John Calvin Commentary 2 Corinthians 13:14

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." — 2 Corinthians 13:14 (ASV)

The grace of the Lord Jesus. He closes the Epistle with a prayer, which contains three clauses, in which the sum of our salvation consists. He desires for them:

1. the grace of Christ;
2. the love of God; and
3. the communion of the Spirit.

The term grace here does not mean unmerited favor but is taken by metonymy to denote the whole benefit of redemption.

The order, however, may appear to be inverted here, because the love of God is placed second, while it is the source of that grace and therefore is first in order. I answer that the arrangement of terms in the Scriptures is not always so very exact; but, at the same time, this order also corresponds with the common form of doctrine contained in the Scriptures — that

when we were enemies to God, we were reconciled by the death of his Son (Romans 5:10),

though the Scripture usually speaks of this in two ways. For it sometimes declares what I have quoted from Paul — that there was enmity between us and God before we were reconciled through Christ. On the other hand, we hear what John says — that

God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, etc. (John 3:16).

The statements are apparently opposite, but it is easy to reconcile them, because in the one case we look to God, and in the other to ourselves.

For God, viewed in himself, loved us before the creation of the world and redeemed us for no other reason than this — because he loved us.

As for us, on the other hand, since we see in ourselves nothing but an occasion of wrath (that is, sin), we cannot apprehend any love of God towards us without a Mediator.

Therefore, with respect to us, the beginning of love is from the grace of Christ.

According to the former view of the matter, Paul would have expressed himself improperly if he had put the love of God before the grace of Christ (or, in other words, the cause before the effect); but according to the latter, it would be a suitable arrangement to begin with the grace of Christ, which was the procuring cause of God’s adopting us into the number of his sons, and honoring us with his love, whom previously he regarded with hatred and abhorrence on account of sin.

The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is added because it is only under his guidance that we come to possess Christ and all his benefits. He seems, however, at the same time, to allude to the diversity of gifts, of which he had made mention elsewhere (2 Corinthians 12:11), because God does not give the Spirit to everyone separately, but distributes to each according to the measure of grace, so that the members of the Church, by mutually participating with one another, may cherish unity.