Housekeeping Matter or Important Doctrine?
2 Thessalonians 3:17 – “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.”
Some of the verses at the end of Paul’s epistles can seem like mere formalities, sentences and phrases that are absent of any deep theological truth. These words, it seems, do not pack the punch that the body of Paul’s letters do. After all, what’s the big deal that Paul writes this greeting himself as opposed to using a scribe (Romans 16:22)? It doesn’t seem like much spiritual significance can be drawn from such plain language.
But Paul’s words at the end of 2 Thessalonians are not unimportant or spiritually insignificant. In fact, one might argue that they are some of the most relevant verses in the entire letter because they get at whose words ought to be authoritative for God’s people. Whose words ought to influence us and guide our thinking?
Watch as Pastor Conley teaches on this important, if often-overlooked, verse.