The Grace, the Love, and the Fellowship

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

When we read this passage, we see that it takes place in the context of a final greeting—a benediction. But what does it mean if we understand the Trinity, yet that understanding doesn’t lead us to worship or live accordingly? If we had to choose, which is better: to be able to explain the Trinity precisely, or to live out the Trinity in our lives? Hopefully, we don’t need to choose—but if we must, the second is better.

In verse 14, we see the three persons: the Lord Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit. Each is associated with an attribute—grace, love, and fellowship. However, we should not understand these attributes as exclusive to one person of the Trinity. We believe that grace can be attributed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—just as love and fellowship can. Just as Jesus Christ is not separate from God and the Holy Spirit, grace is not separate from love and fellowship. These three are inseparably connected. Let us now discuss these three Christian virtues.

1. Grace

We can understand grace from various perspectives. One commentary explains grace by referring to 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” So, what is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? It is this: Jesus, though rich, became poor for our sake. Through His poverty, He lifts us—who are poor—so that we may become rich. He did not lift us from the comfort of His heavenly riches but came down to earth, became poor, and lifted us up from here.

If we compare this to other religions, philosophies, or ideologies, we will not find this kind of movement from God to humanity. In many European countries, people emphasize autonomy, self-will, and freedom. But the mystery of the incarnation is that we are completely unable to elevate ourselves. Jesus came down to meet us in our misery.

“Poor” here doesn’t refer only to financial poverty—it can include emotional, relational, or other forms of lack. When we are out of crisis—for example, experiencing a financial rebound, getting a job, or finally bearing an offspring—we have to be careful in dealing with these blessings. Often, when people experience abundance, they stop depending on God. They forget Him, stop joining prayer communion, and stop serving in ministry. In times of “rebound,” people often forget the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Does this mean we should pray for economic or life downturns? Of course not. The point is: if we are financially rich but not rich in Christ, that is not true Christianity. Financial wealth can be achieved without Jesus (capitalism teaches this), but only He can give us spiritual wealth.

What is spiritual wealth? It is the willingness to become poor, like Jesus. Those who are spiritually rich in Christ are willing to humble themselves and enrich others. Yet in our world, people are often driven by greed and the desire to accumulate wealth.

Richness is not just financial. Some people are unwilling to become emotionally poor. They expect others to always care for them, protect their feelings, and meet their emotional needs—without giving in return. Others don’t want to share their time, keeping it only for themselves or their families.

Look at Paul’s life. He deeply understood Jesus’ act of becoming poor to enrich us. Paul, enriched by Christ, followed His example—becoming poor to enrich others. Jesus enriched us not by keeping His wealth, but by giving it up.

We don’t deserve this grace. We deserve poverty as our condemnation. We don’t deserve Jesus becoming poor for us, but He did it to meet us where we are.

In Luke 6:20–24, it says, “Blessed are you who are poor… But woe to you who are rich.” Why such statements? Because Jesus became poor and met the poor in their condition. This is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are truly blessed if we can find Christ in our poverty. If you realize your life is lacking in relationship, that is the moment you need to understand your need for Jesus.

2. Love

The love of God is clearly shown when Jesus died for us. However, sometimes we have self-created ideas about what God’s love looks like. We may think God’s love means a life without difficulty, where everyone treats us well. In other words, we equate love with being spoiled.

But that is not the biblical picture of God’s love. Scripture says, “Whom I love, I rebuke and chasten.” Rebuke and discipline are expressions of God’s love—because we are imperfect and need correction. This takes maturity to understand. If we remain childish, we will struggle to accept this love. Immature people often think love means getting everything they want.

Consider Joseph, who was deeply loved by his father, Jacob. Jacob expressed his love by giving Joseph a special, colorful robe—an act that stirred jealousy among Joseph’s brothers. Though well-meaning, Jacob’s act lacked wisdom.

In contrast, God also loved Joseph—but He allowed him to be thrown into a well and sold into slavery. This was God’s expression of love through chastisement—an act not of cruelty, but one that shaped Joseph’s character. See the contrast: Jacob’s love spoiled Joseph; God’s love, through chastisement, shaped him.

If we only want God’s love to resemble Jacob’s love, we will not grow, because we will always want to be understood, but never to understand—especially not God’s will.

3. Fellowship

The phrase “fellowship of the Holy Spirit” can be interpreted through a grammatical lens—specifically, the genitive case in languages like German. The genitive can be subjective or objective.

In phrases like “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” or “the love of God,” the genitive is subjective—Jesus gives grace, and God gives love.

However, “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” can be understood both ways:

• Subjective genitive: The Holy Spirit creates or gives fellowship.
• Objective genitive: Our fellowship is directed toward, or involves, the Holy Spirit.

The beauty of the subjective genitive is that true Christian fellowship—fellowship with Christ—is something that can only be given by the Holy Spirit.

As mentioned earlier, we sometimes project our own expectations onto Christian love. The same happens with fellowship. We may expect Christian fellowship to always be easy—that we are always loved, accepted, and understood. But if fellowship is mostly about “me” and my needs, then it’s not Christian fellowship—it’s self-centered.

True fellowship involves mutual concern, not one-sided needs. That’s why it’s essential to emphasize the fellowship of the Holy Spirit—it’s not our fellowship, but His. It is not created from below, but given from above.

So what does good Christian fellowship, given by the Holy Spirit, look like? It often includes difficult people—those who challenge us—but through them, we are shaped to be more like Christ.

Paul, the greatest servant in ministry history, was entrusted with the Corinthian church—a congregation filled with immorality so severe that even Gentiles wouldn’t tolerate it. Despite this, Paul maintained fellowship with them, because the fellowship was not his own, but a gift given from above by the Holy Spirit.

Today’s church must cultivate this kind of fellowship. It may surprise us through the people we encounter, but it will bring us closer to God. The grace of God empowers us to live in this fellowship. The love of God sustains us through it.

I hope our church continues to grow in the work of the Trinity that has been entrusted to us. May we be a blessing to those around us. The fellowship of God is open to all—share the grace and love of God with your neighbors, so they can see how Christ transforms our lives despite our imperfections.

God bless us. (G.N.S)