2Th 3:16-18 “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
The definition of the word translated as “Lord” means “supreme in authority.” Our Lord Jesus Christ is called the “Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6)” in the Old Testament. The word “Prince” means governor or master as used in Isaiah. In both the Old and New Testament we find Him who is not ashamed to call us brothers (Heb 2:11) being recognized as the One who has authority over peace.
Jesus gives us this assurance in His own words. In John 14:27 He tells us “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” He speaks as one in authority and talks of peace as belonging to Himself. Our Lord Jesus Christ does not make empty promises. Psalms 33:9 tells us that what He speaks is done.
Paul, in closing his second letter to the Thessalonian church, calls their attention once again to the Lord of peace. He reminds them of the steadfastness of Jesus and of his own love for them in this closing. We are assured in these words that Jesus is still the Prince of Peace. When we are blessed with peace, it comes directly from His hand (Himself) according to His purpose.
The peace of Jesus Christ is a gift that He bestows upon us. It is absolutely reliable (always). There is no circumstance we can face where the peace of our Lord cannot reach us (by all means). The giving of His peace is not something that runs on autopilot. When that peace that passes all understanding comes, it comes directly from Him by His direct influence in our lives.
We all appreciate words of encouragement and instruction more when we trust the source they come from. These saints trusted Paul, and he made sure they knew that this counsel came from his hand as he was directed by God. In order to insure that the brethren knew it was his writing (even though Timothy or some other companion may have penned the bulk of the words), he always wrote the salutation in his own hand.
Brethren, when we have true peace in our lives there is only one source. It comes from our Lord Jesus Christ, because He alone has the authority to give us peace regardless of our circumstance. It is manifest evidence that He is with us in our daily walk and encourages those of us who know that our salvation is by His grace. These words are trustworthy (amen).
May God grant us that peace which passes all understanding to the keeping of our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord (Php 4:7)!
