Verse 23
Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible.
Hendriksen's noble comment on these verses is:
The peace that passes all understanding, the love that is the greatest of the three greatest, and the faith that overcomes the world, these three precious treasures are given away to any one who sincerely requests them of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.[27]
The significant thing here, of course is the reverse order in which Paul's favorite words are enumerated. In Rom. 1:7,1Cor. 1:3,2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3, and Colossians 1:2 - in all these, the order of the words is invariably "grace," then "peace." Here it is the other way; and, as Dummelow said, "An imitator would have copied the other epistles in this."[28] No one but Paul himself would have dared reverse the order of these words; therefore, this conspicuous departure from his usual mode of expression has, in this instance, the impact of an apostolic signature.
Love incorruptible ... What an amazing word is this!
It is those who love with an imperishable love that are meant: there must be neither decrease nor decay; and "those who were chosen in him before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4) retain their love for him undiminished after the world itself has passed away![29]
[27] William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 286.
[28] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 966.
[29] William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 286.
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