49Marks of Love in the Fellowship (16:15-24)

Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints), that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. And I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus; because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.

The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

The greeting is in my own hand—Paul. If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. (16:15-24)

In many ways, verses 15-24 flow out of and illustrate the command of verse 14: “Let all that you do be done in love.” Paul’s closing words are not simply niceties that Paul threw in at the end of his letter as a matter of custom or courtesy. As much as any part of Scripture they are part of God’s Word and are given to us for a divine purpose.

In these ten verses, either directly or indirectly, Paul is talking about love in the fellowship of the church. Because the Corinthians’ greatest need was for all-pervasive love, that was Paul’s last appeal to them. The passage is introduced by the command for them to love (v. 14) and concludes with the assurance that they themselves are loved (v. 24).

Under the surface of Paul’s closing greetings, we see reflected seven marks of love in the Christian fellowship: evangelism, service to each other, submission to godly believers, companionship, respect for faithful workers, hospitality, and affection. Thus these apparently “loose ends” have a harmonious theme, as Paul demonstrates the attitude of love he desires the Corinthians to have.

EVANGELISM

Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, …) (16:15a)

The members of the household of Stephanas not only were among the first converts in Corinth but were among the first fruits of Paul’s evangelistic work in all of Achaia, the southern province of Greece, in which Athens and Corinth were located.

Though most of the Athenians to whom Paul had preached were skeptical and rejected the gospel, a few had believed (Acts 17:34). From Athens the apostle went to Corinth, where he spent the first few weeks witnessing primarily to Jews. But “when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be upon your own heads! I am clean. From now on I shall go to the Gentiles’” (18:6). A few Jews, such as Crispus (v. 8), trusted in Christ, but most of the Corinthian converts were Gentiles, among whom were Stephanas and his household. Whether to Jew or Gentile, Paul never stopped evangelizing, because love never stops reaching out to those who are lost.

Stephanas was one of the few persons in Corinth whom Paul baptized personally (1 Cor. 1:16). He was visiting Paul in Ephesus at the time this letter was written (16:17) and probably, along with Fortunatus and Achaicus, delivered the letter from Corinth mentioned in 7:1. His household would have included not only his family but all of his servants and slaves as well.

The first fruits were the part of a crop that was planted first and therefore ripened and was harvested first. Its appearance was a sign to the farmer that the remainder of the crop would also soon be ready to harvest. The conversion of Stephanas and his household was a sign that God was ready to reap an even greater harvest of souls in Corinth and the rest of Achaia. The believers to whom Paul wrote this letter were all a part of that harvest.

Through evangelism the early church expressed its love. Because of the Thessalonians’ “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,… the word of the Lord [had] sounded forth from [them], not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place [their] faith toward God [had] gone forth” (1 Thess. 1:3, 8). Though Paul had ministered among them for only “three Sabbaths” (Acts 17:2), that church’s testimony became known all over the Roman world. If we love in the way God loves, and in which Paul loved and the early church loved, we too will reach out with the gospel to those who do not know Christ.

The love in which we live and witness is ours only because God has given it to us (1 John 4:19). Paul loved because Christ’s love controlled him (2 Cor. 5:14). Evangelizing love, or any other manifestation of Christian love, cannot be generated by the flesh, by our humanness. It is the work of the Spirit to produce and direct our love, and, through it, to bear fruit for God.

Before his conversion Paul had been the chief Jewish persecutor of the church. After his conversion he himself became the target of Jewish persecution. While he was still in Damascus “the Jews plotted together to do away with him…. And they were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death” (Acts 9:23-24). It must have been hard, therefore, for Paul to have convinced anyone that he loved unbelieving Jews. When he wanted to convince the Roman church of that love he gave an extended affirmation: “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 9:1). He then went on to declare, “I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (vv. 2-3). That was evangelistic love at its highest.

