Commentary - Ephesians 6:23-24

Bird's-eye view

In these closing verses, the Apostle Paul concludes his magnificent letter to the Ephesians not with a simple farewell, but with a dense, Trinitarian, covenantal blessing. This is not an afterthought; it is a capstone. He pronounces a benediction that gathers up the grand themes of the entire epistle, peace, love, faith, and grace, and bestows them upon the brethren. These are not mere well-wishes. This is an apostolic pronouncement of what God provides. The blessing flows from its ultimate source, God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and is directed to its recipients, the brothers, specifically identifying them as those who love the Lord Jesus with a love that is incorruptible. In short, this is the final word of an ambassador, sealing his letter with the authority of the King he represents, and leaving his readers with the very substance of the gospel he has just expounded.

The structure is a chiasm of sorts. Verse 23 begins with peace and ends with the divine source. Verse 24 begins with grace and ends with the human response. At the center of it all is the glorious fusion of "love with faith." This benediction serves as a final reminder that the entire Christian life, from its inception in faith to its fruit in love, is a gift from God, sustained by His grace, resulting in a peace that passes understanding and a love for Christ that will outlast the cosmos.

Outline

Context In Ephesians

Ephesians 6:23-24 forms the concluding benediction of the letter. It follows immediately after Paul's personal remarks about sending Tychicus to encourage them (vv. 21-22). The entire letter has been a soaring exposition of God's eternal plan to unite all things in heaven and on earth in Christ (Eph 1:10). The first three chapters lay out the doctrinal foundation, the credenda, what we are to believe about our riches in Christ. The last three chapters lay out the practical application, the agenda, how we are to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. Having just concluded his instructions on spiritual warfare with the armor of God, Paul now pronounces a blessing of peace. This is fitting. The soldier of Christ, having put on the full armor, stands secure in the peace of God which Christ Himself purchased. This final blessing is the apostolic seal upon the whole letter, echoing the greeting in the beginning ("Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ," Eph 1:2) and bringing the entire magnificent argument to a rich and worshipful close.

Key Issues

An Incorruptible Farewell

We have a tendency to treat the ends of letters, and the ends of church services, as throwaway lines. We say "sincerely" or "best regards" without a second thought. When the minister pronounces the benediction, we are often thinking more about the pot roast at home than about the blessing being pronounced over us. But we must not read Paul this way. An apostolic benediction is not a pious platitude. It is a formal, authoritative pronouncement of God's favor. Paul, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, has the authority to declare these things over the church. He is not just wishing them peace; he is bestowing it in the name of the one who is our peace. He is not just hoping they have love and faith; he is declaring that these are the gifts that flow from the Father and the Son. This is a performative utterance. It is a channel through which the grace it describes is ministered to the people of God. We should therefore receive it with faith, as a direct word of blessing from our heavenly Father through His appointed messenger.

Verse by Verse Commentary

23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul begins with peace. This is not simply the absence of conflict or a subjective feeling of tranquility. This is the Hebrew concept of shalom, which means wholeness, completeness, soundness, and covenantal well being. It is the objective reality of reconciliation with God that Paul has already established as the cornerstone of the gospel: "For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one" (Eph 2:14). This peace is bestowed upon "the brothers," a term that emphasizes the familial, covenantal nature of the church. This peace is then coupled with "love with faith." The two are inseparable. You cannot have genuine Christian love without the faith that is its root, and you cannot have a living faith that does not bear the fruit of love. Faith is the instrument by which we are united to Christ, and love is the necessary evidence and outworking of that union. Faith trusts God; love serves the brethren. And where do these glorious gifts come from? They are not conjured up by human effort. They flow "from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." The Father is the ultimate source of all blessing, and the Son is the mediator through whom all blessing is given. This is a profoundly Trinitarian reality. The peace, love, and faith we experience are direct gifts from the throne of God.

24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.

Paul concludes with grace. He began the letter with grace (Eph 1:2), and he ends with it. Grace is the engine and the atmosphere of the entire Christian life. It is God's unmerited, sovereign favor that saves us, sustains us, and will one day glorify us. This grace is pronounced upon a particular group of people: "all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ." This is not a condition for earning grace, but rather the defining characteristic of those who have received it. To be a Christian is to be a lover of Christ. If you do not love Jesus, you are not a believer, no matter what you may profess. But Paul adds a crucial qualifier. The love he speaks of is an "incorruptible love." The Greek here is en aphtharsia, which means in incorruption, or immortality. This is a love that is not subject to decay, rot, or death. It is not a fickle, fleeting, worldly affection that blows hot and cold with the circumstances. It is a supernatural, Spirit-wrought love that is pure, sincere, and eternal. It is the love of the new creation, a love that has been born from above and is therefore not subject to the corruption of this fallen world. This is the kind of love that grace produces, and it is to those who possess this kind of love that the apostle pronounces God's continuing grace.

Application

These final two verses are far more than a nice way to sign off. They are a diagnostic tool for our own souls and a deep well of assurance for the true believer. We must ask ourselves, do we know this peace? Not just a lack of anxiety, but the objective peace of being right with God through the blood of His Son? Is our faith demonstrating itself in tangible love for the brothers? Or is our faith a sterile, intellectual assent that leaves us cold and indifferent to the needs of others?

And most pointedly, what is the nature of our love for Jesus Christ? Is it a corruptible love? Is it a love of convenience, one that we set aside when it costs us something? Is it a love that is mixed with a deep affection for the world, for sin, for our own comfort? Or is it, by the grace of God, an incorruptible love? A love that is the central, organizing principle of our lives? A love that is sincere, persevering, and willing to sacrifice? An incorruptible love does not mean a perfect love, but it does mean a genuine one. It is a love that, when it fails, repents and returns to its object. The good news is that this kind of love is not something we have to manufacture. It is the fruit of the grace that is pronounced in this very verse. The grace of God is what creates and sustains this incorruptible love within us. Therefore, our response should be one of profound gratitude, and a prayerful desire to receive this benediction as the very word of God to us, that His peace, His love, His faith, and His grace would be our portion, now and forever.