In these last 14 verses,
Paul closed the letter with a series of short reminders. He pointed out that believers
must be alert, i.e. to be on guard and watchful because the enemy is always on
the prowl. Being alert helps us to resist the enemy better and deny him any
avenue of exploitation. To stand firm in the faith means to hold on to the belief
in Christ. To act like man is to be mature. To be strong is to stop caving in
to the wrong morals. Verse 1 is a call
to act in love. It is to do everything out of love. To let love be the
motivation regardless of how awkward or disappointing people may be.
In verses 15-18 Paul highlighted the household
of Stephanas for the Corinthians to emulate. Apparently, they were the first
converts in Achaia and were exemplary in their devotion in serving Paul and the
fellow believers. These were Christians at Corinth who evidently made Christ
their Lord. They have grown in maturity and had also traveled outside of
Corinth and ministered to Paul and other Christians. Paul exhorted the Corinthians
to submit to such faithful men who had
given their lives to serve God. Apart from Stephanas, Paul also mentioned
Fortunatus and Achaius in verse 17. Evidently, these men visited Paul and lifted
his spirit and had also done so for the Corinthians. To refresh is to give
rest. These mature people gave rest to Paul’s spirit. Like Paul, haven’t
we also encountered people who just dumped their loads of negativism,
defeatism, questions, and problems on us? But these three were specially mentioned
because they came with maturity and help to Paul, as well as some other
believers. They did not load on but lift up their burdens. These men ought to be
acknowledged and honored.
In verses 19-20, Paul then sent greetings to them from the churches of
Asia. He also sent them hearty greetings in the Lord on behalf of Aquila and
Prisca (Priscilla) and the church that was meeting in their house. Paul also
exhorted them to greet one another with a holy kiss. This was done between
people of the same gender, usually done cheek to cheek. In essence, Paul was
calling on them to show warmth and fellowship. Paul did not exclude himself in sending
greetings. He told them in verse 21 that he wrote it with his own hand. Together
with the greeting which he wrote with his own hand, he included a postscript in
verse 22. In his words Paul didn’t want anyone professing to be a believer but
demonstrated no love for the Lord to be in the fellowship. So he said let that
kind of people be cut off. They need to know that they do not belong to the
fellowship. Here Paul seems to suggest that they should not be treated as
brothers in the Lord. If the church would change, it would take the grace of the
Lord Jesus. So Paul wished the grace of the Lord to be their perpetual
companion. He ended the letter by sending his love to all of them who were in
Christ Jesus.
In these verses we are reminded of so many things. Let’s remember to be
firm in our walk with Christ and to be mindful of the enemy who prowls about to
stumble us. With a thankful attitude, let us rely on our continual companion -the
Lord Jesus Christ and His grace. Let us trust Him to see us through every
situation in life, no matter how tough it may be. Glory to His name!
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