Someone has said, “Evangelism is the sob of God. Evangelism is the anguished cry of Christ over a doomed Jerusalem. Evangelism is the call of Moses: ‘O this people have sinned, yet now if Thou wilt, forgive them; if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of the book Thou hast written.” Evangelism is the heartbroken cry of Paul: T could wish myself accursed.’ Evangelism is the cry of John Knox: ‘Give me Scotland for Christ or I die.’ Evangelism is the weeping in the night of the parents of an unsaved child.” We need to ask God for that kind of love.

We often give up too easily when those to whom we witness resist the gospel, and in so doing we betray the thinness of our love.

SERVICE TO EACH OTHER

they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints. (16:15b)

A second mark of love is seen in the care that Stephanas and his household had for fellow believers. They have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints.

The basic meaning of tassō (devoted) is “to set in order.” Frequently it means to set, appoint, assign, ordain, or designate a specific person or group of persons to a specific work or office. It is used in Romans 13:1 to indicate that human governments are “established by God.” In Acts 13:48 it is used to teach that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ is “appointed to eternal life.”

Devoted themselves is in an intense form in the Greek, emphasizing that Stephanas and his household served entirely on their own initiative. It is perfectly appropriate for a church to assign ministries and responsibilities to its members, just as the early church did in Jerusalem. In order that they could devote themselves more to prayer and preaching the Word of God, the apostles instructed the Jerusalem church to appoint some qualified men as deacons to supervise the feeding of needy widows in the congregation (Acts 6:2-4).

But Stephanas and his family and servants did not wait to be appointed. They appointed themselves to the ministry of service to fellow believers. They spontaneously assigned themselves to help meet any need they saw among the saints. Their service was self-motivated and self-assigned. Though it was sometimes necessary for the early church to assign tasks, as with the appointment of deacons mentioned above, most work was done and still is done by those who simply see a need and meet it.

William Barclay writes, “In the early church willing and spontaneous service was the beginning of official office. A man became a leader of the church not so much by any man-made appointment as because his life and work marked him out as one whom all men must respect. All those who share the work and toil of the gospel command respect, not because they have been appointed by a man to an office but because they are doing the work of Christ.”

Ministry is from diakonia, which means “service.” The one who does such work is a diakonos, from which we get the English deacon. The term originally was used of table waiters and various other kinds of household servants. The duty of the first Christian deacons was literally to serve tables (Acts 6:2), but the words soon came to be associated with any service to or for the church, and therefore are often translated “ministry” and “minister,” respectively. The basic idea in both words always had to do with humble, submissive, personal service, not simply with an office or a particular function.

First Corinthians 12:5 speaks of the “ministries” (diakonia) of using our spiritual gifts. Acts 11:29 (“relief”) and 2 Corinthians 8:4 (“support”) speak of the diakonia of giving financially (cf. Rom. 15:31). The first deacons were appointed to “serve [diakoneō] tables” (Acts 6:2) so that the apostles could devote themselves “to the ministry [diakonia] of the word” (v. 4). Onesiphorus gave Paul great encouragement. “He often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains,” while performing the “services he rendered [diakonia] at Ephesus” (2 Tim. 1:16, 18). Jesus said, “If anyone serves [diakoneō] Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant [diakonos] also be; if anyone serves [diakoneō] Me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26). What Paul said to Archippus could be said to all of us: “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it” (Col. 4:17). Every Christian is called by His Lord to serve, and one of the surest ways we can serve Christ is to serve the saints in His behalf (Matt. 25:34-40).

One expressive translation of tassō (devoted) is “addicted,” as it is rendered in the King James Version. The Stephanas household had “addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.” They were the type of perpetually serving believers whom the writer of Hebrews praises: “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints” (Heb. 6:10).

Drug addiction has three primary characteristics. First of all it involves a strong habit, an overpowering desire and compulsion to take a given drug. Second, it involves a growing tolerance to the drug, so that, in order to maintain the desired effect, larger and larger doses must be taken. The third characteristic is dependence, the state in which the addicted person must have the drug in order to function.

