“Give my greetings…(“salute”, ie, embrace, wrap in your arms)… to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Philippians 4:21-23 NLT
Finally…after the finally’s that were, in the end, not incidental postscripts after all, Paul has to end his letter. Despite his great love for the Philippians, his gratitude for their partnership, his confidence in their faithfulness…and the snippets of counsel, encouragement, and teaching he passed on to them, he had to say goodbye and, possibly, for the last time. He knew that his days on earth were coming to an end in Nero’s clutches.
In true Pauline fashion, he sent greetings from far and wide…not only from him to them, not only from those with him to them, but also from and to everyone he classified as “God’s holy people”. Everyone under the banner of “believer in Jesus”, whether the Philippians knew them or not, was “with him”.
Paul sent to each of them, all included, not just a friendly “hello“ but a warm embrace, enfolding each one as totally loved and accepted…and he asked them to do the same.
Why is this important for us to know as well? “God’s holy people”is a bold classification. Everyone who has been born of the Spirit…transferred into the kingdom of God…washed in the blood of the lamb…and become a citizen of the “age to come”…belongs to the unique, worldwide group of people Paul called “Gods holy people”.
This special category of men and women stretches around the world and across every generation from the beginning of time…a supernaturally chosen, redeemed, and perfected family of God…recreated in the image of Jesus…saved by grace… separated from sin to God…highly favoured…deeply loved…and eternally blessed.
No matter what the world thought of them…no matter how the Roman government treated them…no matter how much the religious Jews hated them, persecuted them, cancelled them…they belonged to God. In those three little words, “God’s holy people”, Paul encapsulated their status and standing before God, their eternal security despite temporary peril, their destiny in Christ, and all the resources of heaven at their disposal to reach their heavenly goal.
Paul’s greetings to and from the whole family of God was like the wrapping paper around a very valuable gift. Within the parcel was God’s treasure…His people…the ones in whom He had invested His very best…His own Son. These are the ones He delights in, watches over, cares for, protects ands provides for…and shapes through careful discipline…for an eternity with Him.
They were God’s children. Paul loved them, prayed for them, taught them, carried them on his heart…and wrapped them in a parcel of greetings to be received by those to whom he wrote. Now he entreats them to do the same. “Greet them…wrap them all up in your love and acceptance.”
Paul’s final prayer…
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
…is more than a general wish. It’s a world of prayer in itself. “Grace”…all that we are and will ever be…all that we ever receive from God…all the promises we ever hope for…all our dreams and desires…flows from one source…God’s grace that comes to us through Jesus…His unmerited, undeserved, unearned, without a cause, “just because He is who He is” favour.
…and so, we join with those who gladly received Paul’s ministry by reading, believing, and following his instructions with teachable and obedient hearts.
Thank you, Paul, for the legacy you left for us as well.
To be concluded