The third point he makes is to be men of courage, and fourthly, to be strong. It is so easy to lose courage or to be weak because we look out and we see the enemies that are arrayed against us. We say, “Well, we can’t stand against that. We’re just weak, insignificant, and small in numbers.” What we need is to have our eyes opened like the servant of Elisha to see the hills filled with the chariots of fire and the angels of the Lord (2 Kings 6:17). The strength of the Lord is our armament. That is how we stand, and Paul is telling the Corinthians to do that.
Finally, he says to do everything in love. Many years ago, the missionary E. Stanley Jones had an interview with Mahatma Gandhi. Because Gandhi knew the Western world so well, Jones asked him, “Mr. Gandhi, what would the Christians have to do to win India for Jesus Christ?” Gandhi replied, “Well, first of all, the Christians have to live like Jesus Christ.” Secondly, Gandhi said, “You must not compromise your faith.” Thirdly, he advised Christians to “learn everything you can about the non-Christian religions.” And the last thing, which is the most important of all, is to “let everything you do be characterized by love.”
Paul knows that we are engaged in a battle, and this battle requires strength of character. God calls us to be soldiers who are able to stand. But that warfare is not the kind of warfare in which the world engages, which is marked by arrogance or by hatred of the enemy. No, the Christian’s warfare is carried on by love because this is the character of God. Therefore, where the love of Christ is seen in the hearts of God’s people, God is at work, and people who see that love are drawn to Him.
Now at the very end of this, Paul talks about a number of individuals. I think that is very interesting because it shows that Paul, for all his theology and his missionary strategy, is thinking about other people and how they are faithfully carrying on in their own service to the Lord. He writes about them in a very warm way. He mentions Stephanas, who was one of the first converts in Corinth, which was in the province of Achaia. From what Paul says concerning him and others, perhaps some in the Corinthian church were not respecting them as leaders. Paul tells the church to submit to them because they are laboring in the work of the Lord.
In addition to Stephanas, Paul also mentions Fortunatus and Achaicus, who had probably come to Paul in Ephesus with a letter from the Corinthian church. When Paul found out about the problems going on, he then responded with 1 Corinthians, which he probably sent back with these men. Paul is appreciative of them; he says that they refreshed his spirit (v. 18). Paul has affection for these Corinthian brothers, as well as for the rest of the church.
And then he turns to those among whom he is currently ministering in Ephesus. Aquila and Priscilla had made their way there, and they along with others are sending their greetings. Finally, Paul sends his own greeting in verse 21. While he most likely had a secretary write the rest of the letter as Paul dictated it, Paul wrote the end himself. Certainly it added a personal touch, but it was also an authentication that it really came from Paul.
Then after his greeting he adds: “If anyone does not love the Lord—a curse be on him. Come, O Lord! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.” In the Greek language, there are two interesting words there. One is the word, anathema, translated, “curse.” The other is the Aramaic word, maranatha, which is rendered as “Come, O Lord.” Maranatha can be divided up in two ways, which gives two different meanings. One is to result in a statement, “The Lord is coming.” The other division turns the expression into a prayer, “Come, O Lord.” Paul probably means it to be taken in the latter way, which is how it is translated here. Paul recognizes the seriousness of Christ’s judgment. Jesus is coming, and those who are not in Christ and do not love Him have experienced His judgment. They are under the curse of God.
And yet at the same time, Paul can express a prayer for Jesus’ return because that prayer will mean the resolution of all things. It will mean judgment upon sin. It will mean the reward of the godly and Christ’s reign forever and ever. No wonder he bestows upon the Corinthians the benediction, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.” May we have the courage and grace of Jesus Christ to live by the principles we find here.