Because of its association with narcotic drugs, the term addiction today has an unfavorable connotation. But it is appropriate to the type of service Paul is talking about here. The apostle himself was addicted to the Lord’s work and strongly encouraged all believers to be like him. Paul did the Lord’s work habitually, out of a powerful, driving compulsion. The more he ministered the more he felt compelled to minister. His tolerance for godly work caused him never to be satisfied with what he was doing, much less with what he had done. He became dependent on the Lord’s work in order to function. He could not live normally if he were not engaged in some needed service for His Lord, for the Lord’s people, or for the unsaved. 1 am sure that, had he tried to “take it easy” and relax for any length of time, he would have had severe “withdrawal symptoms.” He was not a workaholic, compelled to work for work’s sake. He was addicted to ministry for love’s sake.

SUBMISSION

That you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. (16:16)

A third mark of love in Christian fellowship is submission. We are to submit ourselves not only to the appointed leaders in the church but to all those who faithfully do the Lord’s work. All godly people are to be respected and submitted to.

Proper submission is a key theme of Spirit-filled living. All believers are to submit to each other (Eph. 5:21). Wives are to submit to their husbands (Eph. 5:22). Children are to submit to their parents (Eph. 6:1-3). Believers are to submit to government laws and ordinances (Rom. 13:1; 1 Pet. 2:13). Younger men are to submit to older men (1 Pet. 5:5a). Every believer is to be submissive in the ways God has ordained. In the matter of submission, our primary concern should not be about whom we should be over but whom we should be under. Humility will prevent the submitting person from becoming burdened, and the person submitted to from becoming overbearing. “All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5b). When we are humble, God’s grace gives us graciousness in our leading and graciousness in our following.

Speaking of those who belong to Him, Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:26-28). In our relationships to other believers, our first concern should be for how we can properly submit.

Practically, that means that we should find a godly man or woman who is addicted to the Lord’s will and the Lord’s work and make that person our pattern for Christian living. As we submit, learn, grow, and mature, our own life will become one that others can emulate. Paul could say to the Corinthians, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1; cf. 4:16). To the Thessalonians he could say, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:5-6). The writer of Hebrews says, “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7). That is the cycle of discipleship the Lord intends for His church. “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40).

Paul wanted the selfish, unsubmissive Corinthians to submit to his model, just as he continually submitted to Christ’s model. We are all called to submit ourselves to those who have proved their own submission to Christ. Who is that person to whom we should submit? It is anyone who faithfully portrays and proclaims the Word of God or serves in His ministry, everyone who helps in the work and labors.

Christ’s people are not to fight for their own rights, privileges, and respect, but are to seek out and follow those to whom they can submit in Christ, who can be their teachers and examples. True love brings true submission. True submission would, by itself, save countless conflicts, squabbles, and hard and hurt feelings within God’s family. It would make His children both happier and more productive in their Father’s work.

COMPANIONSHIP

And I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus; because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. (16:17-18a)

Another wonderful mark of loving fellowship is companionship. Companionship is not something we directly do or give. It is the by-product of other things, things as simple as standing with a friend who is in trouble or sitting with someone who is sick, or as complex as mutual ministry. The main ingredient of companionship is togetherness; it cannot be experienced from a distance or secondhand.

Paul was grateful that his three friends Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus had come from Corinth to be with him. They had ministered to the apostle in specific ways. They had supplied what was lacking on the part of their fellow Corinthians. But more than that they genuinely befriended Paul, by being with him, by encouraging him, and by identifying with His ministry. In so doing they refreshed Paul’s spirit and the spirit of the Corinthian church that had sent them.

One of the finest compliments we can be paid is for our Christian friends to say that we are refreshing to be around. That is a mark of true companionship, just as companionship is a mark of true love. Companionship builds up God’s family. Companionship can help heal our wounds even before our friends know we hurt; it can comfort us even when those around us are not aware of our sorrow; it can encourage us even when we ourselves hardly realize that we are discouraged.

Companionship is also a preventive. Just being with loving Christian friends can keep us from getting hurt, from falling into sin, or from losing heart. One of the surest ways we can get into spiritual trouble is by neglecting fellowship with other believers. The Corinthians had violated fellowship with their factions, their lawsuits, their sexual sins, their proud abuse of gifts, and their desecration of the supreme Christian fellowship, the Lord’s Table.

