The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
The closing benediction belongs to Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, counted among his earliest letters. It was written to the believers in Thessalonica, a city now called Salonica and anciently called Therma. That church had been founded in A.D. 51 by Paul and Silas after they were driven from the city by Jewish violence.
The letter commends the Thessalonians for their faithfulness and devotion. The benediction stands within the counsel of 1 Thessalonians 5:14-28, whose central charge is to hold fast that which is good. It is a Christian greeting to fellow believers, expressing the wish that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with them.
The closing benediction belongs to Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, counted among his earliest letters. It was written to the believers in Thessalonica, a city now called Salonica and anciently called Therma. That church had been founded in A.D. 51 by Paul and Silas after they were driven from the city by Jewish violence.
The letter commends the Thessalonians for their faithfulness and devotion. The benediction stands within the counsel of 1 Thessalonians 5:14-28, whose central charge is to hold fast that which is good. It is a Christian greeting to fellow believers, expressing the wish that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with them.