Paul closes his wonderful little letter to the Philippians with these words: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Phil 4:23).
The incomparable Alec Motyer observes of this prayer of blessing: “There is, then, no more fitting conclusion to Philippians that the simplicity of the final prayer. For us, as for himself, Paul wanted nothing but a daily and deepening experience of Jesus, satisfying and unsearchable.”1 P.T. O’Brien adds: “The phrase describes not a character or quality of Jesus but something he shows and does.”2
In other words, we need the grace that only Jesus can give; we need it to permeate who we are and to animate our hearts if we are going to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ (Phil 1:27). That’s why Paul prays for us that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ would be with our spirit.
And after what the Apostle Paul has asked us to do in this letter, what do we need but grace? Matthew Harmon beautifully explains and applies this benediction in his commentary.
By concluding the letter in this fashion, Paul surrounds everything he has said in grace. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that saves believers from their sinful rebellion and makes them part of God’s family, set apart for His special purposes in this world. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ which initiated and sustains fellowship in the gospel that is demonstrated by their partnership in its advance. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that enables believers to rejoice in the advance of the gospel even when the motives of those advancing it are not always pure. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that enables believers to believe that to live is Christ and die is gain. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that enables believers to live out their status as citizens of God’s kingdom in a manner worthy of the gospel, even in the face of opposition.
It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that unites and empowers believers to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross so that they might experience God’s peace. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that allowed us to see the glory of Christ, causing us to bend our knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that empowers us to work out our salvation since God is at work in us for His good pleasure. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that enables us to be a light in this dark world. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that empowers us to emulate godly models of Christlike living and show them appropriate honor.
It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that has freed us from seeking status before God on the basis of our pedigree or performance and instead to embrace the perfect righteousness that comes from God. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that enables us to count all things as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus and His resurrection power at work in our lives even in the midst of suffering. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that summons us to press on to know Christ more deeply every day as we await His return and the transformation of our lowly bodies.
It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that calls us to pursue unity in the body for the sake of the advancement of the gospel. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that enables us to rejoice rather than worry, and grants us access to the throne room of God to let our requests be made known to Him. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that grants us the peace that guards our hearts and minds, and enables us to put into practice what the apostles taught. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that enables us to give generously to the advancement of the gospel to the point where it hurts, and as a result see a heavenly harvest. It is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that unites believers together across many miles in many different locations in the worship of the one true God regardless of station in life.3
May we live out of — and live out — this grace.
1Alec Motyer, The Message of Philippians (The Bible Speaks Today Series)
2Peter T. O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians (New International Greek Testament Commentary)
3Matthew Harmon, Philippians: A Mentor Commentary
