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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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FINAL GREETINGS AND EXHORTATION 1Co 16:19-24 (05/23/12) Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. GREETINGS FROM THE CHURCHES OF ASIA AND
AQUILA AND PRISCILLA (19) A. Paul begins his final greetings to the
church in Corinth. The phrase “greet” is the Greek word aspazomai and
means to greet affectionately. B. The “churches of Asia”
who greeted the Corinthians would probably be the churches of Asia mentioned
in Revelation 2-3, Smyrna, Pergamum, Sardis,
Thyatira, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and of course
Ephesus, the location from which he
was writing. These would have known about the church in Corinth because Paul
visited Corinth in aprox. A.D. 50-54 and wrote to the Corinthians from
Ephesus about A.D. 56. C. They obviously knew “Aquila and Prisca”
(diminutive form of Priscilla, Latin for “old” or “long life”), who were in
Corinth when Paul arrived there in Acts 18:1ff). They were in Corinth because “Claudius had commanded all the Jews (like
Aquila) to leave Rome (Italy)” (Ac 18:2). Being in Corinth at one time, they
“heartily” (polu,s
- much or warmly) greeted the
saints “in the Lord,” a phrase recognizing their relationship in
Christ. Now at Ephesus with Paul, they had a “church” (ekklęsi,a - congregation or assembly) in their house (cp. Rom 16:5). D. Like Paul, they were tent-makers by trade
which was how they met. The Scriptures do not specifically say that Paul led
them to Christ, but it would be a strong implication, for Paul stayed with
them. E. Paul left for Ephesus and took Aquila and
Prisca with him (Act 18:18-19). By this
time they were extremely valuable to his ministry for he called them, “fellow
workers” (sunergós - lit. work together with, work alongside, Rom
16:3). Paul listed them first in his list of 27 names in the final
salutations in the letter to the Romans. In fact, Paul mentioned that they
had “risked their own necks” for his sake and that all the churches gave
thanks for them (Rom 16:4). F. That they became strong Christians was
evident from the fact that they discipled Apollos (Act 18:24-26). While they
were both strong Christians, Paul (and Luke) sometimes listed Priscilla’s
name first perhaps indicating that she was not only gifted in hospitality but
also as a ministering believer (Act 18:18; Rom 16:3; 2Ti 4:19). II. GREETINGS FROM THE BROTHERS AND THE HOLY
KISS (20) A. The “brethren” probably refer to
any of the believers from Corinth who accompanied Paul, such as Sosthenes
(1Co 1:1). B. Paul encouraged each member of the church
to greet one another with a “holy kiss” (philę,mati hagi,ō). This
was Paul’s standard for familial love among the body of Christ (Ro 16:16; 1Co
16:20; 2Co 13:12; 1Th 5:26; cp. 1Pe 5:14). This “kiss” was on the cheek and
not the lips and was meant to be pure and chaste. It expressed a special
affection among those who belong to God. According to A.T. Robertson, “men
kissed men and women kissed women.” Today it is akin to the Western handshake
or embrace. C. Such affectionate greetings go along way
toward diffusing divisions and reminding believers of the love of Christ. III. PAUL’S SIGNATURE GREETING (21) A. Most of the epistles of the NT were
written by an amanuensis, a secretary
who wrote as it was dictated (cp. Rom 16:22). B. However, Paul usually would sign his
letters to authenticate that it came from him and had apostolic authority
(2Th 3:17; the word “mark” probably simply refers to a signature and not
an “X” on the dotted line so to speak). 1. This is the case with this emphatic greeting which was “in
[Paul’s] own hand[writing]” (tę, emę, cheiri,) (1Co 16:21;
Col 4:18). 2. It appears to have been “large letters”
in size (Gal 6:11) quite possibly because of poor eyesight (cp. Act 23:2-5
cp. 2Co 12:7 - “thorn in the flesh” - ???). IV. ADMONITION TO LOVE THE LORD (22) A. Paul gives a penetrating condition (“if
anyone,” ei and the indicative - first class, simple condition
of fact) not only to any false teachers, but those within the Corinthian
church. B. The condition is that they must have
