KJV)
18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen . [To the Galatians written from Rome.]
The apostle calls the Galatians his “brethren,” which shows his humility and his tender affection for them; and he closes his letter with a very serious prayer, that they might enjoy the approval and kindness of Christ Jesus, both in their effects and in their evidences. Our greatest desire should be that we find our happiness in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle does not pray that the Law of Moses, or the righteousness of works would be with them, but that “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”be with them; that it might be in their hearts and with their spirits, bringing life, comforting, and strengthening them. Finally, before setting his pen down, he gives his “Amen” to all that came before; signifying his desire that it might be so, and his faith that it would be so.
Dear reader, having finished this commentary on Galatians, I feel like I am leaving an old friend. It has been one year, almost to the day that I began this work, and though I have decided to make my next commentary on Paul’s Second Epistle to the Corinthians, I am nevertheless a little sad that there are not more chapters to this remarkable Epistle to the Galatians. May our Lord Jesus who died for you, and our God who loves you continue to extend grace to you, and bless you with “joy unspeakable?”