Let’s start by taking a look at 2 Corinthians 13:14. Paul states:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Notice Paul starts with “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ…” As believers, we must never forget that our right standing with God—which is the very cornerstone of this amazing relationship with the Spirit—would have never been possible if it were not for the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Paul goes on to say, “...and the love of God...” Aren’t you glad the Father loves you? You’re His child; He loves you uniquely and completely. As a father, I often think about how much I love my four sons, daughter-in-law, and G-babies (my grandchildren; I’m too young to be “Grandpa,” so it’s “G-daddy” and “G-babies”). I absolutely adore my children, yet my ability to love and delight in them isn’t even close to God’s love for His children. His Word declares, “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). What an amazing promise! Aren’t you thankful that nothing can separate you from the Father’s love?

Now, let’s look at the last portion of 2 Corinthians 13:14, keeping in mind that this is Paul’s final letter to the Corinthians. This book (originally a letter) is packed with extraordinary wisdom and revelation. What does Paul, by the Spirit’s leading, choose as the conclusion of this profound written correspondence? “The communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Notice that Paul associates the word communion with the Holy Spirit. As someone who grew up in the Catholic Church, when I used to see the word communion, I would think of bread and wine. Clearly, that is not what Paul is referring to. So, what does “communion with the Holy Spirit” mean? If we return to the original Greek, we find that the Greek word for communion is koinonia. Here are some definitions that I have found for this Greek word: fellowship, companionship, communication, intimacy, sharing together, social intercourse, partnership, joint participation, and close mutual association. That’s a long, powerful list! Allow me to break it down into three main categories:

• Fellowship

• Partnership

• Intimacy

Communion Means Fellowship

My dictionary defines fellowship as “a friendly relationship, companionship, sharing together.” Intimate friends or comrades experience fellowship. They share together, talk to each other, and stay aware of what’s going on in each other’s lives.

As I mentioned previously, I really enjoy playing golf. When I go play a round of golf, I am usually joined by some close friends. We spend the whole round talking with each other. It is one of the best environments for quality time because there are few distractions. I used to have a lot of fun playing tennis in college, but the problem with playing tennis was I couldn’t talk with my opponent. One of the main reasons I love golf is that I get to converse with my competitors. I have developed more close relationships on a golf course than practically anywhere else. That’s where my “fellowship” happens. Now you can probably understand why I really want my wife to play golf with me—because there is no person on the planet whose company I prefer to hers!