God not only has made us for Himself but has made us for each other. What the three friends from Corinth did for Paul is what Jesus promises to do for His followers. Paul used the same Greek word (anapauō, refreshed) in this passage that Jesus used in promising “rest” to those who believe in Him: “Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Paul’s friends helped the hard-pressed apostle find rest and refreshment. They helped lighten his burdens just by being with him. Because they came from a church that was not known for love or companionship, those three men doubtlessly gave Paul a special spiritual boost. “Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land” (Prov 25:25). Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus were themselves Paul’s good news from Corinth, cold water to his weary spirit.

God can comfort us directly, but He often chooses to comfort us through others. “God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Cor. 7:6). Near the end of his life, which he had given selflessly in serving and encouraging others, Paul was himself in special need of encouragement and help. He asked Timothy to “make every effort to come to [him] soon” and to bring along Mark, “for he is useful to me for service.” Demas had forsaken the apostle, and Tychicus had been sent to Ephesus. Only Luke remained, and, dear and helpful as that friend was, Paul felt the need for more companionship (2 Tim. 4:9-12).

The kind of companionship those men offered refreshes everyone involved. The coming of the three friends from Corinth not only refreshed Paul but also had refreshed the Corinthians, my spirit and yours. When Titus personally reported to Paul the good news of the Corinthian church’s change of heart and repentance of rebelliousness, Paul wrote to tell the church of his joy that now they too were refreshing others with their fellowship: “For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all” (2 Cor. 7:13).

RESPECT FOR FAITHFUL WORKERS

Therefore acknowledge such men. (16:18b)

The Corinthians are instructed to acknowledge such men as Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (v. 15). Epiginōskō (acknowledge) signifies recognition of something for what it really is. In 14:37 Paul uses the term to tell the Corinthians to “recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.” Now he tells them to recognize faithful, godly workers for what they are.

Paul is not speaking of setting up ornate plaques or statues inscribed with the persons’ names. He is simply calling for respect and appreciation, which sometimes will be public and sometimes private. Proper appreciation of deserving persons in the church not only is not wrong but is pleasing to the Lord.

Typically, the Corinthians were neither respectful nor appreciative. Each member was too concerned about his own prestige and recognition. They were much more inclined to criticize each other than to praise each other. They were quick to claim, “‘I am of Paul,’ and, ‘I of Apollos,’ and, ‘I of Cephas,’ and, ‘I of Christ’” (1 Cor. 1:12), but they used those names in pride, not in appreciation. Paul was not respected by many of the Corinthians, who had “become arrogant, as though [he] were not coming” back to correct them in person (4:18). Some, apparently, had questioned his apostleship and his authority to teach them or to be supported by them (9:1-6). At least four times in this letter Paul says or implies that the Corinthians were arrogant (4:6, 18; 8:1; 13:4).

The Corinthian church had members who were like Diotrephes, a leader John describes as one “who loves to be first among them [and] does not accept what we say” (3 John 9). Diotrephes was even jealous of the gentle, loving apostle John. He not only ridiculed and maligned John himself but also the representatives John had sent on his behalf (v. 10). Such a leader is not godly, no matter how humanly talented and capable he may be, and should not be imitated (v. 11). Demetrius, on the other hand, had “received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself” (v. 12). He is the sort of Christian we should imitate, respect, and support, “that we may be fellow workers with the truth” (v. 8).

In God’s pattern for church leadership, godly persons rise to the top by virtue of their godliness—their right belief, right living, and loving care for others. Such persons we are to acknowledge, respect, and imitate. When we choose leaders simply because of their money, prestige, education, influence, or talents we follow the world’s standards rather than God’s. God’s standards for leadership are purity and maturity. When the church follows and respects godly and mature believers, the body of Christ is strengthened in fellowship, service, and love.

