22. A Threefold Benediction
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
2 Corinthians 13:14A
Swe share our daily lives with one another, there is no more
powerful prayer we can extend to one another than this
spiritual blessing. Though it is brief, it is a benediction that offers so
much of what each of us needs in order to live in peace and harmony
as God’s children.
The first part of the threefold benediction is grace. The grace of
the Lord Jesus demonstrates his generous nature and his capacity to
forgive in this sinful world that so desperately needs to know him. It
is the infinite love, mercy, favor, and goodwill poured out on hu-
mankind expressed in God’s sending his only Son to die for unde-
serving men and women. When we speak this benediction of the
Lord’s grace upon fellow believers, we are reminding them that God
gave the powerful gift of his Son while they were yet sinners. When
we speak it to those who do not yet know the Lord it becomes an in-
vitation to know him.