genuine love for the Lord if they are a genuine believer. “Love” here
is not agapa,ō (self-sacrificial love) but phile,ō
(sometimes friendship love but also affectionate love). 1. The reason it is phileo instead of
agapa,ō could be to emphasize affection that is demonstrated outwardly
and publically (Mat 10:37; Joh 11:36; 12:25). In other words a genuine
believer’s love for the Lord can be observed. a) They will speak fondly of the Lord’s love
and forgiveness through Christ. b) They will make visible changes in their
lives because of their affection for the Lord. c) They will serve and minister for the Lord
because of their devotion to Him. d) They will show humility and remorse for
their lack of agapa,ō love (Joh 21:15-17). 2. Also note that it appears that phile,ō and agapa,ō
are sometimes synonyms
in a general sense (Tit 3:15). 3. Sometimes phile,ō is used to described God’s love (Joh 5:20; 16:27; Rev 3:19). C. If someone does not possess this
affectionate devotion to the Lord, they are to be “accursed” (ana,thema - delivered over to God’s wrath and
curse, cp. Gal 1:8).
This implies that that they are not genuine believers but merely professing
believers. In essence, it is a general test for the genuineness of salvation. D. He ends the condition with an expression
of his own devotion to the Lord, “Maranatha” (marana tha, - “O
Lord come,” similar to Rev 22:20 but not the same
word). Every true
believer is affectionately looking for the return of the Blessed Hope (1Th
1:10; Tit 2:13). It also plays a part in Paul’s strong words in the sense
that when the Lord returns, He will also judge those who do not love or trust
in Him for salvation. V. THE GRACE OF CHRIST JESUS (23) A. He adds his typical salutation concerning
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with them. All believer’s live by
the “grace” of Christ. First, in His saving grace (Eph 2:5) but also
in His sanctifying grace to live the Christian life (2Co 12:9). The
Corinthians certainly needed grace to change their many carnal ways. B. Note it is grace from the “Lord Jesus.”
Both the title “Lord” (Isa 45:23; cp. Phil 2:11) and the fact that He can
give divine grace prove that He is the Second Person of the Godhead. VI. PAUL’S LOVE TO THE CORINTHIANS (24) A. Paul, the apostle, pastor, mentor and spiritual leader affirms
his love in spite of the problems that the Corinthians created. In fact, the
word for “love” here is agapa,ō to show his absolute and
self-sacrificial love for this carnal church. B. His love was with them “all” and
was because of their being “in Christ Jesus.” Christ was the reason he
loved them and Christ supplied the grace to do so. VII. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A. Ordinary couples can become dynamic “fellow workers” in the
ministry as they give themselves to the Lord, give all they have, know and
teach the Scriptures, and risk their lives for the Lord B. Genuine believers will exhibit genuine
affection and devotion for the Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean they
will be perfect or will not sin, but will give evidence of their affection
for Christ in affectionate speech toward the Lord and changed attitudes and
actions. C. The epistle to the Corinthians teaches all
believers that: 1. Carnality is possible for a genuine believer but it is never
condoned by God and is sin. 2. Carnality is described in Corinthians as
divisions, pride, jealousy, immorality, improper response to immorality (and
sin), misunderstanding of God’s will, misunderstanding of God’s standards for
relationships including marriage, misunderstanding of spiritual gifts,
misunderstanding of edification, lack of genuine brotherly love, lack of
devotion and submission to the Scriptures, lack of attention to doctrine, and
falling into false teaching. 3. Carnality cause major problems in
Christians and the church. The solution is spiritual growth and living
through the Holy Spirit and His teaching of Scripture and the willingness to
put it into practice. If we walk by the Spirit according to the Word of God,
we will not be carnal but will be spiritual and
amply equipped to evangelize and edify others. |
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