Epaphroditus was the sort of godly person to be emulated and acknowledged. “Therefore receive him in the Lord with all joy,” Paul tells the Philippians, “and hold men like him in high regard” (Phil. 2:29). Epaphroditus was the epitome of the unselfish, sacrificial servant. He had served Paul in behalf of the Philippian church, just as Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus has served him in behalf of the Corinthian church. He had, in fact, almost literally worked himself to death. “He came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life” (v. 30).

The word paraboleuomai, translated “risking” in the verse just quoted, means “to throw away, to abandon, to roll the dice, to put everything on the line.” In the early church certain groups of faithful Christians who were continually out on the front lines of witnessing and service were called Parabolani, “The Riskers.” Among other things, they exposed themselves to deadly diseases by caring for the sick and burying the dead. Their lives were always on the line in behalf of the Lord’s work.

When we find someone who is faithful to the Word of God and who gives his life to the work of Jesus Christ, we should do our utmost to imitate that person. And we should give him or her our greatest respect. When that is done, Christ’s church will function as an organism, a living body, not just as an organization.

Those worthy of honor do not seek it. What makes them honorable is their humility before the Lord in their service for Him. But though they do not desire honor, those they teach and serve should desire to give them honor. To give such honor is pleasing to God. “Appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and… esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thess. 5:12-13). Writing to Timothy, Paul says, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17).

God’s design for the church is simple. The godly are to be in leadership. They rule, they teach, they admonish, they set the example. They are chosen because they are especially submissive to the Lord. The rest of the church therefore is to submit to them, in respect, honor, and love. They are accountable to the Lord for their leadership, and the rest are accountable to the Lord for submitting to and respecting that leadership. “Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you” (Heb. 13:17). If we do not follow and honor those who have rightful leadership in the church, we not only frustrate and inhibit their fruitfulness but our own as well. We cannot properly serve the Lord if we do not properly respect godly leaders.

HOSPITALITY

The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. (16:19-20a)

As implied in these verses, love always produces hospitality, love for strangers. Paul did not make idle comments, much less stretch the truth, in order to impress his readers. It was not that the churches of Asia necessarily had sent formal greetings to the church in Corinth, but he is passing on genuine salutations. Those churches were honestly concerned for their fellow believers in Corinth, and their leaders had asked Paul to greet them when he had opportunity. Most of those involved were strangers to each other, but the love expressed was no less genuine because of that.

When God’s people are committed to pure doctrine and pure living, they are bonded together in love—as individuals and as congregations—even when separated by great distances and by great differences in culture and circumstances. The spirit of hospitality exists among loving Christians even when there is no direct opportunity to be hospitable. We can support our brethren in the Lord by prayer and encouragement even if we never have the opportunity to have them in our homes.

Aquila and Prisca, or Priscilla, had become good friends of Paul’s when he stayed at their house during his first ministry in Corinth (Acts 18:1-3). It is possible that he stayed with them the entire year and a half. They were fellow tentmakers, highly respected by the apostle, and valuable to his ministry. They accompanied Paul to Ephesus and, shortly after arriving, demonstrated their thorough understanding of the gospel by taking the gifted Apollos aside and explaining “to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:18-19, 24-26). We know from our present text that they also established a congregation in their own house.

In the early church the homes of believers were used for almost every type of Christian activity—for eating together (Acts 2:46); for teaching and preaching (5:42); for preevangelism and evangelism (10:23, 27-48); for worship and preaching (20:7); and for witnessing and discussion (28:23). Often the home of a believer was the regular meeting place for worship and fellowship. It was in behalf of the house church of Aquila and Prisca,… with the church that is in their house, that Paul sent greetings to Corinth.

When Christians traveled from place to place in New Testament times they could expect, almost without exception, to be entertained with great care and love by fellow Christians. There were no strangers among believers (Acts 2:42-46). Hospitality was second nature, a matter of course, a natural outgrowth of their love for Christ and for all who belonged to Him. Every Christian home today should be an open, transparent, and loving haven for those who need hospitality.

