[²⁴ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]

What could be more signature of Paul’s writings than ending (at least close to the end) with an invocation of the “grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”? See all of his letters (1 Cor 16:23, 2 Cor 13:14, Gal 6:18, Eph 6:24, Phil 4:23, Col 4:18, 1 Thess 5:28, 2 Thess 3:18, 1 Tim 6:21, 2 Tim 4:22, Titus 3:15, Phile 25, and for those who think he wrote one more, Heb 13:25).

The apostle seems to repeat himself, for he already wrote a few verses earlier, “The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you” (Rom 16:20). Scholars point out that this verse has a troubling history in the manuscript record, which is reflected in the differences between the English translations. The KJV and NKJV include this verse without question. The NIV, ESV, NLT, NRSV and NET all omit it. The NASB includes it but with brackets. Which one is right?

The answer lies in the manuscript history of the biblical text. The vast majority of the later Greek manuscripts (MSS) do in fact include verse 24 in the text. However, the oldest MSS, which are also considered by most modern scholars to be the “best,” universally do not have this verse. (Verse numbering did not take place until much later in church history, so the absence of the number “24” in most English versions is irrelevant). Did the letter that Paul originally wrote include that verse (which survives in the vast majority of later MSS), or did he not include that verse as reflected in its universal absence in the earliest MSS? Which version is authentic?

Scholars (both armchair and academic) debate these matters, but we have nothing to worry about. Digging deeper at this juncture is beyond the scope of this meditation. Suffice it to say that the relatively few cases in Scripture where MSS differ do not affect any doctrinal issues, nor do they affect the sense of the passages in context. In this case, the fact that Paul did write verse 20 (which no one disputes) indicates the sentiment in verse 24 is genuinely Pauline in character. One can easily picture the verses being added by a later copyist.

Why spend time on such a fine point of scholarship? Because even the casual reader will notice the brackets or the absence of the verse number in most English versions. We need to shore up our confidence that such things as this in our English versions do not in any way tarnish our belief in the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture, which applies to the original autographs. We can be confident that we have in our hands the Word of God.

Lord, thank You for those who study the history of biblical MSS so that we can have faithful versions in our language today.