From the earliest times (see Acts 6:1) the church had large numbers of widows. Those who qualified to be on a church’s official list of widows had to be over sixty years old and have a reputation for doing good works, being a good mother, and “showing hospitality to strangers.” Paul goes on to illustrate the sort of hospitality he had in mind. A qualifying widow must have done such things as “washed the saints’ feet,” “assisted those in distress,” and “devoted herself to every good work” (1 Tim. 5:9-10). Hospitality is not an incidental or optional virtue for Christians.

The outstanding mark of the Good Samaritan was hospitality. Both directly and indirectly he did everything in his power to assist the man who was beaten and robbed. Because “he felt compassion,” he “came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you’” (Luke 10:33-35). The supreme mark of being a Christian neighbor is hospitality; and hospitality is a notable mark of Christian love.

AFFECTION

Greet one another with a holy kiss. (16:20b)

Finally, love in the fellowship will be marked by outward, visible signs of affection.

In Scripture, kissing in a romantic sense between a man and a woman is referred to only twice, in Proverbs (7:13) and in the Song of Solomon (4:11). Every other reference has to do with the expression of affection between men and men, and women and women. The kiss was given on the cheek or forehead and represented essentially what a hug or a warm embrace represents today. Because of our greater personal isolation and insulation today, such demonstrated affection between persons of the same sex is sadly uncommon.

And, even though in the early church the practice of the holy kiss was a beautiful, pure, and meaningful expression of brotherly love (cf. Rom. 16:16; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Pet. 5:14), it came in later centuries to be abused. It was practiced so indiscriminately, for example, that a church council in the 6th century outlawed the kissing of dead bodies.

Paul was speaking of the genuine and spontaneous expression of brotherly or sisterly love, which in that day often was expressed by a kiss. A warm, affectionate handshake or an arm around the shoulder can express the same affection. In most of the church today the danger is in showing too little affection rather than too much.

One of the dangers of large churches is that they easily allow strangers to remain strangers. A shy person is often not noticed, and some Christians, unfortunately, do not want to get involved in the fellowship. But where there is genuine love, Christians will find ways to make friends with strangers and to show affection to Christian brothers and sisters.

CLOSING COMMENTS

The main part of the letter, which had been dictated to a scribe, was signed in his own hand and finished by Paul himself. The closing remarks are a short postscript, perhaps given in his own handwriting to clearly establish the letter’s authenticity.

The ending is in two distinct parts: a stern warning and an affectionate affirmation of love.

The warning is against anyone who does not love the Lord. Such a person proves beyond doubt that he does not belong to the Lord and therefore does not belong in the fellowship of God’s people. The term for love that Paul uses here is phileō, which means “to have tender affection.” It is not as strong a word as agape (supreme love), and is never commanded to be given to God. An implication of this verse, however, is that such minimal affection is an element of the love that is acceptable to God. When Jesus asked Peter the third time if he loved Him, He used phileō. When Peter again answered yes, Jesus accepted that love. Peter did not claim agapē, but even his kind affection evidenced his trust in Jesus. Paul’s choice of words in this passage flowed from his emphasis on affection.

If a person does not love the Lord with tender affection, then he obviously has no supreme love for Him, and thus no part in Him at all. Such a person “does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God,” and should not be received into Christian fellowship (2 John 9-10). He should not even be greeted, because to do is to participate “in his evil deeds” (v. 11). He should be considered accursed (anathema), devoted to destruction.

The two seemingly inconsistent parts of Paul’s closing words are related to the same truth, the theme of the epistle itself: love. The warning is against those whose lack of love for the Lord proves their lostness. The gracious affection is expressed to those who, with Paul, do love the Lord and each other.

I believe that in this context maranatha, an Aramaic term meaning “Our Lord, come,” is Paul’s appeal for the Lord to come and take away those who are accursed, the nominal, false Christians who are always such a great threat to the true church. The idea is, “God, come and remove them” before they cause more harm. Maranatha thus contains an implied invitation to those lost church members to receive Christ before God takes them away and the opportunity for salvation is forever gone.

The apostle closes with words of grace and love for those who love the Lord. Those two words summarize Paul’s message to the Corinthian believers and the Lord’s message to all believers.